OnePlus will launch the OnePlus 15 globally on November 13, just a few weeks after it made its debut in China.
This is much earlier than expected, which is good news for us, but OnePlus will likely have spent some time fretting about when to launch its 2026 flagship globally as, unfortunately, there just isn’t a good time.
Why? The competition is overwhelming.
Launch dates matter
The OnePlus 13 had its global launch on January 7, 2025, several months after the phone came out in China. It’s no wonder OnePlus has shortened the gap between the two launches for the OnePlus 15, as that early January date wasn’t ideal at all.
Most obviously, any major product launch immediately after Christmas and New Year means it clashes with not only the tail end of the holiday season, but the CES consumer electronics trade show in Las Vegas too.
Worse, the mobile industry was abuzz with talk of the Samsung Galaxy S25 series, which was announced on January 22, meaning the OnePlus 13 was quickly lost in the news space, and faded into the background by the time Mobile World Congress came around at the beginning of March.
No more January launch
OnePlus definitely does not want the same thing to happen with the OnePlus 15, and giving it some breathing space before the end of the year means it will avoid the Samsung Galaxy S26’s launch, currently rumored for sometime in January or February 2026.
However, while it has avoided Samsung, OnePlus has found itself amongst a host of other brands all clamoring to do the same.
November is expected to mark the launch of the Realme GT 8 Pro, Motorola Edge 70, Nubia Z80 Ultra, the Huawei Mate 80 series, and the Poco F8 series are all either confirmed or rumored to arrive.
The RedMagic 11 Pro gaming phone looks like it’ll come in November, and we wouldn’t be surprised to hear about a new Asus ROG Phone soon too. Honor crept in at the end of October with the Magic 8 Pro, yet another OnePlus 15 alternative.
OnePlus also faces challenges from within, as the Oppo Find X9 Pro is already on the scene, and the Iqoo 15 is ready to come later on. That’s a lot of new smartphones coming in the space of about 30 days.
Split markets
Credit: Qualcomm
An important thing to note is that OnePlus has put the 15’s global launch into a quieter window in the U.S., but a far busier time outside, as almost all of the above phones won’t officially come to the U.S..
It may not even be able to completely hide from the specter of Samsung either, as its groundbreaking trifold folding phone is rumored to launch in November.
While Samsung’s trifold won’t be a direct competitor to the OnePlus 15, it will grab headlines, and that could hurt OnePlus. Especially when it’s already battling a range of other phones for attention.
Does OnePlus have a secret weapon?
Credit: Justin Duino / Android Police
If OnePlus wants to dominate in November 2025, it needs the OnePlus 15 to outshine its rivals. But how will it do that?
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor is a good start, and the OnePlus 15 will be one of the first in the U.S. to launch with the chip. However, many of the phones mentioned above will also feature the new Qualcomm chip, quickly erasing any competitive advantage globally.
The new DetailMax Engine for the OnePlus 15’s camera has already impressed, but Realme’s partnership with Ricoh is intriguing, and Oppo still has Hasselblad onboard. It won’t have a smooth ride when it comes to cameras.
It’ll be fantastic if OnePlus carries over the 7,300mAh battery from the Chinese version of the OnePlus 15 for its global launch, but if OnePlus can squeeze such a battery inside a phone, then so can all the rest.
A big task ahead
While OnePlus faces a serious challenge with the OnePlus 15, all the other brands mentioned have the same problem, but not all boast OnePlus’s committed, motivated fan base. Having a core set of customers, and understanding what it wants, will help OnePlus a lot over the next few months.
What’s more, we already know how good the OnePlus 13 turned out to be. It’s the best phone the company has made in a while, and it gives us confidence in the OnePlus 15. If the brand can keep the OnePlus 15’s starting price at $899/£899, it will ride a wave of goodwill early on.
The OnePlus 15’s price, full specification, and availability will be announced on November 13. Then, the real test will start.
