OnePlus 15R Review: A marathon runner but with blinders

Today, we have the OnePlus 15R with us – the more affordable version of the OnePlus 15. Although this year, the OnePlus 15R isn’t exactly affordable! One thing that’s becoming very clear as we move into 2026 is that smartphone prices are going up..up..up…because of the rising RAM and Storage prices! 

And the OnePlus 15R is one of the first premium mid-range phones where we can clearly see that impact. Compared to last year’s OnePlus 13R, the 15R is priced exactly INR 5,000 higher. 

And its indian pricing (INR 48,000) alone makes the OnePlus 15R quite a confusing phone. I have been using it for a little over 10 days now, and although there are a lot of things I like about the 15R, but at the same time, for the price, some of the things are super weird.   

OnePlus 15R Specifications

• Design, Build: 6.83-inch, glass rear, IP66 + IP68 + IP69 + IP69K rating, Oppo Crystal Shield Glass, Colors: Charcoal Black, Mint Breeze
• Display: 6.83-inch AMOLED, 1.5K (2,800 × 1,272 pixels), 165Hz refresh rate, 1,800 nits peak brightness, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, DC dimming
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 (3nm)
• Memory: 12GB LPDDR5X RAM, 256GB/512GB UFS 4.1 storage
• Software & UI: Android 16 with OxygenOS 16, 4 years of Android updates, 6 years of security updates
• Rear Camera:
  • 50MP Sony IMX906 main (OIS, f/1.8, 24mm equivalent)
  • 8MP ultrawide (f/2.2, 16mm equivalent)
• Front Camera: 32MP (f/2.0, 25mm equivalent)
• Security: Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor
• Sensors: Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Proximity, Compass, Ambient Light
• Connectivity: WiFi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, USB 2.0 Type-C
• Battery: 7,400mAh with 80W fast charging (55W charger in box)

OnePlus 15R Review

Design

Anyway, let me first talk about the things I’ve really liked about this phone, and the first one is, of course, the design. The OnePlus 15R here looks very similar to the OnePlus 15. We get the same camera module, similar back materials, the same robust IP69K rating, and a similar aluminium frame. So overall, it feels really premium and well-built.

That said, the 15R is slightly bigger, and because of the larger form factor, it doesn’t quite feel as good in the hand as the OnePlus 15. The OnePlus 15 just feels perfect in hand… the weight distribution, the size, everything. The 15R isn’t bad per se, but you definitely notice the difference when you use them side by side.

Nonetheless, one thing I really like about all the OnePlus phones is the button on the left-hand side. I’ve actually grown to use this button quite a lot. A single tap lets me quickly take a screenshot, and a long press allows me to record voice memos..Over time, it has become part of my daily usage. 

Now, regarding the compromises, the OnePlus 15R only has a USB 2.0 port; it’s not USB 3.2 as the OnePlus 15. Also, there’s no eSIM support here. It only supports 2 physical SIMs! 

One big upgrade, though, is that we get an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. It’s extremely fast, is located at the right location. So yeah, it really improves the overall user experience.

Display

The display quality is also quite good, but it’s not the same display we get on the OnePlus 15, and that difference is clearly visible. When I compared the two side by side, the OnePlus 15’s display looks warmer and more pleasing to the eye. The 15R’s display is noticeably cooler with a slightly bluish tint. 

Even when I tried adjusting the colour temperature in the settings, I couldn’t quite make it match the OnePlus 15. The warmer tone on the OnePlus 15 just looks better, especially during long usage.

Also, this is not an LTPO display. If I remember correctly, the OnePlus 13R had LTPO, but the 15R does not. Personally, I don’t mind this too much, mainly because the battery life here is absolutely insane.

Battery

We get a massive 7400mAh battery, and the endurance is crazy. I am getting battery life very similar to the OnePlus 15. I consistently got around 10 hours of screen-on time, and on lighter usage days, it can even go up to 12 hours. 

Charging speed has been reduced from 120W on the OnePlus 15 to 80W here. But honestly, 80W is still perfectly fine. [0 to 100% in 55 minutes] 

There’s no wireless charging, but since I don’t use wireless charging much anyway, this isn’t a dealbreaker for me.

BTW, for multimedia consumption, the display still performs very well. HDR 10, Dolby Vision, everything works properly. It also gets plenty bright, and the touch response is nice as well. 

