The OnePlus 15 impressed my wonderful colleague, David Lumb, with its excellent battery life and wonderful efficiency, particularly for gaming. I wasn’t as thrilled with the cameras in my early testing, however the proof of its pictures prowess comes right down to the way it stacks up in opposition to the competitors. In this case, the iPhone 17 Pro is one in every of our favourite telephone cameras and certainly top-of-the-line digicam telephones you should purchase in 2025. For years, OnePlus has partnered with the enduring Swedish digicam maker Hasselblad to work on coloration science and picture calibration for OnePlus telephones. But that partnership has ended, which places loads of stress on the Chinese firm to impress with its digicam suite on the OnePlus 15. Throughout all these adjustments, Apple launched the iPhone 17 Pro, which has a brand-new 48-megapixel 4x telephoto digicam and carries ahead the corporate’s fame for wonderful pictures.I headed out to the streets of Edinburgh, Scotland, to check each telephone cameras in quite a lot of conditions. It’s necessary to notice, although, that what I think about “better” won’t be what you agree with. Photography, like all artwork, is subjective. While, as a skilled photographer, I want extra pure, true-to-life tones, you could want imagery with extra pop and colours. Take my ideas with a grain of salt. Note, too, that each one photos had been taken with every telephone’s customary digicam mode in JPEG format, and all photos have been resized utilizing Adobe Lightroom, with no extra edits or sharpening utilized. Small print accomplished with, let’s dive in.Straight off the bat, I’ll admit a small mistake within the photographs above. I took this shot utilizing one of many iPhone’s Photographic Styles. I feel it was Gold, and so it is no shock that it is given the picture a extra vibrant, hotter look that fits the scene extremely nicely. I solely had the type lively for this instance and the ultrawide model beneath. However, I seen that the iPhone’s publicity is broadly higher, whereas the OnePlus’ software program processing had labored so arduous in lowering picture noise that loads of the feel within the flooring had been misplaced. Switch to the ultrawide lenses, and issues do change a bit. The iPhone’s publicity above seems preferable to my eye, however the OnePlus’ shot undoubtedly has extra element total.This instance above is kind of traditional of the issues I’ve not simply with the OnePlus 15, but additionally with most of OnePlus’ telephones. The picture is kind of closely saturated, with an electric-blue sky and vivid greens that look unnatural to me. The iPhone’s picture has a a lot better deal with on coloration right here.My different downside with OnePlus’ telephones is how arduous they go along with their HDR processing, brightening up shadows and pulling again highlights, leading to photos that very often lack depth and plausible distinction. The picture above is a first-rate instance the place the deep shadows underneath this bridge have been maintained within the iPhone’s shot, however the place the OnePlus 15 has tried to lighten them a lot that the picture seems very overprocessed.And to show it isn’t a one-off, this instance above is an actual low level for the OnePlus. It actually tried to get rid of any type of shadows on this scene, whereas pulling again the highlights within the sky outdoors far an excessive amount of. The picture seems pretend, overprocessed and precisely what folks would consider if you happen to informed them a photograph was taken on a telephone. By taking a much more refined strategy, the iPhone’s picture is far more to my liking. The OnePlus hasn’t gone as arduous with its vendetta in opposition to shadows within the picture above, but it surely does appear to be it is ramped that saturation manner up. It’s not that I do not like vibrant colours — I do — it is simply that I need to add in that saturation ought to I need to, quite than having it pressured on me by default. The photos above present a extra muted scene and a superb effort from each telephones. Although taken simply 9 seconds aside (I checked the metadata), I do assume the solar could have barely peeked out from behind a cloud a bit of extra within the iPhone’s shot, because the entrance of the constructing does look quite a bit brighter. Or possibly the OnePlus goes arduous on the HDR once more. Who is aware of? Either manner, good particulars on this picture from each telephones.
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iPhone 17 Pro, ultrawide digicam Andrew Lanxon/CNET
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OnePlus 15, ultrawide digicam Andrew Lanxon/CNETThe similar scene in ultrawide does arguably look a bit of muted from the iPhone, at the very least in comparison with the daring blue of the OnePlus’ shot above. Somewhere between the 2 can be my candy spot. After I zoomed in on the main points, the iPhone’s shot is actually clearer, however at full display screen — or in your Insta feed — that distinction is negligible. That brightness and coloration distinction persists when taking every telephone to its most default telephoto zoom, so possibly it would not have something to do with the solar and clouds in spite of everything. Colors apart, the iPhone’s shot above can be clearer, and its particulars look sharp with out being overly digitally sharpened. The OnePlus’ picture does have one thing of a “crunchiness” to it from its software program processing that I do not like as a lot.
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Telephoto zooms, element crop. OnePlus on the left, iPhone on the correct. Andrew Lanxon/CNETPeeping shut up on the pixels on every telephone’s telephoto zoom shot, I undoubtedly assume the OnePlus has gone too arduous with its sharpening within the picture above of an individual in a window.I’m barely extra torn on this nighttime scene. The OnePlus shot above has but once more gone massive on the saturation. Look on the overcooked inexperienced on the grass — it seems prefer it was taken at noon within the spring. The iPhone’s colours look far more pure. However, the OnePlus’ sharpening works in favor at evening, delivering a shot with crisper particulars all through.And in ultrawide, I flat out want the OnePlus picture above. Those vibrant tones look a lot better right here, particularly as they make the oranges of the constructing within the background stand out extra.
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Night mode, element crop. OnePlus on the left, iPhone on the correct. Andrew Lanxon/CNETAnd if we peep at these pixels once more, it is clear that the main points on the OnePlus’ shot (left) are much better. Finally, a win for the OnePlus. This last indoor low-light scene is a little more of a combined bag. The OnePlus’ picture above is definitely brighter — particularly the folks nearest the digicam — however its noise discount has gone a bit too arduous in some areas, lowering textures on clothes and hair that the iPhone hasn’t accomplished. Overall, although, I’d say this instance is an in depth battle. iPhone 17 Pro vs. OnePlus 15: Which digicam is healthier?For me, it is a straightforward victory for the iPhone 17 Pro. Almost throughout the board, its photos are extra pure trying with life like colours, saturation ranges and publicity. The OnePlus 15’s reliance on heavy-handed picture processing has resulted in usually garish-looking photographs which are virtually the other of what I search for in my pictures. However, as I mentioned initially, that is simply my opinion. As a photographer, I need my digicam — any digicam — to have the ability to seize the best-looking picture straight out of the digicam that I can then apply extra edits to if I need to. But possibly you do not need to do this and as a substitute need a vibrant, punchy-looking shot that you could instantly share to social media. If so, possibly the OnePlus will likely be superb for you. At the top of the day, deciding which telephone to purchase will come right down to extra than simply the digicam, so make certain to learn CNET’s in-depth opinions of all of 2025’s finest telephones to resolve which is the one for you. Watch this: The iPhone 17’s Unexpectedly Satisfying Tips and Accessories
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