oneplus-15-review-–-fast-and-powerful

The OnePlus 15 was officially launched in Malaysia this week, and it is the first to be equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip. At first glance, it is similar to the Oppo Find X9 Pro which has just entered the Malaysian market and uses the Dimensity 9500. So between these two similar but not the same devices, which one is worth owning?SPECIFICATIONSOnePlus 156.78″ LTPO AMOLED screen, 165Hz1272 x 2772 pixelsDolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR VividSnapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor2 x 4.6 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix L chips6 x 3.62 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix MAdreno 840 Graphics ChipRAM 16GB LPDDR5XInternal Storage 512GB UFS 4.1Primary Camera 50MP f/1.8, OIS (Wide Angle)50MP f/2.0 (Ultra Wide)50MP f/2.8, OIS (Telephoto 3.5x)8K@30fps32MP f/2.4 Selfie Camera4K 60FPS7300 mAh SiC battery120W wired chargingWireless charging 50W10W reverse chargingNano SIM/Telephony/eSIMNFC YesAudio Jack NoWaterproof IP68/IP69KScanning System Under-screen fingerprint scannerFace scanningSelling Price RM4399 (16/512 GB)SCREENThe 6.78″ LTPO AMOLED flat screen at first glance looks like it’s no different from the Oppo Find X9 Pro and Vivo X300 Pro panels of the same size. However, this is not true at all because it supports a refresh rate of up to 165Hz and a touch detection rate of 3200Hz which is the highest on the market today.This flat panel has a fairly thin bezel with it being even on all four sides. Above we said the refresh rate is up to 165Hz but in most situations it will only increase to 120Hz. The 165Hz mode is only activated in certain applications such as COD Mobile and Real Racing. With a high refresh rate and touch detection, the device feels very smooth when used.For video lovers, the OnePlus 15 screen supports HDR10+ and Dolby Vision simultaneously. Netflix and Apple TV content can be watched using this Dolby Vision mode with a frame rate of up to 60Hz.BIOMETRICSThe biometric system is of the type of side fingerprint scanner built under the screen and facial recognition. The location of the fingerprint scanner on the OnePlus 15 is now higher than last year's model. The process of scanning fingerprints has become easier with this new scanner position. It also operates faster. Facial recognition is also fast as long as the surrounding area is bright.DESIGNThe body design is the update I like the most compared to the OnePlus 13. It has sides with a slightly rough finish that feels like a pottery surface and does not trap dirt. The back panel finish uses MAO (micro arc oxidation) technology that is durable but also does not trap dirt easily. The OnePlus 15 is the first phone that I feel comfortable using without a frame.The Plus Key button replaces the slide button on the left side that has been OnePlus' identity for a long time. Through this button, more actions can be set by the user such as launching the camera, opening specific applications, muting notifications, saving to Mind Space and launching the Recorder application.Two speaker grilles are placed above and below to produce even audio. On the back there is a large but not very high square camera bump. Because it is square, the device is always stable on the table. An infrared emitter (IR blaster) is also placed in this bump for remote control functions.The body passes the highest IP68/IP69K standards ever given to a OnePlus device. After not wanting to provide waterproof and dustproof standards for a long time, this year they continue to provide the best standards in its class.Camera bump with IR emitterThe OnePlus 15 body is also still thin even though it is equipped with a 7300 mAh battery. Among the flagship devices this year, the OnePlus 15 has the second largest battery size behind the Oppo Find X9 Pro which is equipped with a 7500 mAh battery. This giant silicon carbon battery supports 120W SuperVOOC charging.Plus Key ButtonSoftware – OxygenOS 16OxygenOS 16 is based on Android 16 and is very similar to ColorOS 16. All the features provided are the same, for example, Flux Themes and allows icons to be changed in shape, size, color, angle and animation. This theme is similar to the options provided in NothingOS 2 and iOS 26. For example, icons can be changed to monochrome or use only one color uniformly. It is beautiful but it cannot be denied that it takes inspiration from Nothing and Apple.Okay, the interface may not be very original but what about the use? NothingOS 16 is very smooth with no issues such as stuck animations or errors in displaying content. The animations look beautiful and do not slow down the process of opening applications.There is an additional RAM Expansion feature of up to 12GB if the existing 16GB memory is not enough. Smart Sidebar makes it easy to launch applications quickly and access Split View mode. Live Alerts also places applications such as music players, maps and Google notifications in a small capsule that is always displayed near the selfie camera. This is a feature similar to Dynamic Island.The AI feature offered is also a universal search form AI Search that quickly searches for files stored on the device. Information in screenshots, notes, settings and calendars can also be searched using it. AI writer helps you write if you run out of ideas. AI Voice Scribe converts audio recordings into readable transcripts. Through AI Translate, real-time language translation can be done.In the Photos application, there are several additional AI features such as AI Recompose, AI Eraser, AI Relight, AI Perfect Shot, AI Detail Boost, AI Unblur, and AI Reflection Eraser. Based on the names, I'm sure you can guess what editing each of these AI features can do.The standard Google Circle to Search, Gemini and Gemini Voice functions are also included because they are no longer