The OnePlus 15 might steal Samsung’s thunder with an earlier launch globally

OnePlus recently unveiled the OnePlus 15 at a Qualcomm event in China, following months of leaks and speculation about its new flagship device. During the event, the tech giant confirmed that the OnePlus 15 will be one of the first phones to be equipped with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset and will feature a 165Hz display.

The OnePlus 15 is widely expected to launch this month in China, with leaks suggesting it could happen at an event on October 27. However, what was much less certain was when the phone would launch globally and in the US. While OnePlus usually launches its flagship handsets in October in China, they typically don’t launch globally until the new year. Fortunately, this year, that could change.

According to 91Mobiles, which cites industry sources, the OnePlus 15 could launch globally on November 13, just two weeks after its debut in China, rather than two months, as has been the case in previous years. For reference, the OnePlus 13 launched on October 31, 2024, in China, but it didn’t arrive in the US and other markets until January 7, 2025.

OnePlus might get the jump on Samsung

The OnePlus 15 could be available much earlier in the US than the S26 series

If the OnePlus 15 does in fact launch globally this year, that would be a huge win for the company, as not only does it mean it will be one of the first Android phones available in the US with Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, but it also means it could beat the Samsung Galaxy S26 series to the wider market by two whole months.

While there are no specific leaks yet about when Samsung might launch the Galaxy S26 series, based on its past releases for the Galaxy S25 and S24 series, it is likely to occur in mid-to-late January or early February. Typically, the launch of new OnePlus and Samsung flagships in the US is only separated by a few weeks. If the OnePlus 15 launches on November 13, it would give OnePlus significantly more time to market and sell the OnePlus 15 globally before the S26 series comes out.

In a press release about the unveiling of the OnePlus 15 in September, OnePlus teased that more details about its flagship handset “will be released over the coming weeks,” so we likely won’t have to wait much longer to find out when the phone will launch.

Credit: OnePlus

Fortunately, in the meantime, OnePlus has released high-resolution photos of the OnePlus 15 and shared further insights into the phone’s design. Notably, the OnePlus 15 features a new square camera cutout, with a flat front, back, and frame, eerily reminiscent of the iPhone, marking a departure from its past handsets, which had a circular camera bar. OnePlus highlighted that part of the chassis is made out of “aerospace-grade nano-ceramic metal,” which the company claims is “stronger than titanium” and offers better heat dissipation.

The two colors confirmed for the OnePlus 15 so far are a black colorway and a new color called “sand storm,” which is prominently featured in the officially released photos of the phone. What we also know is that the phone will have “ultra-thin” 1.15mm screen bezels, its display will have a 165Hz refresh rate, a notable jump from the OnePlus 13’s 120Hz refresh rate, and as I mentioned earlier, be powered by Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset.

Personally, this leak makes me much more excited about the OnePlus 15, and I really hope it turns out to be true. Getting the phone two months earlier than usual would be amazing, since the long wait after its release in China has always been a bit frustrating. Of course, this is just a leak for now, so take it with a grain of salt. Hopefully, OnePlus will share more details about the official launch date soon.