Among three newly launched products, OnePlus has just unveiled its “ultimate value flagship device” with the OnePlus 15R.
But what separates the OnePlus 15R from the 4.5-star OnePlus 15? Should you pay a bit more for the more premium OnePlus 15, or does the 15R have all you realistically need from a smartphone?
Ahead of our OnePlus 15R review, we’ve compared its specs to the OnePlus 15 and noted the main differences between the phones. Keep reading to see whether the OnePlus 15R has a chance at joining its pricier sibling in our best smartphones list.
Price and Availability
The OnePlus 15R is the cheaper of the two, priced at £649 for the 256GB model or £729 for the 512GB model. At the time of writing, the OnePlus 15R is only available to pre-order and will officially launch on 15th January 2026.
Unsurprisingly, as the more premium model, the OnePlus 15 is slightly more expensive at £849 for 256GB or £979 for 512GB.
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 5
The biggest difference between the OnePlus 15 and 15R is their respective chipsets. While the OnePlus 15 runs on Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, the OnePlus 15R is actually one of the first handsets to sport Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 instead.
Although the recently introduced chip supports the full suite of Qualcomm features, 8 Gen 5 is positioned for mid-range phones that don’t need that much power. Even so, OnePlus promises the chip sees a “38% increase in CPU performance” and up to 46% improved AI performance, compared to the previous generation.
Not only that, but the 8 Gen 5 chip is paired with the OnePlus CPU Scheduler which OnePlus explains “boosts gaming performance” too. We’ll have to wait until we review the OnePlus 15R to see how it really performs in everyday use, but the specs certainly sound promising.
Otherwise, and unsurprisingly, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is a seriously powerful chip that enabled the OnePlus 15 to absolutely fly through most tasks with ease. Plus, we found the OnePlus 15 made light work on intensive games too, including the likes of Call of Duty, Clash of Clans and more.
OnePlus 15R has a larger battery
We were undoubtedly impressed when the OnePlus 15 launched with its mighty 7300mAh battery yet just months after its launch, the OnePlus 15R has already bested it with a 7400mAh capacity.
The OnePlus 15’s battery life, although undoubtedly fantastic, was surprisingly not quite a two-day device during our review period. Instead, we ended days with around 30-40% of juice left. As the OnePlus 15R is just 100mAh larger, we can reasonably expect it’ll be similar to the OnePlus 15.
OnePlus 15 supports faster charging
Both the OnePlus 15 and OnePlus 15R undoubtedly boast super speedy charging – especially when compared to the likes of the iPhone 17 and Pixel 10. However, the OnePlus 15 takes the win with its massive 120W SuperVOOC support compared to 80W of the OnePlus 15R.
Annoyingly, neither OnePlus handset comes with a charger, which means you’ll need to factor this into your costs.
OnePlus 15R has a larger 1.5K display
Although the difference isn’t quite Google Pixel 10 Pro vs Pixel 10 Pro XL level, it’s still worth noting that the OnePlus 15R has a slightly larger display at 6.83-inches compared to 6.76-inches.
Both, however, are absolutely packed with premium screen technologies. Not only are both 1.5K AMOLED displays, but both are equipped with a super speedy 165Hz refresh rate too.
Alongside its chip, one of the main reasons why the OnePlus 15 was able to power through intensive games with ease is due to the fact OnePlus worked with mobile game developers when designing the OnePlus 15. This has subsequently resulted in games being able to run on the full 165Hz experience on-screen.
While we haven’t tested the OnePlus 15R yet, the difference is impressively noticeable in the OnePlus 15 as gaming feels smooth and lag-free. So much so that the OnePlus 15 has a spot on our best gaming phones list too.
We’ll have to wait and see how the OnePlus 15R performs, but if it’s anything like its sibling then it’s likely to be a more appealing choice for bargain-hunting gamers.
OnePlus 15 is fitted with three 50MP rear cameras
One area where the OnePlus 15 is a clear winner is with its camera set-up, that’s made up of three 50MP sensors: a main, ultrawide and 3.5x periscope. While naturally the main lens was the most capable and the one you’ll likely use the most, all sensors genuinely impressed us. Even the ultrawide lens, which tends to be a bit of an afterthought on smartphones, was able to take consistently detailed shots.
Instead, the OnePlus 15R has gotten rid of the 50MP telephoto lens found on the OnePlus 13R and makes do with just a dual lens set-up. This is undoubtedly a shame, as we found that although the telephoto lacked OIS, it did a decent job.
Even so, the OnePlus 15R does sport the same 50MP IMX906 main sensor as its pricier sibling which we concluded as capable and able to take detailed images during most lighting conditions. It also retains the same 8MP ultrawide found in the OnePlus 13R which, although performs fine in good lighting, does lack detail.
Neither the OnePlus 15 nor the OnePlus 15R collaborate with Hasselblad either, and instead relies on the new OnePlus DetailMax Engine for image processing.
Early Verdict
With a mammoth battery, promising chipset and a stunning 1.5K display, the OnePlus 15R looks set to be one of the best mid-range phones of 2026. However, the OnePlus 15 boasts a more Elite chip, faster charging and a higher-specced camera setup too – although that comes with a more costly price tag.
We’ll be sure to update this versus once we’ve reviewed the OnePlus 15R.
