OnePlus surprised us a bit this year by bumping up the timeline of their latest device refreshes. The company usually hits around the first of the year, and technically released the OnePlus 13 and the OnePlus 15 in the same 12 months. The company is now back a month later with the new OnePlus 15R.
The more “mid-range” model R-series still has historically packed quite the punch for the price. Let’s see how the second R-phone of 2025 holds up in this review.
Design
As with past releases, the OnePlus 15R borrows heavily from its sibling. If you covered both camera models, you’d be hard to tell them apart. Like the OnePlus 15, it has more square and sharp lines this year. The back has a similar ionized finish that’s somewhere between sandstone and soft touch.
Around the front, you have the new screen at 2800×1272 FHD+ display. This is a step-down from its brother, but still lends to a vibrant experience that would give other flagships competition. Colors and blacks pop with good refresh and responsiveness. I have noticed that the automatic brightness has a slight delay to catch up to well lit environments, but it’s not a huge issue. It’s also capable of the 165Hz refresh rate found on the OnePlus 15, but likewise is limited to a handful of games.
Internally, you have the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 from Qualcomm. Again, the OnePlus 15R brings over that triple engine from the flagship model. The combination of the Gen 5, Touch Response chip, and dedicated Wi-Fi chip makes the underlying performance top-notch. The RAM is a single SKU of 12GB of RAM and storage can be had at 256 or 512 gigabytes.
The OnePlus 15R bridges the gap between value and luxury, pairing the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 with a massive 7,400mAh battery for top-tier Endurance that easily lasts through the weekend, but could be hindered my middling camera and performance.
Software and Daily Use
The OnePlus 15R launches with the company’s take on Android 16. OxygenOS 16 was introduced with the OnePlus 15, and it’s almost identical here. With that, it comes with the same Apple-centric UI elements but also comes with all the power and performance.
I’ve had zero hesitation using the OnePlus 15R in normal tasks. The OS is fine and has personality, even if it’s a bit of imposter syndrome. Overall, the system is good, but certain transitions and animations just seem sluggish for “affect”. It just compounds many of the questionable focus on moving the software in a weird parody of iOS Liquid Glass atop Android.
Camera
Another struggling metric might be the cameras. I didn’t see as much of a step back on the flagship OnePlus 15 from the previous generations, and had hoped that was the case here as well. Unfortunately, the OnePlus 15R doesn’t hit the mark at its new $700 price point.
Yes, you can take decent shots in optimal lighting conditions. It’s when you lose that light, it becomes a hassle. The Sony IMX906 sensor has a hard time focusing and make use of the surroundings in a way you just didn’t see fall off in the performance of the 13R.
I could look past this more if we didn’t see such a price increase from the years before. This is something that OnePlus is going to have to combat with a much smaller presence here in the US compared to rivals. Cameras can easily get better with software updates, but out of the box, this one left me wishing it was higher quality.
Battery Life
Here I was surprised to see that OnePlus included an even bigger battery than the OnePlus 15 on the R-series. It’s a mere 100mAh but brings the total to a massive, 7400mAh silicon stacked tank for the OnePlus 15R.
It’s no surprise that I had a hard time taking the phone down to zero percent. I was average over two days with the OnePlus 15, and I’ve found the 15R just as efficient. I’ve tweaked out three full days a few times, but I think consecutive days is more than achievable for most users.
Final Thoughts
Awarded to products with an average rating of 3.75 stars or higher, the AndroidGuys Smart Pick recognizes a balance of quality, performance, and value.
Products with this distinction deserve to be on your short list of purchase candidates.
OnePlus sticks to its guns with the OnePlus 15R. This is a great option for those looking for mostly flagship specs without breaking the bank too bad. You get an OK camera, fantastic battery life, and top-tier performance in a package that looks and feels like a premium phone. The only problem is that the at $700, it seems to have out priced the perfect $600 mark of the OnePlus 13R that set it competitive with offerings from Moto, Pixel, and Samsung.
The OnePlus 15R is available for pre-order now from OnePlus.com and is eligible for trade-in of any device in any condition for a $50 discount. The phone comes in two colorways: Charcoal Black and Mint Freeze.
