OnePlus 15 Price Hike Explained With All Hidden Downgrades Revealed

The OnePlus 15 has finally launched in India, and while the smartphone brings the newest Snapdragon chipset and a refined design, the major highlight-or rather the biggest controversy-is its increased pricing. Compared to last year's OnePlus 13, the OnePlus 15 is significantly more expensive in India. Interestingly, OnePlus India had reportedly run paid campaigns with popular YouTubers ahead of the launch, ensuring they focused only on rising component costs like RAM, storage, and SoC prices. The logic makes sense-flagship components have become more expensive globally-meaning most brands will eventually raise prices of their 2025 flagships.

However, what OnePlus didn't want reviewers to highlight were the downgrades. Yes, despite the increased price, several core components in the OnePlus 15 are a step down from the OnePlus 13, especially in the camera department, haptic motor, speakers, microphones, and even the display resolution. For a phone entering the ultra-premium segment, these omissions and downgrades raise legitimate questions about the value OnePlus is offering in India.

In this blog, we'll break down every single downgrade in detail to help you understand exactly what's changed and why users are calling the OnePlus 15 an "overpriced downgrade."

Camera

OnePlus has historically marketed its camera systems as flagship-grade, but with the OnePlus 15, the brand has silently swapped out key sensors for inferior ones despite increasing the price.

OnePlus 13 Camera Setup

• 50MP Main Camera: LYT-T808 sensor, 1/1.4-inch, OIS

• 50MP Ultrawide: Samsung JN5, supports 2.5cm macro

• 50MP 3X Telephoto: LYT-600, 1/1.95-inch, OIS

OnePlus 15 Camera Setup

• 50MP Main Camera: Sony IMX906, 1/1.56-inch, OIS

• 50MP Ultrawide: OmniVision OV50D

• 50MP 3X Telephoto: Samsung JN5, 1/2.75-inch, OIS

The IMX906 sensor is typically used in mid-range phones such as Galaxy A55 and Xiaomi 14T, and OnePlus choosing it for their premium flagship is baffling. The telephoto sensor also shrinks significantly in size, reducing its light-gathering capabilities. Yes, the OnePlus 15 offers a slightly better 3.5X zoom and a wider ultrawide field of view, but the downgrade in core hardware is undeniable.

Haptics

Flagship phones are expected to offer precise, strong vibration feedback, and OnePlus was praised heavily for the haptics on the OnePlus 13.

• OnePlus 13: AAC CSA+0916 Turbo, 602mm²

• OnePlus 15: AAC ESA1016, 560mm²

The size reduction results in weaker vibration strength and less satisfying feedback — a downgrade you will notice in daily usage, especially typing and gestures.

Bottom Speaker

Audio is another area where OnePlus quietly trimmed hardware.

• OnePlus 13 Bottom Speaker: AAC 1115E, 165mm²

• OnePlus 15 Bottom Speaker: AAC 1510, 150mm²

A smaller speaker chamber typically reduces loudness and bass response, affecting overall stereo performance.

Microphones

Microphones affect call clarity, noise cancellation, and video audio quality.

• OnePlus 13: 4 microphones

• OnePlus 15: 3 microphones

The removal of one microphone limits directional audio capture and may reduce noise cancellation efficiency.

Display Resolution

This is one of the most noticeable downgrades on paper.

• OnePlus 13: 6.82-inch, 3168×1440 (2K+)

• OnePlus 15: 6.78-inch, 2772×1272 (1.5K)

While 1.5K displays still look sharp, it’s a step down from the crisp 2K panel offered earlier. At a higher price, users naturally expected an upgrade not a reduction.

NFC

For users who regularly use NFC for payments or pairing:

• OnePlus 13: Full-area NFC

• OnePlus 15: Normal-area NFC

Full-area NFC makes tapping anywhere on the back more convenient. The downgrade means smaller detection zones and more hit-and-miss behavior.

Miscellaneous Downgrades Many Users Won’t Notice at First

Beyond the headline downgrades, OnePlus also weakened several smaller but important components:

1. Touch IC Downgraded

The touch controller has been replaced from 3910p to 3910v, a weaker version that may impact touch responsiveness, especially in gaming.

2. Ambient Light Sensors Reduced

From 4 sensors in the OnePlus 13 to just 2 in the OnePlus 15.

This affects:

• auto-brightness accuracy

• HDR tuning

• dynamic display adjustments

3. Alert Slider Removed for an Independent Switch

Instead of the iconic alert slider, the OnePlus 15 now uses an iPhone-style independent switch.

This removes one of the most-loved hardware features of OnePlus phones.

The Price Twist

The weirdest part is that while the price of the OnePlus 15 actually went down in its home market of China, it witnessed a noticeable hike in India:

This creates a huge value gap when comparing global pricing and makes Indian users feel like they’re paying more for less especially in the case of phones having multiple downgrades compared to their predecessor.

The new OnePlus 15 still offers great performance, fast charging, a premium design, and OxygenOS but to Indian buyers, the downgrades combined with higher pricing make it hard to justify over the OnePlus 13.

After all, if camera quality, haptics, display resolution, and audio are your top concerns, then the OnePlus 13 actually remains the better overall package. Controversy over the marketing push and the decision to muzzle reviewers from mentioning the downgrades only added to user frustration. Barring a revisit of prices or some compelling launch offers, the OnePlus 15 will probably be touted as the most contentious flagship from OnePlus in recent years.