OnePlus 15 Gets New Sand Storm Finish, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Chipset

September has been crazy for anyone who follows phone trends. After Apple’s latest release, OnePlus brings out the 15—a phone that avoids the hype and lets the features speak for themselves. In a nod to cultural norms in parts of Asia, the company skipped 14 and went straight to 15. China gets it at the end of October, while the global launch is November 13.

The design choices here are deliberate, with flat sides meeting flat screen, resulting in clean lines that don’t try too hard to be modern. The camera bump is a square on the back, nestled in one corner like an afterthought—a far cry from the big round modules of previous versions. The curves on the edges soften the grip so it fits comfortably in your hand during long sessions. OnePlus calls this “Sand Storm” finish dune-colored, a warm beige that’s halfway between sand and stone, with black and white options to round out the palette. The back is fiberglass, with a ceramic-coated metal structure treated with high-voltage plasma. This makes the whole thing over 3x stronger than regular aluminum, and a bit tougher than titanium.

Build quality extends to the little things that matter most, like a physical SIM card tray or a reminder that not every phone needs to be totally digital. Many people find eSIM works fine, but having that slot makes traveling or switching providers easier. What about the original 3 position slider for sound modes? Gone. Instead we have the Plus Key, a single button on the side that you can configure for quick actions like dismissing notifications, opening the camera or whatever shortcut works for you. Press patterns let you further customize it, turn a basic tap into something special.

Power comes from the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, a chip that can handle heavy loads without breaking a sweat. With a 165Hz display, scrolling is super smooth—especially in titles that support it. OnePlus claims this is the first Android phone with always-on 120 frames per second gaming, so background animations are ultra smooth. Plus, its bezels are 40% smaller than the previous model, so you can focus in on the action.

You’ll be pleased with the battery, which at 7,300mAh is 43% bigger than the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s 5,088mAh, outperforming even the OnePlus 13’s 6,000mAh and the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s 5,000mAh. Dual-cell silicon carbide tech packs that into a thin body, days between charges depending on your usage. Wired is 100W and can charge in under an hour, while 50W wireless keeps things cordless.

Cameras round out the package, triple-lens array on the back for wide, ultra-wide and telephoto shots, processed by OnePlus’s new DetailMax engine. The Hasselblad relationship that gave early photos a warm, film-like tone is gone, instead it’s all about clarity and realism, pulling details from shadows without over-sharpening. 32-megapixel front camera with autofocus for selfies in all lighting conditions, from direct sunlight to dimly lit.

Pricing is unknown until closer to launch but patterns from the OnePlus 13 suggest a starting price of $899 for 12GB RAM and 256GB storage, $999 for 16GB and 512GB. Tariffs could bump those up but OnePlus has a history of taking hits to keep entry points open. Storage will likely mirror this, room for growth via cloud or external drives if needed.