exclusive to certain device brands since this year. In short, the feature offering on OxygenOS 16 is satisfactory with the majority of them being useful.BENCHMARKSHere are the Antutu 3D, Geekbench 6 and 3D Mark Wildlife Extreme benchmark scores. I compare the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip on the OnePlus 15 with the benchmark devices below.Tensor G5 – Google Pixel 10 Pro XLDimensity 9500 – Oppo Find X9 ProApple A19 Pro – Apple iPhone 17 ProSnapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy – Samsung Galaxy S25 UltraMediaTek Dimensity 9400 – Oppo Find X8 ProApple A18 Pro – Apple iPhone 16 Pro MaxAnTuTu 3DChip ScoreOnePlus 15 3,720,096Google Pixel 10 Pro 1,214,735Oppo Find X9 Pro 3,472,342Apple iPhone 17 Pro 2,634,345Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 1,946,864Oppo Find X8 Pro 2,629,017Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max 1,720,751Geekbench 6Single Core Multi Core ChipOnePlus 15 3553 10484Google Pixel 10 Pro 2303 6134Oppo Find X9 Pro 3158 9298Apple iPhone 17 Pro 3560 8835Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 2957 9435Oppo Find X8 Pro 2663 8959Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max 3359 81293DMark Wildlife ExtremeChip ScoreOnePlus 15 6741Google Pixel 10 Pro 3266Oppo Find X9 Pro 6127Apple iPhone 17 Pro 5873Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 6135Oppo Find X8 Pro 6251Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max 4560OnePlus 15 is officially the most powerful phone in Malaysia because the benchmark scores recorded are extreme. This is on par with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 prototype device I tested in Hawaii a few months ago. This is the first device to hit 10,000 points in the Geekbench test.The good news is that when running regular games there are no issues. Installing and launching apps is super fast. In games like COD Mobile and Genshin Impact, it can be run at the highest settings. COD Mobile is one of the apps that supports 165 FPS screen mode and it works as advertised. At this setting, the graphics quality is automatically limited to Medium by the app.After 5-6 MP sessions in COD Mobile, the device did not get hot, just a little warm at the back. A stark contrast to the Pixel 10 Pro XL with Tensor G5 which heated up like a freshly fried banana.Taking multiple photos also did not cause the phone to overheat. Take as many photos as you want and the device will not lag. The device only got extremely hot when running the Antutu 3D test. The Antutu system recorded a temperature of up to 48 degrees Celsius during the test, making it untouchable.CAMERAThe main camera consists of a 50MP wide angle, 50MP ultra wide and 50MP telephoto with up to 120X digital zoom. On the front is a 32MP selfie camera. On paper, the specifications are not disappointing for a flagship device. The only difference is that the Find X9 Pro and X300 Pro have a 200MP telephoto sensor.The photos taken by the OnePlus 15 are ok but not amazing. The color reproduction is less impressive if I compare it to the Find X9 Pro and X300 Pro cameras. OnePlus also does not offer a camera kit with this phone. In addition, there is no camera button included on the side of the phone like the two competing devices.In all situations I was disappointed with the lack of vibrant colors and sometimes the images were not sharp even though the camera has OIS. There is no Hasselblad system anymore and therefore no X-Pan mode that I really like.The camera can zoom up to 120X via digital mode. Like all modern flagship cameras, algorithms are used to improve the final quality of the image. At up to 30X the image still looks satisfactory. The zoom champion of 2025 is still the Pixel 10 Pro XL which has the best algorithm especially at the extreme zoom settings.BATTERYThe 7300 mAh battery can last for more than a day on a single charge. A truly amazing feat. On average if the phone is unplugged from the charger at 7am, there is still more than 35% battery left at 10pm when I want to go to bed. SOT over 10 hours is common in moderate use. Recharging only takes around 40 minutes with a 120W charger. This is much faster than the 70 minutes it takes to charge the 5000 mAh battery on the Galaxy S25 Ultra.AUDIOThe two stereo speakers have side-firing grilles. The audio is very balanced and loud. There is no hollowness just lacks dynamics. This is because only the O-Reality system is supported instead of Dolby Atmos. The screen has Dolby Vision but the audio doesn't have Dolby Atmos which I find a bit odd. There's no audio jack but this is nothing new for a OnePlus device.IN THE BOXHere's what's included in the box.1x OnePlus 151x USB-A to USB-C charging cable.1x Manual.1x SIM Pin.CONCLUSIONThe OnePlus 15 is a very powerful device, with a fast screen, a long-lasting battery, with fast charging. This is matched by smooth software and has a variety of interesting extra features. If these five criteria are important to you in a phone you want to buy, the OnePlus 15 passes them with flying colors.But I have to say that the camera performance is not as good as the flagship devices of its competitors. In some situations the pictures from the Pixel 10 Pro Fold look better even with the smaller sensor. Also the software is only supported for 4+6 years.But with a selling price of RM4399 each, it is cheaper than other devices with chips in the same class. The price is more affordable than its competitors, making the shortcomings forgivable.ProsPremium design is very comfortable and not easy to get dirty.Fast RAM and storage combination.Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is the most powerful so far.IP69K waterproof and dustproof7300 mAh battery lasts a long time and supports 120W fast charging.ConsThe camera is mediocre, no more Hasselblad.Software support is only 4+6 years.Charger is not included with purchase.