OnePlus 15R Expected to Launch Soon with Massive Upgrades and Flagship Power

The OnePlus 15 series has finally made its way to India, and though the OnePlus 15 is definitely stealing the show with its new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and totally revamped camera system, the brand has quietly teased something arguably more exciting for value-conscious users in the form of the upcoming OnePlus 15R. During the 15's India launch event, OnePlus did briefly tease the device, confirming that a more affordable R-series model would be coming out.

Although OnePlus has not officially disclosed specifications, design elements, or pricing of the OnePlus 15R, the company's past launches make things largely predictable. Every R-series device so far has been a global variant of the OnePlus Ace lineup in China and this year's OnePlus Ace 6, launched alongside the 15, gives us a pretty good look at what the 15R might bring to the table. Based on strong industry patterns and Ace 6's hardware, the OnePlus 15R is panning out to be a massive upgrade over the 13R.

Bigger, Brighter Display

One of the major talking points for the new 15R is its beautiful 6.83-inch 1.5K AMOLED display, which happens to be marginally larger compared to the 6.77-inch panel on the OnePlus 13R. However, size isn't the only upgrade here the new display features a whopping 165Hz refresh rate, matching the company’s flagship OnePlus 15, apart from an industry-leading 5,000 nits peak brightness.

That's a brightness boost of 500 nits over its predecessor, with the promise of excellent outdoor visibility even in harsh sunlight. Be it gaming, watching HDR content, or just scrolling, the display performance on the 15R is expected to feel premium through and through.

Snapdragon 8 Elite Power, Faster RAM, and G2 Gaming Chip

While the OnePlus 15 will carry the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, the 15R is expected to come with the previous generation Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset continuing a tradition OnePlus has kept for all its R-series phones. Still, this chipset is phenomenally powerful for top-notch performance in both gaming and multitasking.

Paired with up to:

• 16GB LPDDR5X Ultra RAM

• 1TB UFS 4.1 storage

• A dedicated G2 gaming chip

The G2 gaming chip enhances graphics quality, stabilizes frame rates, and improves overall gaming responsiveness. This makes the OnePlus 15R a potential beast for mobile gamers looking for flagship-grade performance at a mid-range price.

Industry-leading durability with four IP ratings

Durability gets a major boost this year; the OnePlus 15R boasts four different IP certifications, namely IP66, IP68, IP69, and even IP69K, which is highly uncommon even among premium flagships. Simply said, the device is resistant not only to dust and water but even to high-pressure, high-temperature water jets.

For those users who travel a lot, work outdoors, or who simply need a phone that can survive rough conditions, this is a great upgrade.

The device also sports the Plus Key, a customizable button that can be mapped to actions like opening the camera, launching the flashlight, or accessing the new AI-powered Mind Space.

Massive 7,800mAh Battery + 120W Fast Charging

The battery department is indeed where OnePlus 15R makes a bold statement. It will feature a 7,800mAh battery-the largest ever on a commercial smartphone. The battery comes paired with 120W fast charging, promising ultra-long battery life and extremely fast top-ups.

However, as with its predecessor, the 15R is expected to not include wireless charging either-a bit of a drawback for some.

Dual Cameras With OIS

The OnePlus 15R comes with a dual rear camera setup for photography:

• 50MP primary camera with OIS

• 8MP ultra-wide lens

On the front, a 16MP selfie camera handles selfies and video calls.

While the primary camera is likely to feature improved image quality, this time OnePlus has omitted the telephoto lens, which is actually a step back from the OnePlus 13R that had 2x optical zoom. That might not sit well with users who actually rely on zoom performance; this year, though, OnePlus probably wants a cleaner design and battery upgrades.

OxygenOS 16 out of the box

On the software front, the OnePlus 15R is tipped to come with OxygenOS 16 atop Android 16. The new OS will come with AI-enhanced features, refined animations, improved stability, and further personalization options.

With OnePlus committing to long-term updates across its lineup, the 15R should be future-proof for years.

Price in India (Expected)

If the company follows its traditional pricing for the R-series phones unlike the recent steep price hike for the OnePlus 15, the OnePlus 15R can be expected to launch at approximately ₹42,999 in India.

This would place it in a sweet spot between premium mid-range phones and full-fledged flagships, with a mix of performance, battery life, and durability that's rarely found in this segment.

Based on everything we know from the Ace 6 and OnePlus' R-series history, the OnePlus 15R is shaping up to be a major upgrade:

✔ Bigger and brighter display

✔ Faster refresh rate

✔ More durable with four IP ratings

✔ Huge 7,800mAh battery

✔ Snapdragon 8 Elite + G2 gaming chip

✔ Premium design & OxygenOS 16

If OnePlus gets the pricing right, the 15R could easily be one of the best value-for-money performance smartphones of 2025, something both flagship hunters and mid-range buyers would want in their pockets. With the official launch imminent, this is definitely a smartphone worth waiting for.