OnePlus 15 vs iPhone 17 Pro Max: Expected differences
The upcoming OnePlus 15 has set its sights on the best Apple can deliver - the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
The OnePlus 15 is getting officially announced today (27.10) in China with a global release later next month. The company's latest and greatest attempt is shaping up to be a monster, bringing many upgrades and pushing the boundaries.
From its huge 7,300 mAh battery to the fastest (potentially) silicon in the industry, the OnePlus 15 has a lot going on and is promising a lot of things to be excited about. Now, Apple has already lifted the curtain before its latest iPhone 17 series, bringing its own slew of changes to the lineup.
Will the OnePlus 15 be good enough to compete with the big boys? Today we're gonna compare it to the best that Apple can offer, the iPhone 17 Pro Max. It's still a preliminary comparison, as the OnePlus 15 is technically still under wraps, but thanks to the latest leaks and rumors, we know almost everything about this exciting new phone.
OnePlus 15 vs iPhone 17 Pro Max expected differences:
| OnePlus 15* | iPhone 17 Pro Max |
|---|---|
| New camera housing design (similar to Pixel 10 Pro Fold) | New "extended plateau" camera design |
| Slightly smaller 6.78-inch AMOLED screen | Bigger 6.9-inch display |
| 1-165Hz LTPO panel | 1-120Hz ProMotion dynamic refresh rate |
| New Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset | Apple A19 Pro chipset |
| Triple 50MP camera system, different apertures | 48MP main, 48MP telephoto 4x, 48MP ultrawide cameras |
| Huge 7,300 mAh battery (silicon-carbon) | Smaller 5,088 battery (eSIM only model) |
| 120W wired fast charging | Wired, PD3.2, AVS, 50% in 20 min |
| Better IP69 dust and water protection | IP68 |
| Ultrasonic under-display fingerprint reader | FaceID biometric system |
Table of Contents:
Design and Size
Design change
The OnePlus 15 first appeared in some leaked renders and marketing material, but now OnePlus itself has shared a couple of teasers on its social accounts and on the official site. So, we know how this phone will look.
The square-ish camera bump on the back looks suspiciously similar to what you can find on the back of the new Pixel 10 Pro Fold, but it might just be a coincidence. Other than that, we're talking about the same glass-and-metal sandwich design, with flat sides, front and back.
It's a popular design choice and a unification that the big three (Google, Apple, and Samsung) found themselves in. Now it seems that OnePlus is joining this party with the OnePlus 15. The dimensions are still a mystery but there's one post on Weibo claiming the phone will be 8.1 mm thick and between 211 and 215 grams heavy (depending on the back material).
It's a popular design choice and a unification that the big three (Google, Apple, and Samsung) found themselves in. Now it seems that OnePlus is joining this party with the OnePlus 15. The dimensions are still a mystery but there's one post on Weibo claiming the phone will be 8.1 mm thick and between 211 and 215 grams heavy (depending on the back material).
| OnePlus 15* | iPhone 17 Pro Max |
|---|---|
| Thickness 8.1 mm | Thickness 8.8 mm |
| Dimensions - | Dimensions 163.4 x 78 |
| Weight 211 or 215 grams | Weight 233 grams |
The iPhone 17 Pro Max brought its fair share of changes to the table, introducing the new "extended plateau" camera housing that has been polarizing fans ever since. Apple ditched the titanium frame for an aluminum unibody design, and speaking of materials, the OnePlus is rumored to bring another change.
The phone is expected to feature a new type of "aerospace-grade nano-ceramic metal" midframe, claimed to be stronger than titanium, stainless steel, and aluminum, but we need to wait until the Chinese launch of the phone to confirm or deny this rumor.
The new model will feature the same IP69 dust and water resistance rating as its predecessor. Check out our IP69 explainer article to learn more about the current highest IP protection in smartphones.
Color-wise, you can see one of the official colors of the OnePlus 15 in the leaked marketing materials, and it's the most interesting one as well. It's called Sand Storm. There are three more hues rumored—purple, titanium, and black. The Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max is available in Silver, Cosmic Orange, and Deep Blue.
