If you are a cellular gamer, you realize the bliss of enjoying anyplace you wish to go — and the anxious draw back of draining your telephone’s battery as you do. That’s why the OnePlus 15’s large 7,300-mAh battery makes this a promising handset for the discerning gamer on the go. Presumably, you’ll play for longer with out draining your telephone all the way down to low capability.The actuality is a bit more sophisticated, partially as a result of the OnePlus 15’s benefits may be diminished if graphics and the body charge are cranked as much as the max. It’s downside to have, because the telephone’s premium specs give it the next ceiling for efficiency. However, avid gamers who aren’t cautious can drain their batteries practically as rapidly as different top-tier telephones. Still, if you do not need a gaming-specific telephone just like the RedMagic 11 Pro or Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro, which are not simply obtainable within the US, the OnePlus 15 is a mainstream handset that gives premium specs and options, making it a sensible choice. Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content material and lab-based evaluations. Add CNET as a most well-liked Google supply. The OnePlus 15 has a Full HD Plus (2,722 x 1,272 pixel) show with as much as 165Hz refresh charge. Andrew Lanxon/CNETThe OnePlus 15’s gaming experienceGood specs, good show, respectable speakersBattery life whereas gaming is vital, however we’ll set that apart for a second to concentrate on the expertise of enjoying video games themselves. While each variations of the telephone pack the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, I used the pricier $1,000 model with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, which presumably performs higher than the cheaper $900 mannequin with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. I examined a handful of standard video games which are demanding sufficient to gauge the OnePlus 15’s capabilities. The impact: excessive graphics and easy gameplay. Aside from its high-end {hardware}, the OnePlus 15 additionally has a 6.78-inch OLED show with HD Plus (2,722 x1,272-pixel decision) and 165Hz most refresh charge. The latter is an enormous deal for gaming, however most video games will not hit that cap, as they’re sometimes set to 120 frames per second (fps) at most.One of the few massive video games that helps such a excessive refresh charge is Dead Cells, whose roguelike gameplay relies on response time. In idea, it helps a vast body charge, however I could not inform a lot distinction between 120Hz and 165Hz — with extra frames per second (roughly one per hertz, so 165fps on the telephone’s most), it ought to allow gamers to reply quicker, within the matter of microseconds. But I’ll be the primary one to confess that my clumsy fingers cannot hit the contact controls precisely sufficient to get that degree of fast response. That’s the place utilizing a third-party controller is useful, and the Backbone I had in my desk drawer labored amazingly properly. I plugged the OnePlus 15 in, and Dead Cells instantly converted to exterior controls, already mapping my assortment of weapons and objects to totally different buttons. In seconds, I used to be slipping in assaults between frantic sequences of dodge rolls and double jumps to evade enemy assaults. The OnePlus 15 slots in to the Backbone gaming controller simply nice. David Lumb/CNETWhen I switched to Destiny Rising, the cellular model of the venerable on-line shooter, the Backbone was a welcome expertise, giving me much more button controls at my fingertips. There’s much less of a efficiency hole when utilizing the bodily controller with Destiny Rising, because the contact controls work fairly properly, all issues thought-about, in comparison with Dead Cells. Ditto with Diablo Immortal. The cellular version of the hack-and-slash darkish fantasy sport additionally has respectable contact controls; whereas there are lots of buttons on the display screen that block a few of the motion, they’re positioned in a means that I do not hit them by accident and usually faucet the one I imply to hit more often than not. Destiny Rising and Diablo Immortal look good with the graphics cranked as much as their most allowed, however curiously sufficient, they can not fairly attain the best potential settings. That makes me ponder whether there’s even a telephone on the market that may, as a result of the OnePlus 15’s specs are practically one of the best you may get on a telephone immediately. Regardless, with options like reflections and excessive graphics turned on, Destiny Rising and Diablo Immortal have good visuals, someplace between a PS3/Xbox 360 and a PS4/Xbox One. Powerful as it’s, the OnePlus 15 cannot enhance the visuals on previous video games like PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, however these with a definite type, like Genshin Impact, look good with the telephone’s easy body charge.This matches the OnePlus 15’s efficiency benchmark check outcomes from Geekbench 6 (which exams the CPU) and 3DMark’s Wild Life Extreme (which exams the graphics). The OnePlus 15 achieved greater scores and body charges than another telephone, aside from the RedMagic 11 Pro. While handsets within the iPhone 17 sequence weren’t far behind, older telephones are left within the mud — my two-year-old iPhone 15 Pro Max obtained half the scores and body charges that the OnePlus 15 did.3DMark Wild Life Extreme OnePlus 15 7,227RedMagic 11 Pro 8,074iPhone 17 4,885OnePlus 13 6,762 Note: Longer bars point out higher efficiency
Geekbench 6.0 OnePlus 15 3,670 11,061RedMagic 11 Pro 3,683 11,664iPhone 17 3,612 9.18OnePlus 13 3,091 9,362
Geekbench 6.0, single-core
Geekbench 6.0, multi-core
Note: Longer bars point out higher efficiency
