OnePlus 15R vs OnePlus 12R: Main differences to expect
There's a new OnePlus 15R looming on the horizon, arriving to supercharge OnePlus' smartphone offering for 2026. Aimed to be an affordable version of the regular OnePlus 15 flagship, the OnePlus 15R will introduce some key changes, most of which are aimed at cutting corners and achieving a lower price tag.
OnePlus has released cheaper "R" versions of its flagships for years now, and one of the better ones out there was early 2024's OnePlus 12R.
Should users of that specific OnePlus phone consider upgrading to the OnePlus 15R, or should they steer clear of the upcoming affordable OnePlus 15R?
OnePlus 15R vs OnePlus 12R expected differences:
| OnePlus 15R | OnePlus 12R |
|---|---|
| Same flat aluminum design as OnePlus 15 | Slightly curved display and backplate, thin side frame |
| IP69/IP69K durability | Just IP64 water and dust resistance |
| 6.8-inch OLED screen, likely brighter and with the same 120 Hz refresh rate | A 6.8-inch display with the same resolution and a 120 Hz refresh rate |
| Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chip, 3nm | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, 4nm |
| 12GB/256GB, 16GB/512GB versions likely | 8GB of memory, 128 UFS3.1 and 256GB UFS4.0 storage options |
| Dual camera, main ultrawide | Triple camera system |
| ~ 7,300 mAh SiC battery likely | A 5,500 mAh battery at the back |
Table of Contents:
Design and Size
Two very different phones from different eras
No surprise here, but the OnePlus 15R will employ the same general design language as the OnePlus 15. Think flat aluminum frame, edges, and flat Gorilla Glass Victus 2 up front and in the back. There's also that redesigned camera island in the rear, which is no longer circular but an elongated squircle, as is modern.
The OnePlus 12R, on the other hand, comes with the design language that was nearly everywhere a few years ago, with curved screens and backplates that are sloping towards a very thin aluminum frame. There's also an offset circular camera island in the back, which houses the phone's triple camera.
Size-wise, the OnePlus 15R is shaping up to be slightly more compact than the OnePlus 12R: it will be shorter and thinner, but wider and likely slightly heavier.
| OnePlus 15R | OnePlus 12R |
|---|---|
| Thickness ~8.1 mm | Thickness 8.8 mm |
| Dimensions ~161.4 x 76.7 mm | Dimensions 163.3 x 75.3 mm |
| Weight ~210 gr | Weight 207 grams |
Colors-wise, we expect that the OnePlus 15R will be launched in two colors: black and green that definitely remind us of the iPhone 17 Sage color. Good stuff. The OnePlus 12R also came in Cool Blue and Iron Gray colors.
Display Differences
Both the OnePlus 15R and the OnePlus 12R will share the same-sized 6.8-inch OLED displays. Both will likely share the same 120Hz refresh rate, as we don't think the OnePlus 15R will employ the OnePlus 15's 165Hz support. The resolution is also likely same-ish on both phones: 2780 by 1264 pixels.
Peak brightness is likely to be much higher on the OnePlus 15R.
| OnePlus 15R | OnePlus 12R |
|---|---|
| Size 6.8" | Size 6.8" |
| Brightness ~3000 nits (peak) | Brightness ~2000 nits (peak) |
Performance and Software
Major gains for the OnePlus 15
It appears that the OnePlus 15R will arrive with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset. This one is reportedly some 15% less impressive than the top Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip ticking in the OnePlus 15 flagship. This 15% difference is all in the synthetic benchmarks, and we don't think you'd be able to notice any major discrepancies in real-life usage.
Inside the OnePlus 12R, we had the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, a 4nm chip that was a pretty decent performer in early 2024, and actually, still doesn't feel greatly outdated. It's pretty much perfect for light to moderate usage to this day, and you will only strain it in heavy gaming.
| OnePlus 15R | OnePlus 12R |
|---|---|
| Chip Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 | Chip Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 |
| Process 3nm | Process 4nm |
| RAM, Storage 12/256GB 16/512GB LPDDR5X RAM UFS 4.0 storage | RAM, Storage 8/128GB 8/256GB LPDDR5X RAM UFS 4.0 storage |
The OnePlus 15R will come with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage or 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage. The OnePlus 12R, on the other hand, came with 8GB of memory in both the 128GB and 256GB versions in the US, though better-specced versions existed on other regional markets.
