If a smartphone genie offered me three wishes for my dream phone, I couldn’t have created a device as great as the OnePlus 15. It delivers more than the most demanding smartphone fans could wish for, with priorities that reflect the ways I really want to use my phone.
My three wishes? First, I’d wish for a battery that lasts all day. The OnePlus 15 watches my dream phone fall asleep then parties hard for another day and a half. I let this phone go uncharged for three days during my review and I still had some juice left. And that’s not to mention the incredibly fast charging speeds.
My second wish would be for a durable phone, water resistant with glass that is tough enough it won’t break if I drop it. OnePlus makes its flagship phone more durable than any Samsung or Apple phone you can buy. I watched last year’s OnePlus 13 survive a run through a dishwasher, and the OnePlus 15 is even tougher than that. Bring on the hot water jets!
My final wish would be to get back some of the great smartphone features we’ve lost over the years. I remember when Android phones were about personality and customization. Now you can’t even organize your app drawer on a Pixel phone.
The OnePlus 15, on the other hand, is the phone for people who love smartphones. You can customize it, but it looks great even if you don’t. It has a ton of unique widgets that add functions to your home screen, or you can hide those on a separate shelf.
TechRadar Verdict
The OnePlus 15 is better than perfect. It grants every smartphone wish I have and exceeds most expectations. It has the best battery life of any smartphone, stellar performance, and top-notch cameras, backed by an understated yet durable design. There isn’t a better phone you can buy than this one.
Pros
- +Battery life is so good you’ll swear I’m exaggerating
- +Incredible durability for a phone with such a refined design
- +Amazing software that will attract switchers and reward fans alike
Cons
- –Can’t buy it at a carrier for free with a contract agreement
- –No magnets inside for charging and accessories
- –Design is less flashy than before, for better and worse
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Oh, and it has an IR blaster. Remember when phones had those? Every Galaxy S6 could change the channel on your TV (or the bar TV playing Fox News), and the OnePlus 15 brings that back. It can act as a universal remote control, a feature I treasure when I lose my TV remote after I turn out the lights.
The OnePlus 15 is great at everything you want to do on your phone. For gaming, it’s a next-level handheld. I was able to play games with Settings in the Experimental realm. The OnePlus 15 pushes past limits you never noticed on other smartphones, and there are enough game developers on board to make the advantage worthwhile.
Call of Duty looked as good on my phone as it does running on a console, with an even better frame rate, and I say that as a long time gamer, not a casual interloper.
What’s the catch? Well, you might have to explain to people who OnePlus is when they ask about your phone, because most people I talk to have never heard of them.
That’s because OnePlus doesn’t sell its best phones in carrier stores. You won’t see the OnePlus 15 available free with a contract and a trade on AT&T or Vodafone. That means you pay more up front, which is a shame. Lots of my friends would love this phone, but don’t have hundreds to shell out. At least OnePlus usually has decent trade-in offers when you buy directly from the company.
There are a few other shortcomings, but they don’t amount to much when you consider this phone competes with the base model iPhone 17 and Galaxy S25, even though it offers as much as an Ultra or Pro Max.
We used to call this a flagship killer. Now I just call it the best phone you can buy, and the first phone I’ve tested that deserves a perfect score.
Black version costs $899.99 / £899 for 12GB RAM and 256GB storage
Other colors available for $999.99 / £999 with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage
The OnePlus 15 is a flagship smartphone, but it isn’t the most expensive flagship around. It costs more than the iPhone 17 but less than the iPhone Air. It’s more expensive than a Google Pixel 10, but less than the Pixel 10 Pro. The Galaxy S25 Plus is more expensive than the black OnePlus 15 with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
Sadly, the best colors are only available on the more expensive model with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. I’m sure the lower-spec OnePlus 15 performs admirably, but my review sample is the Sand Storm model with more goodness inside. It’s not a necessary upgrade, but even at this $999.99 / £999 price, it’s a great deal for such a powerhouse phone.
OnePlus only makes one flagship – there isn’t a Pro or an Ultra or an XL model with better cameras or a faster chip. While Samsung and Apple lure you in with aspirational models that cost more than $1,000 / £1,000 / AU$2,000, the OnePlus 15 is the company’s best phone, not a step down.
In the past, OnePlus has offered great trade-in deals that knock at least $100 off the price in the US, but it hasn’t announced similar offers for the OnePlus 15.
I’d still recommend this phone at its full price. You won’t find a more capable phone without paying hundreds more, and even the most expensive phones – the Galaxy Z Fold 7 or Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max come to mind – can’t beat the OnePlus 15 in the things it does best.
| Storage | US Price | UK Price | AU Price |
| 256GB | $899 | £899 | AU $TBD |
| 512GB | $999 | £999 | AU $TBD |
- Value score: 5 / 5
The iPhone 17 Pro starts at $1,199/ £1,199 / AU$2,149 for the model with 256GB of storage, with that price rising to $1,399 / £1,399 / AU$2,599 for 512GB of storage, $1,599 / £1,599 / AU$2,999 for 1TB of storage, and $1,999 / £1,999 / AU$3,799 for 2TB of storage. The latter configuration represents the largest storage capacity of any iPhone ever.
