OnePlus 15R Review: Affordable Upper-Midrange Phone With Big Battery Life

	The OnePlus 15R delivers strong Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 performance and spectacular battery life at the expense of camera versatility. OnePlus 15R - Starting At $699
	Quality materials and build Beautiful 165Hz display Solid performance Outstanding battery life Fast wired charging, charger in the box Clean and responsive software IP69K ingress rating ×Alert slider is back	No telephoto, middling ultrawide No more alert slider No wireless charging

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Behold the OnePlus 15R, the company’s budget flagship for 2026. It cost $699 ($100 more than the OnePlus 13R it replaces, $200 less than the OnePlus 15 it flanks), but gives up its predecessor’s LTPO display and 2x telephoto shooter for Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 processor and a stupendous 7,400mAh battery. And, for better or worse, the OnePlus 15R’s design follows in the OnePlus 15’s minimalist footsteps.

It’s the first time that OnePlus’ budget flagship phone gets a brand new chip from Qualcomm instead of last year’s hand-me-down flagship Snapdragon SoC, and that’s a big deal. So, what difference does this make in terms of performance, and what corners does the OnePlus 15R cut to achieve a $200 lower price tag than the OnePlus 15? How does it compare to last year’s OnePlus 13R? Let’s find out in my review.

OnePlus 15R Hardware And Design

I write pseudo, because instead of being a perfect squircle like on the OnePlus 15, the OnePlus 15R’s aluminum camera pod is more rectangular. And while it features the same vertical, pill-shaped glass window (covering two shooters) on the left, it lacks the two circular glass windows (for the third camera and flash) on the right. Instead, the flash is mounted flush with the aluminum surface in the top right corner of the camera island.

The OnePlus 15R is available in two colorways: Mint Breeze (like our review unit), and Charcoal Black. Both are rated IP69K for robust dust and water resistance, but lack OnePlus’ wonderful alert slider, which gives way to the Plus Key (think Apple Action Button), introduced with the OnePlus 15. In all, the OnePlus 15R looks good, feels nice, and is well made. Personally, I’m not in love with this new iPhone-inspired design language. Others on our team, like HotHardware Editor-in-Chief Dave Altavilla, really like it. Your mileage may vary. As for ports and controls, the main speaker, USB Type-C port (USB 2.0), primary mic, and dual nano-SIM tray are housed on the bottom edge, while the other speaker and two more mics live on top. On the left side you’ll find that new, programmable Plus Key, while the volume rocker and power/lock key are located on the right. Like with the OnePlus 15, the OnePlus 15R’s IR transmitter is mounted in the camera pod.

OnePlus 15R Specs And Features

Processor & 5G Platform	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5
Display	6.83-inch 1.5k LTPS AMOLED, 2800x1272 resolution, 60/90/120/144/165Hz
Memory	12GB LPDDR5X Ultra
Storage	256GB UFS 4.1
Rear-Facing Cameras	50MP 1/1.56” f/1.8 Main OIS, Omni-Directional PDAF - 8MP f/2.0 112º Ultra-Wide
Front-Facing Cameras	32MP f/2.0
Video Recording	Up to 4K @ 120fps, 1080p @ 120fps, 4k slow-mo
Battery	7,400mAh, 80W SuperVOOC wired charging, no wireless charging
OS	Android 16 with OxygenOS 16
Dimensions	163.4 x 77 x 8.3mm (fiberglass back) - 161.4 x 76.7 x 8.2mm (glass back)
Weight	215g
Connectivity	802.11be Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0+LE, NFC, USB-C, LTE, 5G (sub-6GHz)
Colors	Mint Breeze, Charcoal Black
Pricing	Starting At $699, Find It At OnePlus.com

