I know all of the OnePlus 13 users in the US are wondering, “Where is the OnePlus 14”?
Well, Chinese people think that number 4 is unlucky (similar to how people think 13 is unlucky in the US), so they have skipped the OnePlus 14, which has the number 4 in it.
Now that we have the OnePlus 15, how good is it?
It’s been two weeks since the OnePlus 15 has hit the stores in the most major parts of the world. Luckily, a friend was coming from Germany, so I asked him to bring one with him. I have been using it for a week now as my daily driver, and I love everything about this phone, besides the cameras.
Let me explain.
Starting with the Most Improved Aspect – The Performance
This is the best thing about the new OnePlus 15, and arguably the best out of all Android phones currently on the market. The new OnePlus 15 is powered by the latest and greatest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. On top of that, it comes with either 12 or 16 gigs of LPDDR5 Ultra and Ultra+ RAM, respectively.
Now, how does it perform in real-world usage? I will just say one word phenomenal.
I have used the previous generations of the OnePlus phones, and they all had a thing in common, which was great performance. And the latest one is the snappiest of them all.
OnePlus has made a few tweaks that resulted in this great performance. First up is the RAM: they have used the fastest type of RAM available in the market. This makes the loading of the apps pretty fast. Just tap on the icon of the app, and it opens within a second.
Oh, and the gaming on this phone is an amazing experience. Performance is one reason for it, the display is another, which I will be coming down to in a minute.
If you are planning to buy this phone just for gaming, you should be good. However, just make sure that you have a WiFi connection from one of the best internet providers in the US for an even better gaming experience. And if you’re a hardcore gamer like me, try investing in an Ethernet to USB-C adapter for a wired gaming experience on the phone.
The Display is Great as Well
This time around, OnePlus has reduced the display size just a bit. Previously, it was 6.82 inches in the OnePlus 13, but in the OnePlus 15, it is 6.78 inches. But there are a few more changes to this as well.
First of all, it comes with all the necessary upgrades like Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and HDR Vivid. The display experience is great on this phone when using it normally. But do you know when it gets even sweeter? It’s for gaming.
Phenomenal performance, and when it’s coupled with a 165Hz display, it gets even sweeter. Yep, you read it right! OnePlus 15 comes with a 165Hz display, which is supported by only a few games. But those that do make the gaming experience on this phone the best.
Apart from gaming, I have been using this phone to watch most of my content, and the experience so far is nothing short of impressive. It is a gorgeous display.
However, it is not all sunshine and rainbows. The pixel density has been reduced to 450ppi. It’s not a 1440p display anymore, but you will hardly notice it, even when you pixel-peep the display.
So, it is still great.
Battery Life is Fantastic
Oh my word! I haven’t had a phone that I couldn’t kill in a day until the OnePlus 15.
This thing is essentially unkillable in a single day. You can use it for 14 hours with the screen on in a day, and still, you won’t be able to kill it. Even if you are running low on battery, you can quickly top it up by plugging it in for a few minutes.
The charger comes out of the box with this phone, which is an anomaly in the current smartphone market.
Why is it unkillable in a day?
The reason is the more efficient Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, and whopping 7,300mAh Silicon-Carbon batteries. The most common type of battery in smartphones is Lithium-ion, which can hold a smaller capacity. On the flip side, Silicon-Carbon batteries can hold more capacity while being the same size.
So, that’s why you won’t see the OnePlus 15 being thick while holding roughly 40% more capacity.
Anyway, if battery life is your concern in a new phone, the OnePlus 15 is for you.
The Cameras Are Meh!
Now, let’s come down to the most disappointing thing about the new OnePlus 15 – the cameras.
The megapixel count isn’t reduced, but the lenses inside the camera systems are smaller than ever. Why does it matter? Since they are smaller, they will surely struggle to hold up well in low light. Not only does the low-light photo quality struggle, but it will also have fewer details in the photos.
Oh, and there is no collaboration with Hasselblad anymore.
All in all, they do the job but not exceptionally.
The bottom line is that if cameras aren’t your priority, this might just be the best Android phone that you can get right now.