Apple is likely getting undue credit for not raising the price of the base model iPhone 17 Pro Max (I’m happy they didn’t, but it’s not like they lowered the price). Component prices and supply-chain issues relating to the geopolitical stage are surely putting pressure on the company (and it’s under continual pressure from the US to start building the iPhone in the country). Somehow, though, Apple has held the line, and the base iPhone 17 Pro Max (and 17 Pro) still starts at $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,149 for the 256GB model.
The only difference in pricing comes into play when you stretch to the phone’s new upper tier of 2TB, which is only available with the Pro Max model. That sends the price up to almost $2,000. It boggles the mind that we now consider paying almost two grand for a pocket-sized device to be rational. On the other hand, this is a true pro-level smartphone that, based on my tests, is probably ready for pro photography and videography tasks – and when you put it like that, it might seem like a bargain.
| Storage | US price | UK price | AU price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 256GB | $1,199 | £1,199 | AU$2,149 |
| 512GB | $1,399 | £1,399 | AU$2,599 |
| 1TB | $1,599 | £1,599 | AU$2,999 |
| 2TB | $1,999 | £1,999 | AU$3,799 |
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max review: Specs
| Header Cell – Column 0 | iPhone 17 | iPhone 17 Air | iPhone 17 Pro | iPhone 17 Pro Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight: | 177g | 165g | 206g | 233g |
| Display: | 6.3-inch OLED | 6.5-inch OLED | 6.3-inch OLED | 6.9-inch OLED |
| Resolution: | 2622 x 1206 | 2736 x 1260 | 2622 x 1206 | 2868 x 1320 |
| Refresh rate: | 120Hz | 120Hz | 120Hz | 120Hz |
| Peak brightness: | 3,000 nits | 3,000 nits | 3,000 nits | 3,000 nits |
| Chipset: | A19 | A19 Pro | A19 Pro | A19 Pro |
| Rear cameras: | 48MP wide (26mm, f/1.6), 48MP ultra-wide (13mm, f/2.2) | 48MP wide (26mm, f/1.6) | 48MP wide (24mm, f/1.78), 48MP ultra-wide (13mm, f/2.2), 48MP telephoto (8x optical zoom) | 48MP wide (24mm, f/1.78), 48MP ultra-wide (13mm, f/2.2), 48MP telephoto (8x optical zoom) |
| Front camera: | 18MP (f/1.9) | 18MP (ƒ/1.9) | 18MP (f/1.9) | 18MP (f/1.9) |
| Storage: | 256GB, 512GB | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB |
| Colors: | Black, White, Mist Blue, Sage, Lavender | Space Black, Cloud White, Light Gold, Sky Blue | Silver, Cosmic Orange, Deep Blue | Silver, Cosmic Orange, Deep Blue |
Instead of a titanium band surrounding a frame, components, and the front and back glass, the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s back cascades seamlessly to the sides, and even curves just a bit around the front to meet the Ceramic Shield 2 screen covers, which reportedly will better protect it from scratches (we’ll see). It all has an incredibly unified feel, and because Apple has radically cut down on edges, the phone feel very comfortable to hold.
When it comes to dimensions and weight, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is slightly larger and heavier that the 16 Pro Max, but I challenge anyone to notice the differences, which can be measured in fractions. The iPhone 17 Pro Max is 163mm tall by 78mm long by 8.75mm thick, and weighs 233 grams. By contrast, the 16 Pro Max was 163 x 77.6 x 8.25mm and weighed 227g.
This year there are no new buttons to contend with. Along one edge we have the long power and Siri button, and below it, Camera Control. Opposite them is the Action Button, and below that a pair of volume buttons.
The switch from titanium to aluminum provides not only some useful heat-management and energy efficiency benefits, it’s also opened the door for anodized color options (the material and design upgrades did not impact the IP68 rating, and, yes, I ran the phone under water to no ill effect).
I don’t know where Apple got the idea for Cosmic Orange, but I actually love it. It’s bold without being garish. There’s also Silver (a blah throwback) and the very deep and inky Deep Blue. Apple sort of explained its color choices to me, and even the loss of black, but I think this is just Apple mixing things up and, possibly, giving a nod to all the pro-level folks who buy this phone for creative pursuits. Orange is a color that will get you noticed.
The information in this blog is based on publicly available details, personal testing, and independent review opinions. Specifications, performance results, and features may vary depending on region, software updates, or retailer listings.
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