Camera
The OnePlus 15R has a dual camera system on the back and a single camera on the front. For the main camera on the back, the phone uses the 50MP Sony IMX906 (also known as the LYT-700), which is probably going down as the most overused camera in OnePlus history. Since it was used on the OnePlus 13R last year, it has been present on every single OnePlus phone this year, except the Nord CE5.
For the ultra-wide, OnePlus has opted for the 8MP Sony IMX355, a camera it has been using since the OnePlus 12R. Finally, for the front camera, the company is using a 32MP GalaxyCore GC32E2.
Like the flagship OnePlus 15, the OnePlus 15R uses the company’s new DetailMax Engine, which allegedly prioritizes detail and resolution. To that end, the main camera can capture 26MP images, but this is an optional setting that needs to be enabled manually.
Starting with the 12MP images from the main camera, we see a repeat of what we saw with the OnePlus 15. The image quality is decent but ultimately unremarkable. The good thing about the new engine is that high-frequency detail around things like grass and other foliage looks natural without oversharpening. However, parts of the image can also look a bit soft at times, especially around the edges of the frame. There is also some fringing and light leakage seen around high contrast edges, such as leaves against the sky. The colors are generally accurate, but they tend to lean towards the warmer side, especially as the sun gets lower in the sky.
12MP main camera
The 26MP mode is where the DetailMax Engine really shines. The level of detail in the images is excellent, with an even more natural, almost film look to it. This should be the default way to shoot, but there are some things to consider. First, the camera will only shoot in 26MP if the scene is well-lit. Second, the dynamic range is slightly worse in 26MP, with highlights in particular being a bit blown out. Third, the file sizes double when shooting in 26MP. None of these is a deal breaker in our opinion, and if space is not a concern, then you should just leave the phone in the 26MP mode.
26MP main camera
Unfortunately, this is where the good news ends with the camera on the OnePlus 15R. After introducing a telephoto camera just last year to the R-series with the 13R, OnePlus has chosen to drop it immediately a year later. As such, the OnePlus 15R is easily outclassed by its own predecessor when it comes to zoomed images. The 2x mode is still usable, but anything beyond that, and the OnePlus 15R is unable to keep up.
2x digital zoom
However, the bigger embarrassment is yet to come, and that is the 8MP ultra-wide camera. The OnePlus 13R cannot claim superiority here, as it uses the same camera, but we are two weeks away from 2026 now, and this cannot be what OnePlus thinks belongs in a supposed flagship series of phones. It’s not even worth commenting on the images, as the quality looks like something you’d get from a budget phone. It would be better if OnePlus stuck a telephoto camera here, as it did on the 13s, as this camera really isn’t worth using.
8MP ultra-wide camera
Since the ultra-wide doesn’t have autofocus and there is no dedicated macro camera, the OnePlus 15R does not have macro functionality. This was the case with the OnePlus 13R as well, but the Nord 5 launched earlier this year does have a macro mode, as its own anemic 8MP ultra-wide has autofocus. So now we are at a point where the OnePlus 15R loses to its one-year-old predecessor in telephoto performance and to the cheaper model launched five months ago in macro performance.
The OnePlus 15R might win the selfie camera battle compared to the 13R by having a higher resolution 32MP sensor and autofocus for the first time on an R-series model. However, this camera is outperformed once again by the 50MP camera on the Nord 5, which captures higher quality images, especially in low light. Also, while the 50MP camera on the Nord 5 captures 12MP images, the quad-Bayer 32MP sensor on the OnePlus 15R saves upscaled 32MP images, when in reality it should just be saving 8MP images that the sensor was designed for.
Selfie camera: OnePlus 15R • Nord 5
Finally, while the Nord 5 can do up to 4K 60fps video from the front camera, the OnePlus 15R can only do 4K 30fps video. In fact, the front camera on the OnePlus 15R can weirdly only do 30fps video, even at 1080p and 720p.
Speaking of video, the OnePlus 15R can capture 4K video up to 120fps from the main camera. Video quality is good, even at 120fps, but you only get good stabilization at 30 and 60fps. The 120fps footage has slightly jerky motion as the OIS snaps around the frame with movement.
Videos from the ultra-wide are even worse than its images, with poor color, dynamic range, and stabilization. It’s also limited to just 1080p at 30fps.
Conclusion
The OnePlus 15R is a pretty good premium smartphone for the most part. It is well-built with all the IP ratings you can think of, the display is of good quality, the performance from the new chip is excellent, the speakers sound great, and the battery life is tremendous.
Where the phone disappoints is in the camera. OnePlus dropped the telephoto camera after just one year. Meanwhile, the 8MP ultra-wide that should have been upgraded three years ago is still kicking around. And the selfie camera is losing to the one on the cheaper Nord 5. The main camera is good, but not good enough to make up for everything else happening here.
The reason for this seems simple. With the OnePlus 13 generation, the 13R was different from the 13 in enough ways that even with a telephoto, the latter came across as a notably superior device. However, the OnePlus 15 and the 15R are quite close, meaning a 15R with a good camera system would render the 15 pointless. And that sort of ends up happening anyway, considering the OnePlus 15 cameras are nothing to write home about.
So with that being the case, the verdict here is simple. If you want a good smartphone but don’t care about the camera, then you can consider the OnePlus 15R. But if the camera is important, then it’s time to look past not just this phone but OnePlus as a whole.