Camera
Three versus two cameras
The OnePlus 15R is losing a camera and will feature just two at the back. This was revealed by OnePlus itself on their website and is a slightly disappointing change. We are most likely getting a main and an ultrawide camera at the rear. The telephoto one is likely the one getting the axe.
The OnePlus 12R came with three cameras, but it also didn't have a telephoto: the phone came with wide, ultrawide, and macro cameras in the back. Mostly a gimmick, this one was not a major boon to the OnePlus 12R camera package.
| OnePlus 15R | OnePlus 12R |
|---|---|
| Main 50 MP | Main 50 MP, f/1.8 |
| Ultrawide 8/50 MP | Ultrawide 8 MP, f/2.2 |
| Macro 2 MP, f/2.4 |
Battery Life and Charging
OnePlus 15R power!
Given how impressive the OnePlus 15 battery life was, we harbor very high hopes for the OnePlus 15R. That's because it will likely feature a silicon-carbon battery in the ballpark of 7,300 mAh, which is plenty and will hopefully propel the OnePlus 15R to even higher battery life levels than the OnePlus 15.
That said, battery life was definitely a forte of the OnePlus 12R, which fared very well in our custom battery life tests. That said, we don't really expect the OnePlus 15R to last less than this one.
| OnePlus 15R | OnePlus 12R |
|---|---|
| Battery size ~7,300 mAh | Battery size 5,500 mAh |
Charging speeds 80/100 W wired 50W wireless charging | Charging speeds 100W wired |
In terms of charging, the OnePlus 15R will likely come with 80 or 100 W wired charging (and we hope the wall adapter is available in the box). There will most certainly be wireless charging on board, likely around 50 W using OnePlus' proprietary AirVOOC tech.
The OnePlus 12R only supported 100 W wired charging, with no wireless charging on deck.
Specs Comparison
|
|
| OnePlus 15R | OnePlus 12R |
Design
| Dimensions | |
|---|---|
| 163.3 x 75.3 x 8.8 m | |
| Weight | |
| 207.0 g | |
Display
| Size | |
|---|---|
| 6.8-inch | 6.8-inch |
| Type | |
| OLED, 120Hz | AMOLED, 120Hz |
Hardware
| System chip | |
|---|---|
| Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 (3 nm) | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SM8650-AB (4 nm) |
| Memory | |
| 12GB (LPDDR5X)/256GB (UFS 4.0) | 16GB (LPDDR5X)/256GB (UFS 4.0) |
| OS | |
| Android (16) | Android (14) |
Battery
| Type | |
|---|---|
| 6000 mAh | 5500 mAh |
| Charge speed | |
| Wired: 100.0W | Wired: 100.0W |
Camera
| Main camera | |
|---|---|
| 50 MP (OIS, PDAF) Aperture size: F1.8 Focal length: 24 mm Sensor size: 1/1.56" Pixel size: 1.0 μm | 50 MP (OIS, PDAF) Aperture size: F1.9 Focal length: 24 mm Sensor size: 1/1.56" Pixel size: 1.0 μm |
| Second camera | |
| 8 MP (Ultra-wide) Aperture size: F2.2 Focal Length: 16 mm Sensor size: 1/4" Pixel size: 1.12 μm | 8 MP (Ultra-wide) Aperture size: F2.2 Focal Length: 16 mm Sensor size: 1/4" Pixel size: 1.12 μm |
| Third camera | |
| 2 MP (Macro) Aperture size: F2.4 |
|
| Front | |
| 16 MP | 32 MP |
See the full
OnePlus 15R vs OnePlus 12R specs comparison
or compare them to other phones using our
Phone Comparison tool
Summary
The OnePlus 15R shapes up to be a decent budget flagship, though with some minor drawbacks, like the lack of a third camera.
Still, the larger battery, potentially brighter screen, and better performance suggest it might be worth considering, provided that OnePlus prices it correctly.
At this point, the OnePlus 12R is starting to show some signs of aging, and if OnePlus 12R users are looking to upgrade, then the upcoming OnePlus 15R might be the perfect device to upgrade to.
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