The OnePlus 15 Finally Shows Us What "Never Settle" Really Means

When a company's motto is "Never Settle," you learn to expect big things. With the new OnePlus 15, the company is truly pushing the boundaries of battery, performance, and display to bring a smartphone experience that could go toe-to-toe with any other brand Canadians may be familiar with, inching past some of those heavy-hitters in some key areas.

I've been digging into this phone for about two weeks ahead of its release in Canada. There's a lot to talk about, from performance to aesthetics, but the main point is this - if OnePlus is not on your radar the next time you're upgrading your phone, it should be. Let's dig into why!

OnePlus 15 One Paragraph Review

The OnePlus 15 is such a good smartphone, I truly hope that Pixel (Google) and Galaxy (Samsung) users will at least give it a chance when shopping for a new phone. The display is amazing. The processor is so powerful. OnePlus switched their camera system and, through physical design and software enhancements, photos and videos are super smooth and look great. Oxygen OS is simple enough to use, but there's a lot of extra stuff you can do with it, which requires digging/tinkering to customize exactly to your taste. Users who are keeping this phone for 5+ years and don't have cloud storage would benefit from having a 1TB storage option (it maxes out at 512), but my complaints with this phone are minimal and the benefits are massive.

Gaming Greatness

OnePlus 15

Geeking Out Shop

OnePlus 15 is a near-perfect smartphone with excellent battery life, a beautiful display, a sleek finish, and processing power to spare. It runs on Android-based OxygenOS, which allows you to get as customized as you want to dial in your smartphone experience. For gamers, between the display and "Power Trinity," this is a premiere mobile experience for playing video games.

• From $1299 CAD

That New Look (And Feel!)

Let's start with the outside, because OnePlus has done something really interesting here. The phone comes in three colours: a sleek Infinite Black (which has a nice matte glass that resists fingerprints), a vibrant Ultra Violet (that shimmers and changes colour as it catches the light) , and the one that I've got: Sand Storm.

The Sand Storm model is totally different from anything we've seen from OnePlus before (and between the OnePlus 12 and OnePlus 13, this is company is known for doing things differently with their phone finishes and looks).

The metal frame of the phone has this unique, ceramic-like, matte finish that feels incredibly cool to the touch. It gets this look from a process called Micro-Arc Oxidation (MAO), which is a first for a smartphone.

Here's the non-geeky breakdown of MAO:

• What it is: It's a high-tech, plasma-based process that's usually used in aerospace engineering.
• What it does: It creates a super-hard, ceramic-grade coating on the metal.
• Why you care: This frame is 3.4 times harder than aluminum and 1.3 times tougher than a titanium frame. It's exceptionally protected against all the daily wear and tear, and, as a bonus, the process is more eco-friendly.

The whole design just feels more balanced and confident, right down to the iconic OnePlus logo, which is now centered on the back.

OnePlus 15 Battery Behemoth

The OnePlus 15 has a massive 7300mAh battery. That is massive for a flagship phone, and not something we're used to seeing in smartphones launched in North America.

How'd they do it? They're using something called Silicon NanoStack technology. This was one of the defining features introduced in the OnePlus 13 (read my full review of that awesome phone here).

In simple terms, they figured out how to use more silicon (15% more, which is a huge deal in battery-making) in the "anode" (one of the battery's key parts). This lets them pack way more power into the same amount of space.

And it's not just a big battery; it's a smart and resilient one.

• It's built to last: OnePlus says it will keep over 80% of its health after four years of use. That's a huge win, saving you from an expensive battery replacement down the line.
• It's tough: It's designed to keep working reliably, even in extreme cold, right down to -20°C. Being based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, I'll be able to test firsthand in about two weeks or so.

When it's time to charge, you've got 80W SUPERVOOC fast wired charging and 50W AIRVOOC wireless.

One last note related to battery and power that's quite unique. Have you ever heard of Bypass Charging? If you're a gamer, this is going to be great. When you're plugged into an outlet during a long gaming session, the phone can power itself directly from the charger, bypassing the battery entirely.

