OnePlus 15 vs OnePlus 13: Real Upgrade or Hidden Downgrade? Full In-Depth Comparison
Every year, new flagships promise big leaps, bold changes, and “next-level” improvements. But this time, the OnePlus 15 created a different kind of buzz—not because it’s a straightforward upgrade, but because many claimed it might actually be a downgrade from the OnePlus 13.
After a detailed comparison, the truth is much more interesting.
The OnePlus 15 isn’t a downgrade—it’s a rebalancing act. A phone built on smart trade-offs, huge push-forward improvements, and a few compromises that may or may not matter depending on what you want from a smartphone.
Here’s the complete breakdown.
Design & Build: A New Identity with More Strength
OnePlus clearly wanted the 15 to look and feel different. The phone shows off sharper, more angular lines and a totally refreshed design language. In hand, it feels more modern and more premium—something the review team actually preferred over the older model.
The aluminum frame now comes with a micro-arch oxidized matte finish, giving it a grippy, luxurious texture. Compare that to the polished frame of the OnePlus 13, and the new model simply feels more refined.
And then comes a quiet but meaningful upgrade—IP69K durability. It’s dust-tight, resistant to high-pressure hot water jets, and clearly built tougher than the 13’s IP69 rating.
A design evolution with real-world strength? That’s a solid win for the 15.
Display: Bigger Isn’t Always Better… But It Was Here
This is one area where the OnePlus 13 still flexes hard.
The OnePlus 15 does have the world’s first 165 Hz 1.5K display—brilliant for gamers and ultra-smooth scrolling—but it’s also slightly smaller at 6.78 inches, fully flat, and not as bright in peak conditions as the OnePlus 13.
In fact, the 13’s screen was deemed “just plain better” thanks to:
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Larger size
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Higher resolution
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Higher peak brightness
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Curved immersive edges
The 15’s display is not bad by any means—it’s smooth, responsive, and great outdoors—but the 13 still holds the crown for overall quality.
Cameras: Technical Downgrade, Real-World Upgrade
On paper, the OnePlus 15 loses.
Smaller sensors. Narrower apertures. There is no collaboration with Hasselblad in the tuning process. It looks like a step backward.
But here’s where things get interesting.
Despite the hardware downgrade, the OnePlus 15 delivers more natural, more pleasing, and better-balanced photos in most lighting conditions. The over-saturated, high-contrast look of the 13 is replaced with more realistic tones on the 15.
Some key highlights:
What’s better on the OnePlus 15?
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More accurate colors
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Better saturation control
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More consistent results
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4K 30 fps portrait video
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Sharper, more reliable selfie camera with autofocus
Where the OnePlus 13 still wins
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Low-light shots thanks to the larger sensor
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Slightly better detail in deep shadows
This is the definition of a trade-off: technically weaker hardware producing practically better photos in most everyday scenarios.
Performance: The New Chip Makes Its Presence Felt
Powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, the OnePlus 15 pushes performance to a noticeably higher level.
From smooth gaming to faster rendering, the differences were clear:
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Higher frame rates with fewer drops
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4K render done in nearly half the time
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Much better benchmark scores
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Faster UFS 4.1 storage
Both phones do get warm under heavy load—and the 15 even overheated during the 3D Mark stress test—but the performance improvements are undeniable.
This is a true generational jump.
Battery & Charging: The Biggest Upgrade of the Entire Phone
If there’s one area where the OnePlus 15 blows the 13 out of the water, it’s battery.
The monstrous 7,300 mAh silicon-carbon battery is the star of the show, delivering a jaw-dropping:
12 hours and 37 minutes of endurance
Compared to the OnePlus 13’s already respectable:
9 hours 35 minutes
That’s not a small upgrade—that’s a complete leap.
And despite the huge battery, the 120W SuperVOOC charging still fills it up in just 52 minutes, matching the 13’s speed.
Battery life lovers? This is your phone.
Software: A Small Loss, A Familiar Roadmap
Both phones run OxygenOS with the same support promise:
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4 years of major OS updates
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6 years of security patches
But OnePlus removed the beloved Alert Slider on the 15, replacing it with a customizable “Plus Key.”
For longtime OnePlus fans, that one stings.
Final Verdict: Upgrade, Downgrade… or Simply a New Direction?
The OnePlus 15 doesn’t follow the standard upgrade formula. It’s a mix of:
Big improvements
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Massive battery upgrade
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Better durability
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Smarter color science in photos
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Significant performance jump
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Faster storage
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Autofocus selfie camera
Clear compromises
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Smaller and overall weaker display
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No Hasselblad tuning
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Technically downgraded camera hardware
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The loss of the Alert Slider
So is it a downgrade?
No—it’s a trade-off phone.
It fixes what mattered most on the OnePlus 13 (battery, camera consistency, performance) while sacrificing things many users loved (display, Hasselblad tuning, slider).
If you value battery life, faster performance, and more natural photos, the OnePlus 15 is a definite upgrade.
If display quality and that signature OnePlus feel matter more, the OnePlus 13 still holds its own.
Either way, for the same $899 price, both phones bring something compelling to the table—just in very different ways.
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