The OnePlus 15 is finally official and as always, it faces one big question: can it finally take on the iPhone?
This year, OnePlus trades its familiar circular camera style for a new rectangular camera island on the back. It’s a cleaner and a more conventional look, maybe even a bit too conventional. Ultimately, though, what really matters is image quality.
And there’s a big change there too. The OnePlus 15 drops its long-time Hasselblad partnership, yet surprisingly… that might not be a bad thing.
So how does it stack up against the iPhone 17 Pro Max, the gold standard for mobile photography?
Trade-in
OnePlus 15: $100 off with any trade-ins
$849
99
$999
99
$150 off (15%)
OnePlus 15 is here! The phone ships with a $100 discount (any phone trade-ins, any condition), and you can also save up to $899 with eligible device trade-ins. The device also comes with a free gift worth up to $299. On top of that, users who reserved will save an extra $50. The phone isn’t available for pre-order right now, but you can subscribe, and OnePlus will notify you when it becomes available.
Pre-order at OnePlus
OnePlus 15
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
Main camera
50 MP (OIS, PDAF)
Aperture size: F1.8
Focal length: 24 mm
Sensor size: 1/1.56″
Pixel size: 1.0 μm
48 MP (Sensor-shift OIS, PDAF)
Aperture size: F1.8
Focal length: 24 mm
Sensor size: 1/1.28″
Pixel size: 1.22 μm
Second camera
50 MP (Ultra-wide)
Aperture size: F2.0
Focal Length: 16 mm
Sensor size: 1/2.88″
Pixel size: 0.61 μm
48 MP (Ultra-wide, Sensor-shift OIS)
Aperture size: F2.2
Focal Length: 13 mm
Sensor size: 1/2.55″
Pixel size: 0.7 μm
Third camera
50 MP (Telephoto, Periscope, OIS, PDAF)
Optical zoom: 3.5x
Aperture size: F2.8
Focal Length: 80 mm
Sensor size: 1/2.76″
Pixel size: 0.64 μm
48 MP (Telephoto, Periscope, OIS, PDAF)
Optical zoom: 4.0x
Aperture size: F2.8
Focal Length: 100 mm
Sensor size: 1/2.55″
Pixel size: 0.7 μm
Front
32 MP
18 MP (Time-of-Flight (ToF), Autofocus, HDR)
See the full
OnePlus 15 vs Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max specs comparison
or compare them to other phones using our
Phone Comparison tool
The OnePlus 15 still uses a 50-megapixel main camera with a slightly smaller sensor than the iPhone’s, but it compensates with a larger 3.5X telephoto sensor and a very capable ultra-wide setup. On paper, it looks like a close fight, but let’s see if OnePlus can match Apple’s image processing in the real world.
Zoom Quality
Selfies
Main Camera (Day photos)
Main Camera (Night photos)
Ultra-wide Camera (Night photos)
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Apple’s 2024 flagship is still nothing to snark at. It has all the same software features, about the same cameras, save for super-pro modes like ProRes RAW Log 2 recording. If that didn’t mean anything to you, you’ll feel perfectly fine with an iPhone 16 Pro in your hands. And you save about $200 on what is essentially an excellent device that’s still hard to beat. Item prices vary by condition, color, and availability.
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