The OnePlus 15 only just launched last month, and now the company is already back with a more affordable option. Like the OnePlus 13R before it, the OnePlus 15R is designed as a value version of the company’s flagship phone, bringing over many of its biggest strengths while making a few notable cuts.
I spent time using the OnePlus 15R, shooting photos and video, scrolling through social media, streaming shows, and relying on it for everyday use. It quickly became clear that OnePlus chose to prioritize battery life, performance, and display smoothness over camera versatility, and that decision defines who this phone is really for.
The Battery Is the Whole Story
Let’s start with the headline feature, because it’s impossible to miss. The 7,400 mAh battery in the OnePlus 15R is enormous. It’s the biggest battery OnePlus has ever put in a phone, and it’s even larger than the already impressive battery in the OnePlus 15. Compared to the OnePlus 13R’s 6,000 mAh battery, it’s a significant jump. For more perspective, Samsung’s Galaxy phones have been sitting around the 5,000 mAh mark for years.
In daily use, the benefit is obvious. I never felt like I had to think about battery life. Long days, lots of screen time, navigation, streaming, and even gaming never triggered any battery anxiety. OnePlus also says the battery should hold up well long term, keeping at least 80 percent of its capacity after four years.
The phone supports up to 80W wired charging, and the 55W SUPERVOOC charger included in the box can take the phone from empty to full in under an hour, which makes topping up quick and painless. Using a faster 80W SuperVOOC charger, expect it to top off even faster, closer to 40-45 minutes from empty to full.
A Big, Smooth Screen
The OnePlus 15R has a 6.83-inch AMOLED display, slightly taller than the OnePlus 15, with a 1.5K resolution and a 165Hz refresh rate. Scrolling and animations feel extremely smooth, and games look great.
The OnePlus 15R is on the left, and the OnePlus 15 is on the right.
That said, if you’re not gaming, you may not really notice the jump to 165Hz from the more common 120Hz refresh rate. Brightness is excellent, though, topping out at 1,800 nits, and the screen is easy to see outdoors. It also carries TÜV Rheinland eye care certification, which means the display is designed to be easier on your eyes during extended use, a welcome touch if you spend a lot of time staring at your phone.
Design-wise, the phone looks very much like the recent OnePlus 15 model. It’s clean, modern, and understated, which I think works in its favor.
Read more: OnePlus 15 Hands-On: Blazing Speed and the Best Battery Yet
Performance Feels Fast and Reliable
The OnePlus 15R is the first phone to launch globally with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 processor. It’s not the same chip used in the more expensive OnePlus 15, but in real-world use, that difference doesn’t really matter.
The phone feels quick and responsive. Apps open fast, multitasking is smooth, and nothing feels sluggish. It runs OxygenOS 16 on top of Android 16, which I think is one of the cleaner, more straightforward Android skins.
You also get OnePlus’s newer AI features, including Mind Space, which lets you save screenshots, notes, and bits of information and then find or summarize them later. It’s useful if, like me, you’re the kind of person who constantly screenshots things to remember.
OnePlus promises four years of software updates and six years of security updates. That’s solid support, even if it doesn’t quite match what Samsung and Google offer now.
A Phone That’s Clearly Built With Gaming in Mind
Gaming is another area where the OnePlus 15R really makes sense. OnePlus tuned this phone for sustained performance rather than quick bursts of speed. It uses a full-device cooling system that helps manage heat during longer gaming sessions.
Gamers can take advantage of the fast refresh rate, and while I didn’t have time to dive deep into many titles, performance felt steady in popular games like Call of Duty Mobile and Asphalt 9, with smooth motion and no noticeable frame drops. Combined with the huge battery, this feels like a phone you can game on for hours without worrying about heat or battery drain.
No Telephoto lens
This is what you really need to know before you buy this phone. If mobile photography is important to you, the tradeoff OnePlus made here will be disappointing. The OnePlus 15R does not have a telephoto camera, which the 13R did.
Without a telephoto lens, the OnePlus 15R tops out at digital zoom only. It works fine for a quick close-up, but it doesn’t hold detail the way phones with optical zoom do. If you mostly shoot casual photos and rarely zoom in, the lack of a telephoto lens may not matter much at all to you, but if you like zooming in on subjects or rely on your phone camera for travel, kids, or events, this is a compromise you’ll notice.
As someone who uses their phone camera a lot, this is a hugely frustrating decision. Personally, I’d rather lose the ultra-wide camera than give up optical zoom, especially since the main camera is already fairly wide.
The camera setup includes a 50MP main camera, an 8MP ultra-wide, and a 32MP front-facing camera, which is a nice upgrade over the 13R’s selfie camera. The rear cameras use OnePlus’s new DetailMax Engine, the same system used on the OnePlus 15.
In the photos I took, colors looked natural, detail was solid, and low-light performance, while not fabulous, was respectable. Video goes all the way up to 4K at 120fps, which is impressive. Still, without a telephoto lens, the camera system is limited, and I felt like I lost a lot. For those who prioritize photos and video, this trade-off will be hard to ignore.
Durable, Practical, and Well Built
On the plus side, the OnePlus 15R feels very solid. It comes in Charcoal Black and Mint Breeze, both with glass backs, and it has an impressive IP69K durability rating. That means it provides complete dust protection, can survive full submersion and high-pressure water jets, and can withstand those high-pressure water jets at temperatures up to 176°F (that’s the ‘K' at the end of the IP rating).
OnePlus also upgraded the fingerprint sensor to an ultrasonic reader under the display. I like that it’s positioned where my thumb naturally falls, making unlocking the phone feel fast and effortless.
Pricing and Availability
The OnePlus 15R starts at $699 for the 12GB RAM and 256GB storage version, and the $799 option has 512GB of storage. That’s $100 more than the OnePlus 13R’s starting price, but the increase brings a much larger battery, a faster display, and a newer processor.
Preorders are open now, with general availability starting January 8, 2026, through OnePlus.com. Amazon will also carry the base model starting in January.
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My Take
The OnePlus 15R isn’t for people who care a lot about cameras and zooming in on subjects, which is what makes it a little frustrating and difficult to recommend. Considering how important photography is to most people, removing the telephoto lens feels like the wrong place to cut corners, especially when the price is higher than the 13R.
That said, almost everything else about the phone is genuinely strong. Battery life is excellent, charging is fast, and the display is smooth and responsive. If you mostly shoot casual photos and rarely zoom in, the lack of a telephoto lens may not matter much. For $200 less than the flagship OnePlus 15, you’re getting nearly all the same strengths, plus an even bigger battery. If photography isn’t a priority, the OnePlus 15R still makes a solid case as a value-focused Android phone.
[Image credit: Andrea Smith/Techlicious]
