![\"Someone](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/oneplus-13-blue-back-outside-2-scaled.jpeg\"\/ "\\"oneplus")
<\/p>\nTake a closer look, though, and it\u2019s clear that we\u2019re looking at a sidegrade or even a downgrade in some places. This wouldn\u2019t be the first time OnePlus followed a fantastic flagship phone with a disappointing device. In fact, there seems to be a rough pattern emerging in recent years, and I\u2019ve come to an absurd conclusion. OPPO doesn\u2019t really want OnePlus to truly succeed \u2014 at least not at the expense of OPPO\u2019s own flagship phones.<\/p>\n
Do you think OPPO is trying to ruin OnePlus?<\/p>\n
1039 votes<\/p>\n
Yes, they are<\/p>\n
54%<\/p>\n
I’m not sure<\/p>\n
15%<\/p>\n
No, I think they’ve actually improved OnePlus<\/p>\n
9%<\/p>\n
No, but they’re unintentionally ruining OnePlus<\/p>\n
22%<\/p>\n
A cycle of great and disappointing phones<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Joe Maring \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n
The OnePlus 13<\/a> is a fantastic phone, but it\u2019s clear that the OnePlus 15 is a step back in a few ways. The most notable downgrade is the rear camera system, as the main, telephoto, and ultrawide sensors are replaced with smaller sensors<\/a>. The main and periscope lenses also see narrower apertures. It\u2019s not all bad, as the 3.5x periscope camera offers slightly longer reach than the OnePlus 13\u2019s 3x shooter. However, you\u2019re still getting weaker camera specs in general, and that\u2019s disappointing in light of the OnePlus 13\u2019s excellent camera experience.<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t the only polarizing move, as the OnePlus 15 has a 1.5K 165Hz OLED screen compared to the OnePlus 13\u2019s 120Hz QHD+ display. OnePlus claimed that this screen is actually more expensive than the OnePlus 13 display<\/a> and that a 165Hz QHD+ screen isn\u2019t technically possible. But it\u2019s still a resolution downgrade after years of QHD+ displays. The company has also swapped out the alert slider for a shortcut button. I was never a fan of the alert slider and prefer a remappable shortcut button, but this will certainly draw the ire of some long-time OnePlus fans.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t want to miss the best from Android Authority?<\/p>\n It\u2019s not the first time OnePlus flagships have taken a step back, though. The OnePlus 11 was a confusing release following the OnePlus 10 Pro, as it lacked the Pro model\u2019s (admittedly carrier-exclusive) IP68 rating and wireless charging, while offering disappointing cameras. The OnePlus 12<\/a> was a much-improved phone, but still lacked proper water resistance and a top-tier camera experience. Even the OnePlus 10 Pro was a somewhat middling release compared to the OnePlus 9 Pro, owing to a downgraded ultrawide camera, lack of mmWave in the US (admittedly not a big deal in 2025), and carrier-exclusive IP rating.<\/p>\n And who could forget the OnePlus 10T? This was perhaps the nadir of OnePlus flagship releases, as it lacked an alert slider and wireless charging. Furthermore, it offered a meager IP54 rating (and only in the US) and subpar cameras.<\/p>\n Go back even further, and the OnePlus 8 series isn\u2019t as fondly remembered as the OnePlus 7 range and OnePlus 7 Pro in particular. That\u2019s largely due to OnePlus increasing prices after years of aggressively priced flagships, along with the OnePlus 8 Pro\u2019s gimmicky color filter camera.<\/p>\n Is OPPO to blame? I have a theory<\/p>\n Paul Jones \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n Back in 2023, I first wondered whether OPPO was intentionally trying to ruin OnePlus<\/a>. I eventually came to the conclusion that OPPO was making several calculated gambles to ensure OnePlus gained mainstream adoption.<\/p>\n Now? I have a new, somewhat crazy theory about OnePlus\u2019s inconsistent flagship releases. I don\u2019t think OPPO wants OnePlus flagship phones to outshine its most expensive Find X<\/a> phones. After all, why buy the \u00a31,049 OPPO Find X8 Pro<\/a> when you can get the \u00a3899 OnePlus 13 that does 95% of the job? So, whenever OnePlus delivers a genuinely excellent all-rounder flagship that threatens the Find X Pro phones, OPPO tries to ensure this doesn\u2019t happen again. At least not for a few generations as OnePlus picks itself back up again. That\u2019s the only way I can explain why brilliant phones like the OnePlus 7T series, OnePlus 9 Pro, and OnePlus 13 are interspersed with the OnePlus 10T, OnePlus 11, and OnePlus 15.