The OnePlus 13 was one of the best phones of the year, bringing a great mix of performance, battery life, and features. As we approach 2026, we’ve started learning about its successor — the OnePlus 15 — and it’s already looking good.
The next OnePlus flagship will be announced in China later this year, before making its way to other markets later. There won’t be a OnePlus 14 as the numbers 4 and 14 are considered ill omens in its home country. What will make an appearance is a new camera on the OnePlus 15, potentially addressing its predecessor’s biggest weakness.
Important upgrades
OnePlus has shared some camera samples shot on its upcoming flagship (via NotebookCheck). The watermark on the photos confirms a big upgrade: a new 85mm f/2.8 telephoto lens. At that focal length, it would have a native optical zoom of around 4x, up from the OnePlus 13’s 73mm 3x optical zoom. This means that the OnePlus 15 will have a longer reach and should retain more detail at higher zoom levels.
The three OnePlus 15 camera samples shared indicate significantly upgraded telephoto camera performance. They seem relatively detailed with a dramatic field of view. The sharpness and dynamic range are not perfect, but that’s a weakness of almost all zoom cameras. Generally, the image processing algorithms used by OnePlus are different in China and the rest of the world, so it remains to be seen if the resultant images are better or worse in other regions.
Recently, we also learned that OnePlus is ending its partnership with Hasselblad and switching to its in-house developed “DetailMax Engine” for image processing on future phones. It sounds like it will play a hand in shaping how the OnePlus 15’s zoom camera performs.
Other leaks and rumors suggest that the OnePlus 15 will sport a larger 7-inch screen with a 165Hz refresh rate, up to 1TB of storage and 16GB of RAM, a redesigned camera island, a giant battery, and possibly even faster charging. In essence, it will double down on what it does best while improving where it lacks, if these features pan out to be true.
The next OnePlus smartphone is expected to break cover around November of this year, with global availability likely slated for January 2026.
Your comment has not been saved
- SoC
-
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite
- RAM
-
12GB or 16GB
- Storage
-
256GB, 512GB, or 1TB
- Battery
-
6,000mAh
The OnePlus 13 is a beast of a phone. With a refreshed design, a mostly curveless display, and a massive 6,000mAh battery capable of getting you through a day without breaking a sweat, this could be the Snapdragon 8 Elite-powered smartphone to beat in 2025. And hey, it’s got a pretty great camera system, too.
