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The OnePlus R series has always tried to maintain a middle ground. These phones are designed for users who want near-flagship performance, clean software, and reliable daily usage, but without paying full flagship prices. Over the years, the R series has built a reputation for being fast, smooth, and practical rather than flashy.
With the OnePlus 13R, OnePlus managed to get many things right. Performance was strong, software felt smooth, and the overall experience was dependable. However, it was not without compromises. Camera performance was inconsistent, some hardware parts felt slightly outdated, and a few design decisions did not fully match the rising price point.
Now comes the OnePlus 15R, a phone that clearly tries to move the R series closer to flagship territory. On paper, it looks like a major step forward. You get a much more powerful processor, a brighter and smoother display, an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, better durability ratings, a huge battery, and noticeable camera improvements. At the same time, OnePlus has made some choices that feel like steps backward. Certain features are missing, some components remain unchanged, and the price has gone up significantly.
So the real question is simple. Is the OnePlus 15R a genuine upgrade over the 13R, and does it justify its higher price? After using the phone extensively as a daily driver, gaming on it, testing the cameras in different lighting conditions, and exploring its software features, here is a detailed and honest review.
OnePlus 15R Price and Availability
The OnePlus 15R is available in India in two storage variants:
12GB RAM + 256GB storage priced at ₹47,999
12GB RAM + 512GB storage priced at ₹52,999
There is also a ₹3,000 bank discount available during select offers, which slightly softens the pricing.
Compared to the OnePlus 13R at launch, this is a noticeable price increase. The 15R is no longer trying to be an aggressive value phone. Instead, OnePlus is positioning it closer to entry-level flagship phones.
The phone is available through OnePlus’ official website, Amazon India, and offline OnePlus Experience Stores. Buyers can choose from three color options: Mint Breeze, Charcoal Black, and Electric Violet. The Electric Violet variant uses a fiberglass back instead of glass, making it slightly lighter and thinner.
Unboxing Experience
Unboxing the OnePlus 15R feels familiar, especially if you have used OnePlus phones before. The phone comes in the classic red OnePlus box. Inside, you get the handset, a color-matched protective case, an 80W SuperVOOC fast charger, a USB-A to USB-C charging cable, a SIM ejector tool, and a pre-applied screen protector.
It is good to see OnePlus still including the charger in the box, especially at this price point, as many brands have stopped doing so.
Design and Build Quality
The moment you pick up the OnePlus 15R, it feels more refined than its predecessor. The phone has a metal frame that feels sturdy and well-built, with no creaks or flex anywhere. The overall design language is cleaner and more polished this year, and when you compare its dimensions, weight, and build details with other phones in the same segment on platforms like Smartprix, the 15R clearly stands out in terms of finish and in-hand feel.
The back panel finish depends on the color variant. The Mint Breeze and Charcoal Black models come with a glass back, while the Electric Violet version uses fiberglass and carries the “ACE” branding. The Mint Breeze color deserves special mention, as it is one of the best green shades seen on a smartphone recently. Under different lighting conditions, the color subtly shifts, giving the phone a premium and refreshing look that does not feel boring or flashy.
OnePlus has also improved ergonomics this time. The corners are more rounded, and the edges feel softer in the hand compared to the OnePlus 13R. This makes the phone noticeably more comfortable to hold during long usage sessions, especially considering its large size and display.
Despite housing a massive 7,400mAh battery, the phone remains surprisingly slim. The glass variants are 8.3mm thick and weigh around 218–219 grams, while the Electric Violet version is slightly thinner at 8.1mm and weighs about 213 grams. For a phone with such a large battery, these numbers are impressive.
The camera module design takes inspiration from the OnePlus 15 series and looks like a smaller version of the flagship camera layout. Whether you like it or not comes down to personal taste, but it does give the phone a more premium and modern identity.
On the front, the OnePlus 15R features symmetrical bezels, which is a clear improvement over the previous model. While they are not the thinnest in the segment, they still look clean, balanced, and modern during everyday use.
One notable change is the replacement of the iconic alert slider with the new Plus Key. This button supports customizable long-press actions such as switching sound modes, opening the camera, turning on the torch, launching Plus Mind, or enabling Do Not Disturb. However, at present, only long-press actions are supported, which feels a bit limiting and could be improved with future updates.
Durability and Protection
Durability is one area where the OnePlus 15R clearly stands out. It comes with IP66, IP68, IP69, and IP69K certifications. This means the phone is protected against dust, water immersion, high-pressure water jets, and even hot water sprays up to 80 degrees Celsius.
These are flagship-level durability ratings and are rarely seen in this price segment. For users who want peace of mind, this is a major advantage.
Display Quality
The display on the OnePlus 15R is one of its strongest features. It sports a large 6.83-inch LTPS AMOLED panel with a 1.5K resolution and a 165Hz refresh rate. While it is not an LTPO panel, the real-world experience remains excellent.
Brightness is impressive. With up to 1800 nits in high brightness mode, outdoor visibility is not an issue at all. Even under direct sunlight, content remains easy to read. At the other end, the display can get extremely dim, which is helpful for night usage.
