OnePlus 15R vs OnePlus 15
For a long time now, the OnePlus R series has existed in an interesting space. It has never quite been a budget phone, but it has also never tried to fully replace OnePlus’s true flagships. Instead, every new R model edges a little closer to the mainline number series, borrowing more features, better hardware, and stronger performance with each generation. With the OnePlus 15R, that gap feels smaller than it has ever been. That brings us to the big question. Can the OnePlus 15R genuinely challenge the OnePlus 15 on the two things that matter most to everyday users: performance and battery life?
On paper, the OnePlus 15 clearly has the advantage. It packs a faster chipset, a more advanced display, better cameras, faster charging, and even wireless charging. But it also costs around Rs 25,000 more, depending on the variant. So the real test is not just about which phone is better, but whether the extra money actually translates into a noticeably better day-to-day experience. To find out, we put both phones through Digit’s six-hour battery drain test.
Also read: OnePlus 15 review: Power over panache
There is a clear price gap between the two phones. The OnePlus 15R starts at Rs 47,999 for the 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage variant, while the 12 GB and 512 GB option costs Rs 52,999. The OnePlus 15, meanwhile, starts at Rs 72,999 for the 12 GB and 256 GB model and goes up to Rs 79,999 for the 16 GB and 512 GB variant. That difference of roughly Rs 24,000 to Rs 27,000 sets expectations straight away.
In terms of specifications, the OnePlus 15R comes with a 6.83-inch AMOLED display with a 1272 x 2800 resolution and a 60 to 165Hz refresh rate. It uses Gorilla Glass 7i, has an aluminium frame with a glass back, and carries an IP68/69 rating. It runs OxygenOS 16 based on Android 16 and is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chip, paired with 12 GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 512 GB of UFS 4.1 storage. For photos and videos, there’s a 50MP dual rear setup and a 32MP front camera. Battery capacity is rated at 7,400mAh with 80W wired charging.
The OnePlus 15 looks similar on paper but adds a few important upgrades. It has a slightly smaller 6.78-inch AMOLED display with a 1272 x 2772 resolution, but crucially, it uses LTPO panel technology with a 1 to 165Hz adaptive refresh rate. It gets tougher Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection, the same IP rating, and OxygenOS 16 on Android 16. Powering it is the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, with up to 16 GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 512 GB storage. The camera system is more advanced, featuring a 50MP triple rear setup including a periscope telephoto lens. Battery capacity is slightly smaller at 7,300mAh, but charging is faster at 120W wired, along with 50W wireless charging.
For the battery drain test, both the OnePlus 15 and 15R were fully charged, connected to the same Wi-Fi network, and set to Auto resolution and refresh rate. Brightness was calibrated to around 510 nits using a lux meter, and audio levels were fixed at 50%. The goal here was consistency, so that any differences in battery drain could be attributed to the hardware rather than settings.
We began with two hours of continuous YouTube video playback. Both phones use slightly downgraded display hardware compared to their predecessors, but tuning has clearly improved. Colours look more accurate than before, and brightness levels are identical (1800 HBM on both) on paper. The biggest difference comes down to panel technology. The OnePlus 15 uses an LTPO display, while the 15R sticks to an LTPS panel.
In daily use, the OnePlus 15’s display does look a bit richer, with slightly better colour depth and smoother transitions, likely helped by the more efficient display tech and the faster processor. That said, the OnePlus 15R’s screen is excellent in its own right, and for most people, the difference will be hard to justify at this price gap.
After two hours, the OnePlus 15 was left with 90% battery, while the OnePlus 15R dropped to 88%.
Next came one full hour of 4K video recording, split between rear and front cameras. For the rear cameras, both phones recorded 4K video at 30 frames per second for around half an hour. During this time, thermals were well controlled. The OnePlus 15R peaked at around 35.5°C, while the OnePlus 15 reached roughly 37°C.
For the front camera recording, both phones ran another 30 minutes of 4K capture. This time, the OnePlus 15R ran slightly warmer at around 35°C, while the OnePlus 15 stayed closer to 34°C.
After completing the full hour of recording, battery levels stood at 78% on the OnePlus 15R and 80% on the OnePlus 15.
The benchmarks round is where the hardware differences become far more obvious. On Geekbench 6, the OnePlus 15 pulled ahead comfortably, scoring around 29% higher in single-core performance and about 14% higher in multi-core tasks. Antutu widened the gap further, with the OnePlus 15 delivering roughly 23% higher overall scores and significantly stronger GPU performance.
In the 3DMark stress test, the difference was not just about peak performance but consistency. While the OnePlus 15R posted a higher peak score, its performance dropped sharply under sustained load, ending with just 68% stability. The OnePlus 15, on the other hand, maintained over 91% stability with tighter frame rates, making it the more reliable phone during prolonged stress.
The CPU throttle test told a similar story. Both phones throttled under sustained load, but the OnePlus 15 still managed higher average performance despite slightly lower stability.
After four hours of total testing, battery levels were at 58% on the OnePlus 15R and 62% on the OnePlus 15.
Benchmarks only tell part of the story, though. In real-world gaming, the gap feels much smaller than the numbers suggest. Both phones handled games like BGMI, Call of Duty Mobile and Asphalt smoothly, with no stutters or major drops. The OnePlus 15 does feel a bit more refined during longer gaming sessions, especially when it comes to sustained performance. However, thermals remain a challenge for both devices. Extended gaming sessions still make them run warm, although the OnePlus 15 manages heat slightly better.
After the gaming round, battery levels stood at 49% for the OnePlus 15R and 53% for the OnePlus 15.
The final hour focused on social media usage, primarily Instagram scrolling and video playback. At the end of the full six-hour test, the OnePlus 15 finished with 48% battery remaining, while the OnePlus 15R ended at 44%.
After six hours of continuous testing, the OnePlus 15 does come out ahead. It drains less battery overall, handles sustained performance better, and benefits from its LTPO display and more efficient flagship chipset. On pure numbers, it is the more polished and technically superior phone.
However, the more interesting takeaway here is value. The OnePlus 15R finishes surprisingly close despite being significantly cheaper. In everyday use, the difference in battery life is not something most users will notice. For Rs 24,000 to Rs 27,000 less, the OnePlus 15R delivers excellent performance, strong battery life, and an overall experience that feels far closer to the flagship than its price suggests.
So while the OnePlus 15 wins this battery drain test on paper, the OnePlus 15R makes a very strong case if you are looking at performance and endurance per rupee. It may not beat the flagship outright, but it comes close enough to make the decision far more interesting than it used to be.
Also read: Vivo X300 Pro Review: The Optical Overlord
