Back in May 2025, when I bought my first OnePlus phone, if you had told me that by the end of the year I'd have a new one, I would have highly disagreed.
I bought the OnePlus 13 for about 750 euros and it has been a magnificent phone. It's the type of phone that you hold for at least three years, and that's what I was planning to do cuz at that time it was a damn competitive flagship...
The OnePlus 15(they skipped a number cuz 14 is bad luck in China) was launched in November of last year and out of curiosity I started watching videos on it. And I liked it...And watched more videos, and more, until I finally ordered the phone from a Chinese website which was retailing it about half the price that OnePlus is selling it on their official site.
Why, you might ask...Well, it is a Chinese version that initially didn't have all the "google goodies" but these guys at TradingShenzhen(where I bought it) flash the Chinese versions with Oxygen OS(global version of Android), repack them and sell them for almost half the price.
The OnePlus 15 variant that I got rocking latest processor from Snapdragon, 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of ROM is having a retail price of 950 euros on the official website, but I got mine for 550. Mind you that in Europe they don't give you a charger or a case in the box, but the Chinese offer a whooping 120W charger and a silicone case which is super dope.
So what if the original pack was opened and the smartphone was flashed with Oxygen OS by some Chinese dude...It is still a new phone and a hell of a good one for this price range. This thing is holding well against the S25 Ultra from Samsung and the 17 Pro Max from Apple and in some regards like speed and battery it even kicks their ass.
Imagine that you get 7300 mAh on a 6.78 inch screen smartphone. I charged fully yesterday, got to eight hours of screen on time already and still got 50% left. The 13 had very good battery life, but this thing is stellar. I bet once I get back to work and won't have much time to waste anymore I will get probably four or five days out of the battery.
It's that good... Is it a huge leap over the 13? Nope, but there are some differences. And if you're thinking of asking why have I bought it then... Well, I would say out of curiosity. I can sell mine for the same price easily, and why not have a new phone for the same money that I get from my almost one year old one...
Now I just have to sell the old one. I already enjoy using the new one a lot. So yeah, if you are looking for a great flagship smartphone for half the price of Samsungs and iPhone check the OnePlus 15 from TradingShenzhen. I highly recommend it.
Have a great Sunday and catch up with you all next time.
Thanks for your attention,
Adrian