OnePlus 15 vs iPhone 17 Pro Max vs S25 Ultra vs Pixel 10 Pro XL: Which is Best

Choosing the right flagship in 2025 can feel overwhelming, especially when four heavyweights dominate the market: the OnePlus 15, iPhone 17 Pro Max, Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, and Google Pixel 10 Pro XL. The OnePlus 15, in particular, has caught everyone’s attention thanks to its giant battery, powerful chipset, and surprisingly aggressive pricing. But how does it truly perform when compared head-to-head with the best of Apple, Samsung, and Google? Let’s break it down in a clear, real-world way.

Battery & Charging: OnePlus Sets a New Standard

One of the biggest highlights of the OnePlus 15 is its massive 7,300 mAh silicon-carbon battery — easily the largest among all four phones. In practical testing, it held up impressively well, lasting nearly 12 hours and 40 minutes, with only the iPhone 17 Pro Max managing to surpass it by about an hour. Where OnePlus absolutely dominates is charging speed. With 120W wired and 50W wireless charging, it rockets from zero to full in just 52 minutes, a feat the iPhone, Samsung, and Pixel cannot come close to replicating. If long battery life and ultra-fast charging are priorities, the OnePlus 15 feels almost unbeatable.

Performance: Blazing Fast but Held Back by Heat

The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 inside the OnePlus 15 delivers phenomenal raw performance. In benchmarks like Geekbench 6, it outpaced all three rivals, and everyday usage feels incredibly smooth and responsive. However, this power comes with a drawback. During extended gaming or sustained heavy workloads, the phone heats up quickly, reaching close to 50°C and even shutting down during stress testing. In comparison, the iPhone 17 Pro Max and Galaxy S25 Ultra offered far more stable performance with much better temperature control. This makes the OnePlus 15 excellent for quick bursts of power but less dependable for long gaming sessions or continuous high-load tasks.

Design & Display: Lightweight, Durable, but with a Surprising Downgrade

In terms of design, the OnePlus 15 impresses immediately. At just 214 grams, it’s the lightest among the group, and it carries a rugged IP69K rating, giving it protection against extreme high-pressure, high-temperature water jets — something no other flagship officially guarantees. The display, on paper, looks outstanding too with a 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED panel and a native 165 Hz refresh rate. However, since only a handful of games support such a high refresh rate, the feature has little real-world impact. Reviewers even noted that the display seems like a slight step back from the OnePlus 13. It’s still vibrant and smooth, but not the upgrade many were expecting.

Camera Experience: Great Portraits but Overall Behind the Competition

The OnePlus 15’s camera system has seen some clear shifts this year. OnePlus opted for smaller sensors and removed the Hasselblad branding entirely, and the differences show. While Portrait Mode is genuinely impressive — arguably the best in terms of edge detection and subject separation — the overall camera performance lags behind the Galaxy S25 Ultra and iPhone 17 Pro Max, especially in dynamic range, consistency, and color accuracy. The ultra-wide camera struggles the most, often producing overly cyan skies. Google’s Pixel 10 Pro XL, with its software-driven photography, still shines in low light and color processing, making the OnePlus 15 a good but not great camera phone.

Software & Longevity: Smooth but Not Very Future-Proof

OxygenOS 16 has evolved into something that feels quite similar to Oppo’s ColorOS, carrying a more iOS-like feel with smooth animations and enhanced visual elements. While the software remains pleasant to use, longtime OnePlus fans may miss the old, clean, almost stock-Android personality. The bigger concern lies in software support. With only four years of OS updates and six years of security patches, OnePlus lags behind Apple, Samsung, and Google, all of which now offer a solid seven years of major updates. For users planning long-term ownership, this difference is significant.

Price & Final Verdict: Incredible Value with One Important Warning

The biggest advantage the OnePlus 15 holds is its price. At $899, it’s dramatically cheaper than the iPhone 17 Pro Max and Pixel 10 Pro XL at $1,199, and far below the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s $1,299 tag. The value proposition is excellent, offering top-tier speed, a massive battery, and premium design at a price no other flagship even tries to compete with. Most everyday users will be more than satisfied with what the OnePlus 15 delivers. However, the serious overheating issue is a major red flag for gamers and power users who need reliable performance over long periods.

On the other hand, the Galaxy S25 Ultra stands out as the best all-rounder, the iPhone 17 Pro Max remains unmatched for content creation and battery efficiency, and the Pixel 10 Pro XL continues to dominate in software quality and computational photography — even if its performance isn’t as strong.

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