TL;DR OnePlus has launched the OnePlus 15 globally today.
Unfortunately, the US release has been delayed due to the government shutdown.
Expect to pay a starting price of $899.99 for the new flagship phone.
OnePlus launched the OnePlus 15 in China last month, and history suggested that we would have to wait until the new year for a wider launch. Thankfully, OnePlus just bucked this trend by launching its flagship phone globally today.
Unfortunately, OnePlus says the US government shutdown has resulted in a delayed OnePlus 15 release date: As is the case with every smartphone manufacturer, the United States’ Federal Communications Commission certifies OnePlus devices before they are sold in the US. As a result of the government shutdown, device certifications have been delayed. Subsequently, US sales for the OnePlus 15 will be postponed until they have been secured. The OnePlus 15 has already finished all the required tests from the FCC’s recognized labs and the certification application has been formally submitted. We are hopeful that approvals can be generated quickly and as a result, we can bring the OnePlus 15 to our customers in the U.S. expeditiously. OnePlus added that US consumers interested in buying the device can enter their contact details on OnePlus.com to be notified when the phone is available for purchase. This delay won’t affect other markets, including Canada, where sales kick off today.
The OnePlus 15 nevertheless brings a couple of major upgrades over the OnePlus 13. One of the most notable improvements is the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, which is backed by a cooling system consisting of a 3D vapor chamber, an “aerogel” cooling layer, and a white graphite layer. Interestingly, OnePlus claims that the phone offers “industry-first” always-on 120fps gaming with “no frame drops at all.” It’s unclear whether OnePlus is using frame interpolation and/or super-resolution to deliver this level of performance. This claim is also limited to just one game, namely Mobile Legends Bang Bang, while BGMI and PUBG Mobile achieve “almost always-on 120fps” gameplay.
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Another significant upgrade is the 7,300mAh silicon-carbon battery (15% silicon content), with OnePlus claiming this is the biggest battery in a consumer smartphone in North America. That’s a big jump from the already impressive 6,000mAh battery seen on the OnePlus 13. OnePlus claims the battery will maintain 80% of its effective capacity after four years. The company told us that this equates to 1,400 charging cycles.
For what it’s worth, the OnePlus 15’s Chinese product page notes that the battery will retain 80% effective capacity after five years. The claim is predicated on a charging cycle every 1.35 days. This suggests that we’re looking at ~1,350 charging cycles based on these calculations. That would suggest improved longevity compared to the OnePlus 13 (1,000 charging cycles), but still short of the company’s lithium-ion batteries (1,600 cycles).
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