Just when the smartphone world was getting a little quiet, OnePlus decided to stir the pot. We just got our very first, semi-official look at the upcoming OnePlus 15, and it showed up in the most unexpected place: a major e-sports tournament!
Instead of a formal announcement, the new phone was spotted in a group photo with gaming champions at the Peace Elite League (PEL) Summer Finals in China. It’s a classic “accidental” teaser, and it gives us our best look yet at what OnePlus has been cooking up for its next big flagship.
A Fresh Look (and a Familiar Shape)
For the last few years, we’ve gotten used to that big, circular camera bump on the back of OnePlus phones. Well, it looks like that era is over. The leaked photo shows OnePlus is going back to a squarish module that houses a prominent, pill-shaped cutout for its main cameras. It’s a bit of a throwback to some of their older designs, but it looks clean and modern, especially in the new white color that was on display. It’s a refreshing change of pace.
The Powerhouse Specs Everyone’s Talking About
A new design is exciting, but let’s talk about what’s under the hood, because the rumored specs are pretty wild.
First up, the engine. The OnePlus 15 is expected to be one of the very first phones rocking the next-generation Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip. For gamers and power users, that’s a huge deal. To keep that beastly processor running, how does a massive 7,000mAh battery sound? Paired with blazing-fast 120W wired and 50W wireless charging, battery anxiety might finally be a thing of the past. All of this will be viewed on a gorgeous 6.78-inch LTPO screen with a buttery-smooth 165Hz refresh rate.
New Cameras and Smarter Software
Shutterbugs will want to pay attention here. The phone is tipped to have a versatile 50MP triple-camera setup, complete with a proper 3x optical zoom lens for getting closer to the action. But here’s the interesting part: it looks like OnePlus is moving away from the Hasselblad branding. Instead, they’ll be using their own in-house DetailMax Engine to process photos. It will be fascinating to see how that new system performs.
To tie it all together, the OnePlus 15 could be the very first phone to launch with the new OxygenOS 16, built on top of Android 16. We’re expecting a fresh user interface and a bunch of new features to explore.