The OnePlus 15 is an enormous Android telephone with a much bigger 7,300mAh battery. Andy Lanxon/CNETThe massive battery helpsBut quick charging is far more helpfulAside from its highly effective specs, the OnePlus 15’s largest flex is its 7,300-mAh battery, which is half once more as a lot capability because the 5,000-mAh batteries discovered on most premium telephones, just like the iPhone 17 Pro Max. This ought to result in longer playtime, and from anecdotal expertise, it does: the telephone was at 2% once I began enjoying Dead Cells to hurry up the battery drain, and I managed to play for 45 minutes earlier than it mechanically shut all the way down to protect the remaining 1%. It’s potential that OnePlus intentionally undercounts the underside sliver of the battery to offer individuals extra time (much like feeling such as you’re getting extra miles in your automotive than anticipated when the fuel tank’s empty gentle is on), but it surely nonetheless offers the sensation of longevity.But outdoors of a handful of these examples, the capability benefit is extra muted than I anticipated. The OnePlus 15’s battery would not noticeably drain extra slowly throughout gameplay than rival telephones with smaller capability batteries. Some of this may be attributed to the telephone’s greater graphics and body charge functionality, which considerably counteract this capability benefit. Crank them up too excessive they usually’ll drain battery life quicker.I examined this out by enjoying Destiny Rising for 20 minutes with all graphics and body charge settings cranked as much as most, which drained 6% of the OnePlus 15’s battery. When I dropped the efficiency to the minimal settings for a equally timed session, it drained 5% of the battery — a small change, but it surely provides up. The OnePlus 15’s higher benefit, particularly for avid gamers with entry to energy retailers, is its recharging pace. The telephone packs an 80-watt charger within the field. In my testing, it refilled from practically empty (1%) to 73% in 30 minutes and reached 100% in 45 minutes. That’s quicker than every little thing however the iPhone 17 sequence and Samsung Galaxy S25 FE in our exams, all of which have smaller battery capacities. The telephone additionally helps as much as 50-watt wi-fi charging, and since most wi-fi chargers prime out at 15 or 30 watts, good luck discovering one which’ll juice again up the OnePlus 15 at its most supported charge. The telephone helps bypass charging, too, letting you play with out draining the battery whereas it is plugged in (so long as you may sport with a wire protruding of the underside of the handset). While I used to be disillusioned that the big capability did not result in slower battery drain whereas enjoying video games, I used to be delighted by how rapidly I might prime up the telephone between periods. Heck, you may recharge it even quicker with the telephone’s most 100-watt charging pace, when you decide up a separate OnePlus proprietary charger. It’s price noting that the bigger battery will nonetheless lengthen informal telephone use that does not pressure the {hardware}, comparable to shopping and utilizing apps. The OnePlus 15 performs any cellular sport within the Google Play Store. David Lumb/CNETFinal confrontationWhat the OnePlus 15 has for cellular avid gamers over different phonesI discovered the OnePlus 15 to be a strong telephone throughout, and there is one thing to be mentioned a few high-performance handset that appeals to mainstream tastes. There are definitely followers of the “gamer chic” black, angled strains and RGB lights that characterize merchandise bought to the gaming demographic — issues that appear like equipment for Decepticons, together with the Asus ROG sequence of telephones. Personally, I just like the stylized artfulness of the OnePlus 15’s rounded corners, flat sides and easy matte again cowl.Another benefit the OnePlus 15 has over gaming-specific telephones is a traditional software program interface. CNET senior author Mike Sorrentino was pissed off by quite a few annoyances within the RedMagic 11 Pro’s software program, from bloatware to model watermarks on photographs toggled on by default. The OnePlus 15 has a traditional interface with its OxygenOS 16 pores and skin on Android 16 — no excessive gamer aesthetic. The Game Assistant app is straightforward and I discover it mechanically gathering video games inside its folder to be helpful.And crucially, the OnePlus 15 has far and away higher picture capabilities than different gaming telephones. Its suite of three 50-megapixel rear cameras captured spectacular shade and element in a sequence of photos showcasing the streets of Lisbon, Portugal, that have been shot by CNET’s proficient principal editor ({and professional} photographer in his personal proper) Andrew Lanxon. While they do not fairly attain the standard of a Samsung Galaxy S25 sequence or a Google Pixel 10, they’re respectably shut, and have the utility of important, ultrawide and telephoto cameras.The OnePlus 15 does have some drawbacks. Other gaming telephones have neat options, just like the Asus ROG 9 Pro’s exterior cooling fan and, crucially, its facet port for charging when you’re gaming. Worse, the OnePlus continues to lag opponents in providing solely 4 years of Android updates and 6 years of safety patches, which is notably lower than the seven years that Samsung and Google provide (Apple would not promise iOS updates, however typically manages six or extra years relying on the machine). Other gaming telephones are worse, with the RedMagic 11 Pro receiving solely three years of Android updates, whereas the Asus ROG 9 Pro receives an abysmally low two years of working system updates. Even if the OnePlus 15 is healthier in comparison with gaming telephones, it isn’t nice to spend a few grand on a telephone solely to see it cease receiving new, enjoyable software program options after half a decade.There’s one other caveat to the OnePlus 15, which I would not contemplate a dealbreaker for avid gamers. The telephone’s 1,800-nit most show brightness is ok outdoor, however pales compared to its opponents; the iPhone 17 sequence, for example, boasts a 3,000-nit peak brightness outdoor. But I would not anticipate many cellular avid gamers to be enjoying outdoors anyway — I certain have not been whereas I’ve carried out all this gamer science.