Audio 

The stereo speakers are also decent for watching movies and TV shows. They’re not great for music, especially genres like progressive rock, which is what I usually listen to. But for movies and series, the audio experience is perfectly fine. 

Another big plus of the OnePlus 15R is the overall experience you get while using it. You are getting an exceptional day-to-day experience with this phone, and I think no phone in this price range can match this level of smoothness and consistency. And that’s the main reason people will want to buy this phone.

Performance

The OnePlus 15R is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, which, of course, is not as powerful as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 Elite, which you get on the more expensive OnePlus 15. But in real-world usage, performance here is really, really good. 

And with the latest OxygenOS 16, everything feels super smooth and responsive. App opening animations are fast, the RAM management is exceptional, and the overall UI feels so fluid and polished! 

The OnePlus 15 does still feel slightly faster. Now, this is not something most users will notice, but as someone who has been reviewing smartphones for over 10 years now, I can feel that the 15R is just a tiny bit slower in comparison. 

The haptics are also a slight step down. The vibration motor here is a bit weaker compared to the OnePlus 15, and even compared to what we had on the OnePlus 13R. Again, it’s not bad, and many people won’t even notice it, but it’s definitely not as impactful! 

Gaming performance on the OnePlus 15R is, although very impressive. I’ve tested several games on this phone, and you can run almost everything at maximum FPS without any issues. PUBG, for example, runs extremely well with very stable frame rates and excellent 5% lows. Genshin Impact also runs with very good stability. In games like Call of Duty, it can even push frame rates up to 165 FPS, and even in PUBG, with some settings tweaks, you can play at 165 FPS. Thermals are surprisingly good, too. It didn’t even cross the 40-degree Celsius mark in any games.

Camera

Ok, so far, everything on the OnePlus 15R is quite good, but just like the more expensive OnePlus 15, the biggest disappointment here is the camera. Normally, when a phone’s price goes up, you expect the cameras to improve at least a little compared to the previous generation. But that hasn’t happened here. The cameras on the OnePlus 15R are simply not good enough for the price. If I had to describe this camera system in just two words, it would be: consistently inconsistent.

I’ve taken over 100’s of photos with this phone, and to be very honest with you guys, I didn’t like a single one enough to call it a “great shot.”

I personally enjoy clicking macro and portrait photos and this phone doesn’t even allow macro photography. The 1X and 2X Portraits are also quite underwhelming.

Even with the main camera, I noticed a lot of inconsistency. Highlights are often blown out.. I would say in nearly 50% of the photos. The camera also tends to brighten images too much by lifting shadows aggressively, which causes loss of detail and makes photos look unnatural.

Some photos are okay, not terrible, but the inconsistency in exposure and colours really ruins the experience. For 48,000 rupees, the ultra-wide camera is also just an 8MP sensor and honestly, it’s bad. Edge details are washed out, overall sharpness is poor, and in low light, there’s a lot of noise. 

Selfies & overall video performance are decent though.. I was able to get usable 4K shots at 30fps, but again, nothing impressive.

So yes, cameras are a major letdown this year on both the OnePlus 15 and the 15R. And this is exactly why I called this phone weird at the beginning of the article. 

OnePlus 15R Review Conclusion

So the real question is: who is this phone actually for? And I think the OnePlus 15R is for someone who wants an exceptional overall smartphone experience: great performance, excellent software, a very good display, solid IP rating, fast ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, and insane battery life.

But it’s not for someone who clicks a lot of photos or videos. If you only take casual photos once in a while and camera performance is not your top priority, then the OnePlus 15R is actually a fantastic phone. And honestly, if that’s the use case, I don’t see many reasons to spend extra money on the OnePlus 15, because even its cameras aren’t that great.

So, yeah, you can save a significant amount of money and still get almost the same overall experience with the 15R. Now, if you can find the OnePlus 13 at around 50,000 - 55,000 rupees, which I’ve seen happen during sales, then I would suggest you add some extra money and get the OnePlus 13.. That's a proper phone – my phone of the year for 2025! 

But then again, going forward, I don’t think prices of older phones will drop much anymore. Rising RAM and storage costs mean this is the new normal in the smartphone industry in 2026. 

OnePlus 15R Review Pros and Cons

Pros

• Massive battery life
• Fluid software
• Stunning Display
• Fast biometrics

Cons

• Disappointing cameras
• Downgraded Display
• Limited connectivity