<\/p>\n It’s an outlandish theory, but it’s not the first time I’ve thought OPPO was trying to sabotage OnePlus.<\/p>\n The Hasselblad deal seems to be somewhat compelling evidence. OnePlus scored this deal first, with OPPO following one year later. Now, OnePlus lacks Hasselblad branding<\/a>, while the OPPO Find X9 series retains this partnership, to the detriment of the OnePlus 15\u2019s image quality, as noted in\u00a0our review. I thought OnePlus\u2019s deal may have simply elapsed first, as it signed the deal first, and that OPPO\u2019s agreement could expire in a year\u2019s time. However, OPPO and Hasselblad actually signed an extension<\/a> earlier this year. So it certainly feels like OPPO is stealing a key OnePlus selling point.<\/p>\n Another piece of evidence is that OnePlus flagships haven\u2019t been available via major carriers for a while now. It\u2019s possible that this is because OnePlus and OPPO want to fly under the radar amid ongoing US\/China political tensions. Or maybe OnePlus and OPPO simply refuse to spend resources on US carrier testing and other related activities because they don\u2019t think the sales justify the expenditure. This failure to achieve significant carrier support means OnePlus flagships have little hope of carving out a decent slice of the pie in the US, even though OPPO is more focused on global market. It makes you wonder about the brand\u2019s long-term viability in a market where carrier sales are king.<\/p>\n It\u2019s just a theory, but OPPO and OnePlus don\u2019t help matters<\/p>\n Aamir Siddiqui \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n This theory isn\u2019t based on any concrete facts, but if one thing is clear, it\u2019s that OnePlus is following up its first truly excellent all-round flagship in years with a downgraded release in some ways. Having this happen once would be a shame, but it\u2019s not unheard of. However, it seems like OnePlus has a cycle of good-to-great flagships followed by disappointing follow-ups. Maybe it\u2019s a deliberate attempt by OPPO to keep OnePlus in check. Maybe OnePlus doesn\u2019t know how to build two great phones in a row, much like Nintendo and its rough cycle of successful and not-so-successful home consoles.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also entirely possible (and perhaps more likely) that we see this pattern of great and disappointing phones because OnePlus is caught in an awkward middle ground. The company\u2019s recent high-end phones aren\u2019t Ultra devices with price tags to match, nor are they aggressively priced releases to undercut Samsung and Apple\u2019s $800 phones. So the company might have to follow an awkward balancing act as it tries to outperform base flagships while avoiding Ultra prices. The OnePlus 15 could be a by-product of this approach, as OnePlus makes compromises in some places to avoid price hikes. But I\u2019m not sure this theory holds water when the OnePlus 15 is actually cheaper in China than the OnePlus 13.<\/p>\n In any event, it\u2019s disappointing to see OnePlus release a strong contender for 2025\u2019s phone of the year, only to release the OnePlus 15. OnePlus has long struggled to deliver a world-class camera experience, so why sacrifice the cameras just when you\u2019ve finally shown you can deliver a fantastic camera phone<\/a>?<\/p>\n![\"google](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/google_preferred_source_badge_light@2x.png\"\/ "\\"google"){kind=icon}
![\"google](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/google_preferred_source_badge_dark@2x.png\"\/ "\\"google"){kind=icon}
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"OPPO](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/OPPO-Find-X9-Pro-with-extender-lens-components.jpg\"\/ "\\"OPPO")
<\/p>\n![\"OnePlus](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/OnePlus-Never-Settle-tagline-on-a-screen-scaled.jpg\"\/ "\\"OnePlus")
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