This does two things: it keeps the phone from getting hot in your hands and, more importantly, it protects the long-term health of your battery. It's not a feature you're likely to use often (it's inconvenient to be tethered to an outlet) but it's a feature worth knowing about if you plan to use this for gaming, just so you have the option.

The "Power Trinity" Marketing jargon, yes. Actually awesome, also yes.

OnePlus keeps talking about a "Power Trinity," which is their new triple-chip set-up. It sounds like marketing-speak, but admittedly, it's a smart and holistic approach to performance.

1. The Brains: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5: This phone is one of the very first to have the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip. This is the main processor, and it's an absolute beast. It provides top-of-the-line performance for everything from day-to-day tasks to advanced on-device AI. When paired with up to 16GB of the world's fastest smartphone RAM, this thing just flies.

2. The Touch: Dedicated Touch Response Chip: This is going to matter big time to gamers. The OnePlus 15 has a separate chip just for managing your touch input. It gives the phone an industry-high 3200Hz instant touch sampling rate. Translation? The instant your finger touches the screen to aim, swipe, or tap, the phone registers it. It makes games feel incredibly responsive, giving you a real competitive edge where every split-second matters.

3. The Connection: Advanced Wi-Fi Chip: The third part of the trinity is a dedicated Wi-Fi chip. This isn't your standard Wi-Fi; it's engineered to give you a much more powerful and stable signal. OnePlus says it can maintain a strong connection even through two solid walls or across three floors. For gamers, this means a stable, low-latency (low-lag) connection for online matches. In my testing with mesh nodes in my house, I still had a strong connection through the concrete walls when I was gaming in my garage, where there are no nodes.

To keep all this power from getting toasty, there's also a new 360 Cryo-Velocity Cooling System. It uses a massive internal vapor chamber and a "screen cooler" made of aerogel (the same kind of stuff used in aerospace!) to pull heat away from the processor and the screen. It's only noticeable in that I didn't notice the phone was getting really warm during times I would expect the phone to be really warm.

Does the OnePlus 15 have a good display?

The performance is impressive, but it wouldn't mean much without a great screen, and the display on the OnePlus 15 is a stunner.

It's a 6.78-inch, 1.5K display with a 165Hz refresh rate. This is kind of weird - who has a 165Hz refresh rate? Why 1.5K? Who is this for?

Let's break that down:

• 1.5K Resolution: It's a step up from standard Full HD, so text, images, and videos look incredibly crisp.
• 165Hz Refresh Rate: This is the big one. Most flagship phones top out at 120Hz. A 165Hz screen updates 165 times per second, making all motion—from scrolling a webpage, to intense gaming—look impossibly smooth. My eyes just aren't attuned enough to notice these things, but I suppose, in theory, this could help you see enemies attacks a split second sooner in a game, and then you can dodge or parry accordingly?

While a bunch of popular games are already set to run at 165fps (either natively or with frame interpolation), including Call of Duty, PUBG, Clash of Clans, Brawl Stars, Real Racing 3, Standoff 2, and Blood Strike, if I'm being honest, this isn't that big of a deal to me (and I think the average person). As it's still a struggle to find mobile games that run at 120fps, nevermind 165. This is a "nice-to-have-for-the-future" kinda thing. But, out of the gate, I don't think most people will notice it.

Speed aside, the screen is just plain beautiful:

• Super-slim bezels (1.15mm) on all four sides give you a true all-screen experience.
• It gets bright (1800 nits) for perfect visibility on a sunny day.
• It also dims down to 1 nit, or even 0.5 nit) for comfortable reading in a pitch-black room.

It's even certified for eye care, with features that reduce blue light, remind you to take a break, and even a special gaming mode that reduces saturation to help with visual fatigue.

A Quick Peek at Cameras and Software

A distinctive feature of OnePlus phones for the past few generations has been their circular camera module and their partnership with pro photoraphy company Hasselblad.

The OnePlus 15 marks the first release since that Hasselblad partnership ended, but the OnePlus didn't misstep when they switched their camera system.