OnePlus 15R Display Quality

The OnePlus 15R boasts a completely flat 6.83-inch 1.5k 10-bit LTPS AMOLED display (2800 x 1272 pixels, 450ppi, HDR10+) with a 20:9-ish aspect ratio and a 165Hz refresh rate. It’s a quality screen with minimal bezels that delivers punchy colors, inky blacks, and wide viewing angles. Plus, at 1800 nits HBM, it’s bright enough to handle the California sun. As a bonus, this panel also supports 2160Hz PWM dimming.
While its predecessor, the OnePlus 13R, featured an LTPO display with 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate, the OnePlus 15R uses an LTPS screen that switches between 60, 90, and 120Hz for day-to-day tasks, and only supports 144 and 165Hz refresh rates in select games. Like with the OnePlus 15, I’m unconvinced that anything beyond 120Hz really makes a difference, so I’d rather have a more power-efficient LTPO panel.

OnePlus 15R Camera Performance And Image Quality

If you’re expecting a proper, flagship-grade imaging experience, look somewhere else. The OnePlus 15R’s camera system is pretty basic. Sure, you get the same 50MP f/1.8 1.0-micron main shooter (1/1.56-inch Sony IMX906) with omni-directional PDAF and OIS as the OnePlus 15, but spec-wise, it’s all downhill from here. The 8MP f/2.2 1.12-micron 112-degree ultrawide and 32MP f/2.0 selfie camera aren’t anything to write home about.
More importantly, the OnePlus 15R lacks the 2x telephoto shooter found on the OnePlus 13R, which is disappointing. Because, while that 2x telephoto used a small 50MP sensor and lacked OIS, it made the OnePlus 13R’s camera system significantly more versatile. On the plus side, the OnePlus 15R inherits the OnePlus 15’s new DetailMax Engine. It’s no match for Hasselblad’s legendary tuning, but it delivers solid results.
This means that the OnePlus 15R’s main camera supports the same high-resolution mode as the OnePlus 15, which given enough light, combines several pixel-binned 12MP shots for dynamic range with a 50MP image for detail, resulting in higher quality 26MP photos. Obviously, the main shooter also supports 4-to-1 pixel binning for better low-light performance, and in-sensor cropping for near-”lossless” 2x pictures.
Photo modes include night, portrait, pro (manual), motion photo, interval, 50MP high-res, panorama, long exposure, document scanner, and tilt-shift. Night mode is available across the board, but pro mode only works on the rear cameras. Dig around the menus, and you’ll also find traditional filters, soft light options, Smart scenes (stage, silhouette, and fireworks), and Clear burst (a dual-exposure algorithm for improved detail and reduced blur).
All shooters capture stabilized video (with stereo audio) at up to 4k 120fps (main), 1080p 30fps (ultrawide), 4k 30fps (selfie). Video modes include portrait (up to 1080p 30fps), ultra steady (up to 4k 60fps main, 1080p 30fps ultrawide and selfie), pro (manual, rear, 21:9, up to 4k 30fps), slow motion (main, 4k 120fps, 1080p 240fps, 720p 480fps), time lapse (up to 4k 30fps), and dual view (main plus selfie, 1080p 30fps).
The OnePlus 15R snaps pleasant photos overall, with accurate colors and proper exposure. Pictures taken with the main shooter are quite nice. Ultrawide images are serviceable, but underwhelming. Selfies are generally decent, and portrait mode works well. Zoomed shots look fine up to 4-5x, but anything beyond that starts to lose significant detail. Videos are mostly good but don't really match what’s possible with today’s best Android flagships.

OnePlus 15R Cellular Connectivity And Sound Quality

I didn’t experience any problems with call quality and data speeds using the OnePlus 15R on AT&T, T-Mobile, and Telus’ sub-6GHz 5G and 4G LTE networks in San Francisco and Vancouver (Canada). Obviously, this phone also works fine with Verizon and most MVNOs in the US. The OnePlus 15R lacks mmWave 5G support, just like the OnePlus 15, but that doesn’t really matter, considering mmWave 5G’s small footprint.
On the audio front, the OnePlus 15R features an excellent sounding pair of stereo speakers (earpiece plus bottom-firing driver). As you’d expect, there’s no headphone jack, but this handset supports both analog and digital audio devices over USB Type-C, so your wired listening experience is just a dongle away. And if you prefer going wireless, it offers aptX HD, LDAC, and LHDC codecs for high quality audio over Bluetooth.