Display Differences
In terms of display tech, the OnePlus 15 might feature some upgrades. The refresh rate is believed to be 165Hz, and there's a rumor OnePlus is going to use a BOE panel with X3 material for the display of the phone. This could bring some brightness improvements compared to the previous generation. We're probably looking at the same 1.5K resolution though.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max, on the other hand, features a slightly bigger 6.9-inch OLED panel with a resolution of 1320 x 2868 pixels and around 460 PPI pixel density. In our display test, the phone managed to produce 2689 nits of brightness at 20% APL - one of the highest results we've ever recorded, so the OnePlus 15 has a benchmark to beat.
| OnePlus 15* | iPhone 17 Pro Max |
|---|---|
| Size 6.78" | Size 6.9" |
| Brightness 1800 nits (typical) | Brightness 1600 nits (HBM) 3000 nits (peak) |
| Refresh rate 1-165Hz | Refresh rate 1-120Hz |
*based on leaks and rumors
There's some information boasting about the slimmer bezels around the display of the OnePlus 15 - as slim as 1.15 mm. The same ultrasonic fingerprint reader from last generation is expected to be found under the screen. In comparison, Apple and the iPhone 17 Pro Max rely on the FaceID tech and no fingerprint scanner.
Performance and Software
Snapdragon Elite Gen 5 versus A19 Pro
Thanks to an official post by OnePlus India, as well as information from Qualcomm, we know the exact chip inside the upcoming flagship. It's slightly confusing, as it's not the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 but the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. Qualcomm made a detailed post explaining the naming scheme to clear the confusion but long story short, we're not back on track with the "Gen" labels but the "Elite" will remain as well because Qualcomm says all of its chips are "elite" now.
Apple relies on its in-house developed A19 Pro silicon, and even though the company was at the top of most of the synthetic benchmarks, the new Snapdragon might give it a serious run for its money. Some early benchmarks even put the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in front of the A19 Pro. Benchmarks to follow shortly.
| OnePlus 15* | iPhone 17 Pro Max |
|---|---|
| Chip Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 | Chip Apple A19 Pro |
| Process 3nm | Process 3nm |
| RAM, Storage 12/256GB 12/512GB 16/256GB 16/512GB 16/1TB LPDDR5X RAM UFS 4.1 storage | RAM, Storage 12/256GB 12/512GB 12/1TB 12/2TB LPDDR5X RAM NVMe storage |
When it comes to RAM, iPhones have always been doing things a bit differently because of the closed ecosystem and better optimization. That's why 12GB of RAM on the iPhone 17 Pro Max might not sound like a lot, but it's more than enough.
OnePlus offers a wide range of RAM and storage configurations. Last year the company even launched a 24GB version of the OnePlus 13. It's unclear whether such extremities will reach the global market, but the OnePlus 15 is expected to start with 12GB of RAM in its most basic configurations and offer 16GB on upper-tier models.
The onboard storage is another interesting aspect—Apple offers a 2TB version of its iPhone 17 Pro Max model, and even though it's quite expensive, the option is there. The OnePlus 15 is expected to cap at 1TB.
The OnePlus 15 will launch running OxygenOS 16, based on Android 16, and we expect the same 4-year software support cycle as the previous two generations. Apple made a big overhaul and change of the nomenclature with iOS 26. The iPhone 17 Pro Max will be supported until 2031.
The onboard storage is another interesting aspect—Apple offers a 2TB version of its iPhone 17 Pro Max model, and even though it's quite expensive, the option is there. The OnePlus 15 is expected to cap at 1TB.
The OnePlus 15 will launch running OxygenOS 16, based on Android 16, and we expect the same 4-year software support cycle as the previous two generations. Apple made a big overhaul and change of the nomenclature with iOS 26. The iPhone 17 Pro Max will be supported until 2031.
Camera
Very similar on paper
The OnePlus 15 is expected to feature a very similar camera system to its predecessor, consisting of three 50MP cameras. The same Sony LYT-700 will most likely make appearance under the main F/1.8 lens, coupled with two 1/2.75" Samsung JN5 sensors under the ultrawide and the telephoto cameras.
Apple relies on a very similar setup in its iPhone 17 Pro - three 48MP cameras are on duty at the back, while the front features a redesigned 18MP selfie camera which can take horizontal and vertical photos without the need to physically turn the phone.
| OnePlus 15* | iPhone 17 Pro Max |
|---|---|
| Main 50 MP, f/1.8 24 mm | Main 48 MP, f/1.8 24 mm 1/1.28" |
| Ultrawide 50 MP, f/2.0 15 mm | Ultrawide 48 MP, f/2.2 13 mm 1/2.55" |
| Telephoto 50 MP, f/2.8 3.5X zoom (113mm) | Telephoto 48 MP, f/2.8 4X zoom (100mm) 1/2.55" |
Battery Life and Charging
7,300 mAh?!
