OnePlus 15 vs OnePlus 13: What’s Different?

The OnePlus 15 has officially launched as the brand’s latest flagship powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, and succeeds last year’s OnePlus 13. The design has been revamped, and the new model brings tons of meaningful updates under the hood, along with refinements across the board, be it the display, performance or charging speeds. Here’s how the OnePlus 15 compares to the OnePlus 13 based on their specifications, features and pricing.

OnePlus 15 vs OnePlus 13: Build and Design

One of the most distinct changes on the OnePlus 15 is the revamped camera module, with the sensors now housed in a squircle housing instead of the circular one on the OnePlus 13. The edges are also flat instead of a curved design with a metal frame and Gorilla Glass protection on the front (Victus 2) and back (GG 7i). 

The OnePlus 15 is available in three colours, all with a different back panel finish. The Sand Storm colour variant uses a fibreglass back and is 4 grams lighter than the other two variants. The Infinite Black variant uses AG glass while the Ultra Violet version gets a glass back panel, both weighing at 215 grams. Unlike the OnePlus 13, OnePlus doesn’t offer an eco-leather finish, but it’s 1-3 grams lighter than the 15.

In addition, the OnePlus 15 is also IP68 and IP69K rated, offering better water and dust resistance than the previous generation.

OnePlus 15 vs OnePlus 13: Display

The OnePlus 15 features a 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED display with FHD+ resolution (2772 x 1272 pixels), a 165Hz refresh rate during gaming, and a peak brightness of 1800 nits. In comparison, the OnePlus 13 sports a slightly larger 6.82-inch LTPO 4.1 AMOLED display with QHD+ resolution (3168 x 1440 pixels) and a peak brightness of 1600 nits. Both displays support HDR10+, HDR Vivid, and Dolby Vision. The 15 gets Victus 2 protection, while the 13 has Ceramic Guard glass protection.

While the OnePlus 13 offers a sharper and brighter panel, the OnePlus 15 improves motion handling with its higher adaptive refresh rate and better gaming optimisation.

OnePlus 15 vs OnePlus 13: Performance

Under the hood, the OnePlus 15 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset paired with 12GB LPDDR5X Ultra or 16GB LPDDR5X Ultra+ RAM and up to 512GB UFS 4.1 storage. The new Oryon CPU architecture runs at a peak clock speed of 4.6GHz, offering improved efficiency and performance over the Snapdragon 8 Elite used in the OnePlus 13. The OnePlus 13, though still powerful with its Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 3 platform, used the previous generation cores and GPU. Both devices run on OxygenOS 16 based on Android 16, which adds several UI and AI-driven enhancements like Plus Mind.

OnePlus 15 vs OnePlus 13: Cameras

OnePlus has overhauled the camera setup on the 15 with three new 50MP sensors across the main, telephoto, and ultra-wide modules. The primary camera uses Sony’s IMX906 sensor with OIS and a wide f/1.8 aperture. The telephoto lens employs a Samsung JN5 sensor with 3.5x optical zoom, while the ultra-wide camera uses the Omni Vision OV50D sensor with a 116-degree field of view.

In contrast, the OnePlus 13 uses the Sony LYT-808 sensor as its main camera, accompanied by a 50MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom and a 50MP ultra-wide sensor offering a wider 120-degree field of view. 

Both support 8K video recording, 4K at up to 120fps, and HDR video modes, but the OnePlus 15 gains improved autofocus and multi-view video shooting features.

The OnePlus 15 and OnePlus 13 both have a 32MP selfie camera, but the 15 uses a Sony IMX709 sensor while the 13 uses the Sony IMX615 sensor. The OnePlus 15 also gains autofocus capability with HDR video recording.

OnePlus 15 vs OnePlus 13: Battery and Charging

The OnePlus 15 has a larger 7,300 mAh battery compared to the 6,000 mAh on the OnePlus 13. The OnePlus 15 also gets faster 120W fast charging support, while the OnePlus 13 supports 100W fast wired charging. Both phones support 50W wireless charging, 10W reverse wireless and 5W reverse wired charging.

OnePlus 15 vs OnePlus 13: Early Thoughts

The OnePlus 15 builds upon the foundation of the OnePlus 13 by refining nearly every area rather than reinventing the wheel. The jump to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, a larger 7300mAh battery, and improved telephoto optics make it a more complete flagship. Meanwhile, the OnePlus 13 still holds its own with its sharper QHD+ display and slightly better main camera sensor. For users coming from the OnePlus 12 or earlier, the OnePlus 15 offers a more balanced and powerful upgrade, while existing OnePlus 13 owners may find the improvements incremental but meaningful in everyday use.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is the OnePlus 15 worth upgrading from the OnePlus 13?
   Yes, the OnePlus 15 is a meaningful upgrade thanks to its faster Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, larger battery, and improved telephoto camera system.
2. Does the OnePlus 15 support faster charging than the OnePlus 13?
   Both support 120W wired and 50W wireless charging, but the OnePlus 15 offers more efficient power management and wider compatibility with universal fast-charging standards.
3. Which phone has a better display, the OnePlus 15 or the OnePlus 13?
   The OnePlus 13 has a sharper QHD+ panel with higher peak brightness, while the OnePlus 15 offers smoother 165Hz gaming performance and better adaptive refresh control.
4. Has the camera performance improved on the OnePlus 15 compared to the OnePlus 13?
   Yes, the OnePlus 15 introduces new 50MP sensors with enhanced autofocus, better zoom quality, and improved HDR video recording.
5. What is the battery life difference between the OnePlus 15 and OnePlus 13?
   The OnePlus 15’s larger 7300mAh battery provides noticeably longer endurance compared to the 6000mAh unit on the OnePlus 13.
6. Do both phones come with OxygenOS or are there any regional software differences?
   Yes, both run OxygenOS globally, though the Chinese variants use ColorOS instead.
7. Is the OnePlus 15 more durable than the OnePlus 13 in terms of build quality and water resistance?
   Yes, the OnePlus 15 carries both IP68 and IP69K ratings, offering stronger protection against dust and high-pressure water jets than the OnePlus 13.