OnePlus 15<\/a>, and we were blown away by its display brightness and how much higher it was compared to the Galaxy and the iPhone.<\/p>\nSo, I wanted to set out and test which is more important in 2025, now that anti-reflective properties are beginning to show up on phone displays. Does the brightness level matter? Would much higher brightness achieve the same result as lower brightness but with anti-reflection?<\/p>\n
Brightness vs reflection control
What\u2019s APL, and why does it matter?
Besides the Oppo Find X9 Pro \u2014 keep in mind Oppo is the parent company of OnePlus \u2014 the OnePlus 15 has the brightest display we have ever tested at 20% APL in our lab.<\/p>\n
Brightness measurements are always tied to APL (Average Picture Level), because phones hit their highest brightness with mixed content, not full-screen white (which is what 100% APL is).<\/p>\n
We use the 20% APL measurement as we think that it is the closest to what a screen looks like in most scenarios during regular use.<\/p>\n
So, if we take a look at the 20% APL test results, the OnePlus 15\u2019s panel gets nearly 30% brighter than the iPhone 17 Pro Max and almost 50% brighter than the Galaxy S25 Ultra.<\/p>\n
Practical comparison
But let\u2019s take a look at something more applicable, because these numbers start to lose their meaning when the screen is hit with direct light:<\/p>\n
Right: iPhone 17 Pro Max | Middle: OnePlus 15 | Left: Galaxy s25 Ultra<\/p>\n
There are a few things to take note of based on these images. Let\u2019s get the obvious out of the way first \u2014 brightness does matter. The brighter the display, the easier it is to see through the reflections. That said, it\u2019s also clear that brightness can only take you so far.<\/p>\n
Even when the displays are dim, it\u2019s clear that the anti-reflection of the Galaxy S25 Ultra and iPhone 17 Pro Max offers a massive advantage when it comes to visibility. While we can still see a big reflection on the OnePlus 15 at the highest brightness \u2014 and even some faded ones on the iPhone 17 Pro Max \u2014 the reflections on the S25 Ultra have completely disappeared.Now let\u2019s take another look, but from an angle:<\/p>\n
![\"Phones](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/BK6A7710.webp.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
Left \u2014 iPhone 17 Pro Max | Middle \u2014 OnePlus 15 | Right \u2014 Galaxy s25 Ultra | Image credit \u2014 PhoneArena<\/p>\n
The only phone you\u2019ll be able to see anything on from such a wide angle is the S25 Ultra. The iPhone 17 Pro Max also does an admirable job at reducing the reflections, but the OnePlus 15\u2019s lack of any is even more striking here. Of course, one doesn\u2019t use their phone from such an angle, but it is an extreme example that aims to show the difference anti-reflection makes even more clearly.<\/p>\n
This doesn\u2019t mean anti-reflection is the be\u2013all and end\u2013all
Coatings naturally deteriorate over time. There have even been some reports of Galaxy S24 Ultra units that have lost their anti-reflective properties after a year of use (although not too common of an issue).<\/p>\n
There\u2019s also the fact that a reflection can easily be avoided by simply changing the angle of the phone. If the light doesn\u2019t hit it in a way to reflect towards your eyes, then there is no problem to begin with.<\/p>\n
One thing is clear, though \u2014 anti-reflection offers a more favorable solution to the visibility issue, and the same result cannot be brute forced with extremely high brightness. So, while the OnePlus 15 display is impressive, it is not as practical as that on the Galaxy S25 Ultra or iPhone 17 Pro Max.<\/p>\n
What would truly be revolutionary is if phone manufacturers found a way to add anti-reflective properties to a display by integrating them in the glass itself. One example is Apple\u2019s nano-texture glass, but it too suffers from loss of clarity and contrast, both of which usually come along with such screens.<\/p>\n
Could this be the direction OnePlus takes next? The company has a reputation for pushing hardware to the extreme, and it wouldn\u2019t be surprising to see it try to outperform Samsung in this area next year.<\/p>\n
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\n <\/a><\/p>\n
View Full Bio<\/p>\n
\n Aleksandar is a tech enthusiast with a broad range of interests, from smartphones to space exploration. His curiosity extends to hands-on DIY experiments with his gadgets, and he enjoys switching between different brands to experience the latest innovations. Prior to joining PhoneArena, Aleksandar worked on the Google Art Project, digitizing valuable artworks and gaining diverse perspectives on technology. When he’s not immersed in tech, Aleksandar is an outdoorsman who enjoys mountain hikes, wildlife photography, and nature conservation. His interests also extend to martial arts, running, and snowboarding, reflecting his dynamic approach to life and technology.\n <\/p>\n
Read the latest from Aleksandar Anastasov<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There is no doubt in me that the display is the most important part in a phone. It…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":271627,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[2306,86,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-271626","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mobile","8":"tag-mobile","9":"tag-technology","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271626","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=271626"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271626\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/271627"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=271626"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=271626"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=271626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}