It only took me a day of testing the brand-new OnePlus 15R to find two features that I absolutely loved. And no, I’m not talking about a flashy new mode or addition – the phone nails two basics better than most rivals on the market right now.
This budget alternative to the OnePlus 15 sells for $699.99 (for 256GB storage, or $100 more for 512GB), so it undercuts its sibling by a hearty $200, but represents a $100 price hike over the OnePlus 13R (despite losing a zoom camera). It was released alongside the OnePlus Pad Go 2, an affordable Android tablet, at the tail end of 2025.
Despite costing less than the 15, the 15R carries over its rigorous resume of IP ratings, so it’s incredibly well-protected against not just knocks and bumps, but jets of water and scalds. This handset will last you ages. And on that note, its battery is the biggest of any OnePlus phone, and I’m already excited to test how long I can game for without needing to power up. If you want a device that nails the basics, this could be the best OnePlus phone for you.
I’m still working on my full OnePlus 15R review, but below you can read my initial impressions on this phone, beginning with deeper dives into those two areas I’ve already mentioned.
OnePlus’ biggest-ever battery
It may not be the most bragged-about spec of any smartphone, but I love a big battery on a mobile, and the OnePlus 15R’s has me making puppy eyes. At 7,400mAh, this is the biggest power pack OnePlus has ever put in a phone (100mAh more than the 15), and one of the biggest you can get on a standard consumer handset full-stop.
I’m of course going to be testing this rigorously as I write my full review, but I’d imagine that this huge power pack will facilitate long gaming binges, or multiple days of standard use between charges. OnePlus phones are good with battery efficiency at the best of times, so I’m excited to see how far I can push this thing.
One downgrade from the OnePlus 15 – there have to be a few – is in charging speed. Instead of the blazing 120W of the main model, it caps out at 80W… or 55W, if you use the in-box charger. That’s still faster than a lot of the competition, but it won’t win races against the fastest-charging Androids. The exact speed is something else I’ll test in my full review – I just need to somehow get the handset down to 0% charge first!
Designed for survival
Being quite clumsy, I love a well-protected phone, and the OnePlus 15R boasts four different IP ratings: IP66, IP68, IP69 and IP69K. Short of the military-grade protection a few rare mobiles have, that makes it one of the hardiest Androids I’ve ever seen; it can survive submersion in 1.5 meters of liquid, jets of 80-degree water, and invasions of dust and sand. I’m not scared about accidentally damaging the thing when I drop it for the fifteenth time in a day.
Beyond its uncommon hardiness, the 15R looks like your standard mid-range Android, albeit a big one: it measures 163.41 x 77.04 x 8.3mm and tips the scales to the tune of 214g (well, for the black model, but the mint one is 1g lighter).
It’s at least a refined version of the chocolate-bar-style phone, with a refined camera bump that doesn’t stick too far from the handset’s rear, and power and volume buttons that are almost totally flush with the phone’s right edge. In fact they’re so subtle, that I initially totally missed the customizable key on the left edge, since it was so inconspicuous. You can map this to a specific function such as screenshotting, changing DND mode or, in my case, activating the camera.
A brand-new chipset
The OnePlus 15R is the first globally-released phone to come with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset, which is a slightly pared-down version of the 8 Elite Gen 5 that the main OnePlus 15 came with. It also has 12GB RAM and either 256GB or 512GB storage, depending on which model you opt for.
I’ve done some benchmarking on the phone, and if it’s a downgrade from the top-end Qualcomm chip, it’s not a big one: the handset returned blistering-fast processing speeds. What I haven’t done yet is test out the performance in the ‘hands-on’ sense, but my Play Store download queue has been jammed full of games to play over Christmas.
A nice little perk to that gaming retreat is the handset’s screen, which is bigger than the OnePlus 15’s. It measures 6.83 inches diagonally, with a 2800 x 1272 resolution and the same 165Hz refresh rate as the premium model; those specs, combined with the AMOLED tech used, make me excited to see how well this thing fares.
I also want to pay some attention to the range of display features OnePlus is offering, with a range of eye comfort and color enhancement modes working behind the scenes to tweak what you’re looking at. Pre-release information provided to press doesn’t mention the return of Aqua Touch, which ensures the display picks up your touch if your fingers are wet, but I’m going to be testing to see if it’s in play too.
A breath of fresh air
The OnePlus 16 runs on OxygenOS 16, which is the company’s spin on Android 16. Some of the headline features of this version of Google’s operating system are tweaks to how notifications are presented, enhanced support for Bluetooth LE and improved in-call security.
But the real headline here is OxygenOS, which continues to be one of the more popular Android forks with features like Zen Space, a distinctive but easy-to-use look and a restrained approach to AI features.
A feature that’s been growing on me is the Shelf, which is an easy-to-summon landing page of widgets so you can write notes, check the weather, manage storage and see a step tracker at a glance.
I would’ve liked to see less bloatware, as it would’ve saved me a few minutes deleting unwanted apps when I first set up the phone, but it was no-where near as bad as on recent OnePlus Nord handsets I’ve tested.
No photographer’s dream
An undeniable downgrade the OnePlus 15R suffers, both from the 15 and 13R, is in the camera department. There’s no longer a zoom lens, which affects the ability to take pictures over a distance, or closer snaps with an appealing depth of field.
Instead on the back you’re looking at a 50MP main camera joined by an 8MP ultra-wide; specs suggest this isn’t a phone for the amateur photographer. On the front is a 32MP camera for selfies which is, at least, more pixels than on the past model.
A brief glimpse at the camera app features list reveals the usuals like portrait, night and panorama, and so I’m not expecting miracles from the OnePlus 15R’s camera array. But I’ve been surprised by affordable phones in the past, and I’ll keep an open mind when testing.
The OnePlus 15R is available for pre-order now at OnePlus.com, starting at $699.99 for the 12GB + 128GB configuration. The OnePlus 15R release date is set for January 8 on the OnePlus website and at BestBuy. It will also be available to buy at Amazon.