It's all powered by a new computational brain called the "DetailMax Engine". Which has been very intuitive in my early testing. I know cameras are super important in a smartphone, and this one has so much to dig into, I'm going to spin off a separate article just about the camera and photo features.

But, for now, know that photos and videos look amazing on this device. This is in part through great hardware design and in part through exceptional software and AI working in the background everytime you snap the shutter button to balance clarity and focus with light and colour giving you the best results, with no effort on your part.

Scroll through this gallery to see the dramatic photo results. First is 120x zoom, then 40ish, then 7x, then 1x.

On the software side, it runs OxygenOS 16. This new version is packed with "OnePlus AI" features, including a new personal assistant called "Plus Mind" that's built with Google's Gemini. This is another huge topic that we'll be covering in its own feature article later. But, for now, it's worth flagging that if you do get this phone, it comes with three months of Google AI Pro, which has so many helpful tools (read more here), so this is something you'll definitely want to take advantage of during the free period.

What's most important right now is the software commitment: OnePlus is promising four years of OS updates and six years of security updates. That's fantastic to see and a huge plus for the phone's long-term value.

Pricing & Availability in Canada

So, how do you get one? The OnePlus 15 goes on open sale in Canada now, as of November 13, at 9:30 AM ET.

For now, it's available directly from OnePlus.com. Here's the Canadian pricing:

• 12GB+256GB (Infinite Black only): $1,299.99 CAD
• 16GB+512GB (All colours): $1,399.99 CAD

OnePlus has some pretty aggressive launch offers on their Canadian site:

• Free Gift: You get to pick one free gift (while supplies last). Options include the OnePlus Buds Pro 3, a 50W AIRVOOC Charger, or a case. If you grab the 512GB model, the OnePlus Watch 3 is also an option!
• Trade-in Bonus: They're offering a guaranteed $150 instant credit when you trade in any phone in any condition. Plus, you get an extra $150 cash back bonus on top of that.
• Other Deals: There's also a 5% student discount and up to 30% off accessories.

Bottom Line: Is the OnePlus 15 Worth It?

After using OnePlus devices in my frequent rotation for just over two years, I have to remind myself that people are less familiar with the brand, because to me, they've become just as common and enjoyable to use as my Pixel and Samsung smartphones that probably have a higher level of awareness.

Gaming Greatness

OnePlus 15

Geeking Out Shop

OnePlus 15 is a near-perfect smartphone with excellent battery life, a beautiful display, a sleek finish, and processing power to spare. It runs on Android-based OxygenOS, which allows you to get as customized as you want to dial in your smartphone experience. For gamers, between the display and "Power Trinity," this is a premiere mobile experience for playing video games.

• From $1299 CAD

OnePlus phones, in recent years, are basically for people who want the maximum amount of features at a much lower price. Their flagships aren't necessarily "low-priced phones," but for all that you get if you compare those specs to Samsung, for example, and then compare the prices, OnePlus delivers exceptional value for the money you spend.

And this isn't some weird, techie-enthusiast phone. While you may hear about 165Hz refresh rates or NanoStack battery technology and think "I don't know what that is, I don't need that," the truth is, you don't have to know what it is and you won't even realize you're using it. The phone is just super smart and optimizes itself for performance or battery life in everything you do.

I don't go deep into software either (I'll do a separate article on that), but OxygenOS will be familiar feeling to Android users, and there's even dedicated OnePlus apps that make working between your Mac or iPad and your phone feel as good as Android to Apple cooperation has ever been.

The OnePlus 15 is a statement. It's a thoughtfully engineered device that focuses on the things that really matter for a high-end experience: raw power, a screen that's a joy to look at, and a battery that addresses one of our biggest anxieties. But it's also simple enough to use that a "regular" smartphone user who doesn't care about specs or performance and doesn't follow the trends can upgrade to this phone and feel completely comfortable navigating around and using the device.

At the end of the day, the "Never Settle" mantra has never been better embodied by the company's phones as it is with the new OnePlus 15.

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