OnePlus 15R Performance And Battery Life

The OnePlus 15R packs Qualcomm’s brand new 3nm “baby” flagship SoC – the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 – and delivers solid performance to match. As you’d expect, it juggled our usual collection of productivity, social media, entertainment, and gaming apps without breaking a sweat. Here in the US, there’s only one configuration, with 12GB of LPDDR5x Ultra RAM and 256GB UFS 4.1 storage. Obviously, there’s no microSD support.


While the OnePlus 15R feels incredibly smooth and responsive, our benchmarks tell an interesting story (see above and below). The results are mixed, with GPU-heavy workloads generally falling into Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 territory, and CPU-heavy workloads matching – and sometimes even beating – Snapdragon 8 Elite-equipped flagships. Overall, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 still reigns supreme, but the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 holds its own.
Unlike the OnePlus 15, which ran into thermal issues when running 3DMark’s Steel Nomad Light Unlimited stress test, I didn’t experience any such problems with the OnePlus 15R. On the contrary, this phone does an excellent job with sustained workloads, dropping to just 89.6% of its peak performance after 20 iterations in 3DMark’s Wild Life Unlimited stress test. This makes it well suited for long gaming sessions.


Battery life is spectacular, thanks to a gigantic 7,400mAh battery that will easily last two days on a full charge – possibly even three days with light use. In our PCMark Work 3.0 battery test, the OnePlus 15R lasted a whopping 22 hours and 45 minutes, achieving our second best score after the OnePlus 15. The OnePlus 15R supports 80W fast wired charging (SuperVOOC + USB PPS) and comes with a 55W SuperVOOC charger in the box, but lacks wireless charging, which is unfortunate.

OnePlus 15R Software, User Experience, and AI

The OnePlus 15R runs Oxygen OS 16 on top of Android 16, and delivers the same smooth and refined user experience I wrote about in my OnePlus 15 review. Go ahead and check it out – I’ll wait. Basically, Oxygen OS 16’s design is clean and responsive, and while it doesn’t stray too far from stock Android, it’s beginning to look and feel a bit too iOS-like for my tastes. But if that rocks your boat, you’ll feel right at home with this handset.
When it comes to AI features, you can set the Plus Key to access Mind Space, which is a part of OnePlus AI, alongside Google’s Circle To Search, Gemini, and Gemini Live. Mind Space is very similar in scope and operation to Nothing’s Essential Space. Think of it as a personal, on-device knowledge base that’s deeply integrated with Gemini. OnePlus AI also includes a bunch of other tools I outlined in my OnePlus 15 review.

Our unlocked review unit came bundled with Copilot and Netflix, apps which are easy to remove. But who doesn’t use Netflix, anyway? The OnePlus 15R comes with Google’s familiar app suite and a handful of OnePlus apps, like a compass, game mode, IR remote, notes app, translation app, video player, and voice recorder. Like with the OnePlus 15, the company is promising four years of OS upgrades and six years of security updates.

OnePlus 15R Review Summary

I have mixed feelings about the OnePlus 15R, just like I did with the OnePlus 15. At $699 (and despite costing $100 more than the previous gen) it still offers great value, but OnePlus’ stubborn focus on performance results in some vexing compromises. While the OnePlus 15R boasts quality hardware, a lovely 165Hz display, solid performance, outstanding battery life, fast charging speeds, robust water/dust resistance, and excellent software, the downsides are difficult to ignore.

Because the OnePlus 15R makes a lot more sense as a performance-oriented affordable upper-midrange phone with class-leading battery life. So, if that’s what you’re looking for, you won’t be disappointed.