We now live in the silicon-carbon battery era, and OnePlus was one of the first companies to bring that tech outside China. The previous generation featured a 6,000 mAh cell inside, and get this - the OnePlus 15 is expected to come equipped with a huge 7,300 mAh battery.
This doesn't mean it will necessarily top our battery test, but the writing's on the wall. The iPhone 17 Pro Max comes in two flavors, depending on the presence or absence of a physical SIM slot. The eSIM model features a 5,088 mAh battery, while the nanoSIM version has a 4,823 mAh one on board.
We've tested the EU model with a physical SIM and a smaller battery and got a 7h 46m battery estimate, putting the phone at 36th place among phones tested in the past two years. We're pretty sure the OnePlus 15 will be able to beat this, but we need to test that prediction in our lab.
This doesn't mean it will necessarily top our battery test, but the writing's on the wall. The iPhone 17 Pro Max comes in two flavors, depending on the presence or absence of a physical SIM slot. The eSIM model features a 5,088 mAh battery, while the nanoSIM version has a 4,823 mAh one on board.
We've tested the EU model with a physical SIM and a smaller battery and got a 7h 46m battery estimate, putting the phone at 36th place among phones tested in the past two years. We're pretty sure the OnePlus 15 will be able to beat this, but we need to test that prediction in our lab.
| OnePlus 15* | iPhone 17 Pro Max |
|---|---|
| Battery size 7,300 mAh | Battery size 5,088 mAh (eSIM only model) 4,823 mAh (physical SIM) |
Charging speeds 120W wired 50W wireless charging USB-C 3.2 | Charging speeds Wired, PD3.2, AVS, 50% in 20 min 25W wireless MagSafe/Qi2 USB-C 3.2 |
OnePlus is at the forefront when it comes to charging, up there with Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, and Honor. The speeds the company offers are pushing 100W. The OnePlus 15 is expected to support up to 120W of wired charging power, but it might be restricted in the US or in Europe due to regulations.
Companies such as Samsung, Google and Apple are notoriously conservative when it comes to charging speeds. The iPhone 17 Pro Max features a tad faster charging compared to its predecessor and in our test was able to fill its battery from zero to full in 1 hour and 16 minutes. We're pretty sure the OnePlus 15 will obliterate this result.
Specs Comparison
Here's a quick specs comparison between the OnePlus 15 and the iPhone 17 Pro Max. Follow the link for a more detailed one on PhoneArena.com.
| OnePlus 15* | iPhone 17 Pro Max |
|---|---|
| Size, weight 8.1 mm thickness 211-215 grams | Size, weight 163.4 x 78 x 8.8 mm 233 grams |
| Screen 6.78" OLED 1-165Hz | Screen 6.9" OLED 1-120Hz |
| Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite Gen 5 3nm | Processor Apple A19 Pro 3nm |
| Versions: 12/256GB 12/512GB 16/256GB 16/512GB 16/1TB LPDDR5 | Versions: 12/256GB 12/512GB 12/1TB 12/2TB LPDDR5 |
| Cameras: 50MP main 50MP ultra 50MP 3.5X zoom 32MP front | Cameras: 48MP main 48MP ultra 48MP 4X zoom 18MP front |
| Battery: 7,300 mAh | Battery: 5,088 mAh (eSIM only model) 4,823 mAh (physical SIM) |
| Charging: USB-C 120W wired 50W wireless | Charging: USB-C Wired, PD3.2, AVS, 50% in 20 min 25W wireless MagSafe/Qi2 |
*based on leaks and rumors
Summary
OnePlus coined the term "flagship killer" back in the OnePlus One days. Since then the company has moved into a different area and now occupies the ultra-premium smartphone segment. The OnePlus 15 is shaping up to be a great phone with the fastest silicon and biggest battery in an Android to date.
Will it be enough to challenge the iPhone 17 Pro Max? More information is needed before we pass a final judgment on that. Stay tuned for all the benchmark scores and also the expected price of the OnePlus 15, as it will play a huge role in this battle.
Will it be enough to challenge the iPhone 17 Pro Max? More information is needed before we pass a final judgment on that. Stay tuned for all the benchmark scores and also the expected price of the OnePlus 15, as it will play a huge role in this battle.
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