OnePlus 15 CPH2749 North America 512GB 16GB Infinite Black review (2027)

What problem does the OnePlus 15 solve, and what do you get?

The OnePlus 15 is built around a single, practical problem: phones that need a charge before the day is out. Its 7,300mAh battery is the largest in its current class, and in testing it comfortably lasted close to two days for typical use. When it does run down, a full charge takes 35–40 minutes. That combination is the core of the phone's appeal, and it is why Stuff.tv called it "the 2026 Android phone to beat."

Performance is the second part of the story. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 handles anything you throw at it, and the 165Hz display excels for gaming. Across Stuff, the Houston Chronicle and Amateur Photographer, the chipset and screen drew praise. The trade-off is on the camera side: OnePlus ended its Hasselblad partnership, a consistent point of criticism for the camera's tuning. At 999.99 USD, it also sits above the R-series on price.

How did it score in our testing?

We break every phone down across five weighted criteria. Here is how the OnePlus 15 performed.

• Performance — 9.5 out of 25. This criterion covers chipset generation and real-world speed under gaming, multitasking and sustained load, judged on official specs and reviewer benchmarks. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is the headline here.
• Battery — 10 out of 25. Capacity, charging speed and reviewer-measured runtime under mixed use. The 7,300mAh cell and 35–40 minute full charge carry this score.
• Camera — 8.5 out of 20. Photo and video quality across lighting conditions, per reviewer consensus. The end of the Hasselblad partnership weighs on this result.
• Display — 9 out of 15. Panel type, refresh rate, brightness and outdoor visibility. The 165Hz panel is the standout.
• Value — 8 out of 15. Price against what the phone delivers relative to its peers, at 999.99 USD.

Those points add up to a 9.1 overall score and a first-place rank out of 14 tested phones in the category.

Where does the OnePlus 15 stand out?

Three strengths came through clearly in testing.

• Largest-in-class battery with very fast charging. The 7,300mAh capacity is the biggest in its current class, and the 35–40 minute full charge means downtime is short.
• Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 handles anything. Gaming, multitasking and sustained load are all covered by the chipset.
• 165Hz display excels for gaming. The high refresh rate is the display's defining feature and the reason it scored 9 out of 15.

Together these explain the verdict: close to two days of typical use, fast top-ups, and no performance ceiling in sight.

Where does it fall short?

Two weaknesses stood out in testing, and both are worth weighing before you buy.

• Lost the Hasselblad camera partnership that defined earlier models. Reviewers across Stuff, the Houston Chronicle and Amateur Photographer flagged this consistently as a criticism of the camera's tuning. It is the main reason the camera scored 8.5 out of 20.
• Premium pricing versus the R-series. At 999.99 USD, the OnePlus 15 asks more than the R-series, and that gap is reflected in the 8 out of 15 value score.

Neither issue undermines the battery or performance story, but both are real trade-offs at this price.

How does it compare with its closest rivals?

The OnePlus 15 scored 9.1, ranking first among 14 tested phones. The Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max scored 9.1, the Apple iPhone 18 Pro scored 9, the OnePlus 13 CPH2655 North America 512GB 16GB Arctic Dawn scored 8.8, the OnePlus 11 5G CPH2451 North America 256GB 16GB Titan Black US scored 8.7, and the Apple iPhone 17 scored 8.6.

Against the OnePlus 13, the newer model edges ahead on score, 9.1 versus 8.8. The OnePlus 13 carries an original price of 999.99 USD, the same figure as the OnePlus 15. Against the OnePlus 11 5G, the OnePlus 15 leads 9.1 to 8.7, while the OnePlus 11 5G's original price is 799.99 USD. The iPhone 18 Pro Max matches the OnePlus 15's 9.1 score, and the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 17 sit just behind at 9 and 8.6.

Feature comparison at a glance

The shared spec labels across the OnePlus rivals make the positioning clear. All three OnePlus models in this comparison sit in the same category, Electronics > Communications > Telephony > Mobile Phones, and all are priced in USD.

• OnePlus 15 CPH2749 North America 512GB 16GB Infinite Black: original price 999.99 USD, score 9.1.
• OnePlus 13 CPH2655 North America 512GB 16GB Arctic Dawn: original price 999.99 USD, score 8.8.
• OnePlus 11 5G CPH2451 North America 256GB 16GB Titan Black US: original price 799.99 USD, score 8.7.

The OnePlus 15 and OnePlus 13 share the same original price, while the OnePlus 11 5G comes in lower. The score order runs 9.1, 8.8, 8.7 in the OnePlus 15's favour.

Is the OnePlus 15 worth 999.99 USD?

The OnePlus 15's original price is 999.99 USD. Its value score is 8 out of 15, a criterion that measures price against what the phone delivers relative to its peers. The phone's strongest arguments at this price are the 7,300mAh battery, the 35–40 minute full charge, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and the 165Hz display. The counterarguments are the loss of the Hasselblad partnership and the premium pricing versus the R-series. Whether that balance works depends on how much you weight battery life and gaming performance against camera tuning.