Color reproduction is very good, with support for 10-bit color and full DCI-P3 coverage. Colors look vibrant but not oversaturated, and OnePlus’ tuning feels natural out of the box.
The display supports Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and HDR Vivid, which makes a noticeable difference when watching supported content on platforms like Netflix, Prime Video, and YouTube.
The 165Hz refresh rate sounds impressive, but there are some limitations. The system does not run at 165Hz all the time, and social media apps do not fully support it yet. Higher refresh rates are mostly limited to supported games. Still, scrolling, animations, and transitions feel very smooth.
Eye comfort features like Reduce White Point, Motion Cues, PWM dimming, and gaming eye protection modes are well implemented, making the display comfortable for long usage sessions.
Audio and Haptics
The OnePlus 15R comes with a stereo speaker setup that delivers loud and clear audio. The sound remains balanced even at higher volume levels, with good vocal clarity and minimal distortion.
Haptics are another highlight. The phone uses an X-axis linear motor, and the vibration feedback feels precise and premium. Typing feels satisfying, and system-level haptic responses are consistent across OxygenOS.
Software Experience: OxygenOS 16
The OnePlus 15R runs OxygenOS 16 based on Android 16, and this remains one of the biggest reasons to buy the phone. The software feels smooth, clean, and well optimized.
Animations are fluid, app launches are quick, and multitasking feels effortless. Even with heavy background usage, the system remains responsive. Features like Parallel Processing 2.0 improve app switching and navigation gestures, making the experience feel natural.
The predictive back gesture is another small but welcome addition. It shows a preview of what action the back gesture will perform before you complete it.
Customization options are excellent. Lock screen and home screen customization in OxygenOS 16 is among the best on Android. Flux Theme 2.0 options look stylish, and you can even use video wallpapers with depth effects.
OnePlus AI and Plus Mind Features
OnePlus has heavily focused on AI this year, and the 15R gets the same AI features as the flagship OnePlus 15.
The main highlight is Plus Mind. It acts like a personal digital memory space where you can save screenshots, articles, chats, posters, and event details using the Plus Key or a three-finger swipe. Everything is organized contextually, making it easy to find later.
Plus Mind is integrated with Google Gemini, allowing you to ask contextual questions based on your saved content. This feature is surprisingly useful once you get used to it.
Other AI tools include AI Writer, AI Recorder, AI Notes, AI Translate, AI VoiceScribe, Circle to Search, AI Summary, AI Eraser, AI Unblur, AI Perfect Shot, and AI 4K Upscale.
OnePlus also emphasizes privacy by processing most AI tasks through its Private Computing Cloud with encrypted data handling.
Software Updates
OnePlus promises four years of Android updates and six years of security patches for the 15R. While this is good, it is slightly behind brands that offer longer Android update support. Still, OnePlus has a solid track record of timely updates.
Performance and Gaming
Performance is where the OnePlus 15R truly excels. The phone is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset paired with LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.1 storage.
Unlike earlier R series phones, OnePlus has not used an older flagship chip this time. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 delivers excellent performance across daily tasks and gaming.
Apps open instantly, multitasking is smooth, and even heavy workloads do not slow the phone down. Gaming performance is excellent, with high frame rates and stable performance in demanding titles. Thermal management is good, although the smaller vapor chamber compared to the 13R does raise some concerns for long gaming sessions.
Camera Performance
The OnePlus 15R adopts a different camera strategy compared to the 13R. Instead of including a telephoto lens, OnePlus has focused on improving the main camera and image processing.
The phone features a 50MP Sony IMX906 main camera with OIS and autofocus, an 8MP ultra-wide camera, and a 32MP autofocus selfie camera.
Main Camera
The main camera delivers consistent and reliable results. Images have good detail, natural colors, and improved dynamic range. Digital zoom up to 3X performs surprisingly well, often matching the older telephoto in real-world scenarios.
Low-light performance is good, with controlled noise and decent detail retention. HDR handling has improved, though occasional halo effects can still appear.
Selfie Camera
The 32MP autofocus selfie camera is a big upgrade. Selfies look sharper, focus is accurate, and HDR performance is better than before. Low-light selfies still need improvement, as noise and processing are noticeable.
Ultra-Wide Camera
The ultra-wide camera remains the weakest link. It performs fine in good daylight but struggles in low light. The lack of autofocus and limited detail make it feel outdated at this price.
Video Recording
Video performance is improved. The main camera supports 4K recording up to 120fps, while the selfie camera can shoot 4K at 30fps. Stabilization is good, though exposure handling in high-contrast scenes needs work. Ultra-wide video is limited to 1080p and looks average.
Final Verdict
The OnePlus 15R is a powerful, refined, and feature-rich phone that pushes the R series closer to flagship territory. It offers excellent performance, a great display, smooth software, strong durability, and a reliable main camera.
However, the higher price, missing telephoto lens, average ultra-wide camera, USB 2.0 port, and lack of LTPO display prevent it from being a complete win.
If performance, software smoothness, battery life, and durability matter most to you, the OnePlus 15R is a strong choice. But if you care deeply about camera versatility or want better value for money, it may be worth exploring alternatives.
Overall, the OnePlus 15R takes several steps forward, but also a couple of steps back — making it a very good phone, just not a perfect one.