5 Cons of Buying a OnePlus Phone

Looking for a premium flagship Android handset that stands out from the crowd? This was the idea that OnePlus built its smartphones around; that is, until the launch of the OnePlus 15. The OnePlus 15 is a solid option thanks to its premium hardware, a massive 7,300 mAh battery that lasts up to three days, and 100W fast wired fast charging capability. But there are some sticking points with the latest iteration of OnePlus handsets; almost everything that made OnePlus its own is gone.

Outstanding performance doesn’t make up for a deeply compromised everyday user experience that completely abandons the brand’s historically bold industrial design language. People buy OnePlus handsets for their unique features, but the tactile, intuitive buttons with restrictive shortcuts are gone, replaced by unexpected downgrades of physical sensors. Multitasking and photography were once hallmarks of the brand, but the strange inspiration OxygenOS took from Apple’s iOS is a real head-scratcher.

This isn’t to say that OnePlus started putting out bad products; many Android smartphone users will like the OnePlus 15. But this handset marks a change in design and execution that no one asked for. It might be wise to wait to buy a OnePlus phone until 2026. With a merger of sister brand Realme and OnePlus apparently signed by the brand’s owner, Chinese conglomerate BBK Electronics, we’re not sure if this means OnePlus will pull out of the west in the long term. But there are other downsides to buying a OnePlus phone in 2026, too.

The distinctive industrial design of previous models, like the OnePlus 13, has helped solidify its premium handset offering among those from Samsung and Google. Most notably, it featured a circular camera housing and a uniquely textured leatherette back panel. But since the OnePlus 15, the brand has moved away from its own design language in favor of a uniform look that blends in with that of its competitors. Android’s generic look has taken hold, with OnePlus seemingly abandoning its visual identity. Being different is what made OnePlus cool, but it seems peer pressure has crept in.

If OnePlus removed its logo from the backplate, many people would have difficulty distinguishing the OnePlus 15 from the crowd. Swapping a beloved design template for a tried-and-true square camera bump wasn’t on my bingo card for OnePlus, and the muted color selections certainly don’t help. It has lost its high-end and unique design philosophy that was built over the past few years. While the OnePlus 15’s features are ideal for many, the design choices this time around make it seem like OnePlus is ready to fade into Realme’s ether and become another generic Android phone brand.

OnePlus has replaced its physical alert slider with a side button to trigger the OxygenOS AI assistant, Plus Mind. The touch toggle that turned off notifications and ring profiles was a major selling point for OnePlus handsets. Instead, it was replaced with a button that few users will take advantage of as AI fatigue sets in around the world. Sometimes replacing real-world physical features with the novelty of AI is unnecessary and creates everyday usability issues for handset owners.

That’s not to say that AI isn’t useful when it comes to handling certain tasks like photo optimization and general productivity, but this change only introduces more friction for longtime OnePlus users. Dubbed Plus Key, it sticks its head out of the phone’s frame with limited functionality. There is no general use case for the button intended for general application integration; it simply invokes Plus Mind, which many users would do via voice command anyway. More often than not, simple ideas are usually the best, which is why the alert slider was so popular with users.

OxygenOS was once one of the cleanest Android spin-offs in existence, gaining huge critical acclaim from Android purists for delivering a highly optimized and lightning-fast user experience. It was closely aligned with a stock Android installation, while offering deep customization utilities like Open Canvas, a multitasking interface. Unfortunately, recent OxygenOS updates focus more on mirroring Apple’s iOS, which is an Android user’s kryptonite. OxygenOS 16’s modern UI now features an aggressive glassy coating, similar to Apple’s Liquid Glass, and automatically forces a user’s app drawer into grouped, categorized folders that could be confused with those in iOS.

The Apple-inspired UI doesn’t stop there either, with apps like the calculator and weather apps looking almost identical to Apple’s alternatives. To top it off, there is a heavily marketed feature that allows users to pair their Apple Watch directly with the OxygenOS system skin. It’s almost scary to see such a respected brand throw in the towel like this and chase away the competition. For users who want a clean Android experience, navigating an iOS clone on an Android handset isn’t ideal. Again, this will appeal to users who like the Apple aesthetic without the drawbacks of the brand’s ecosystem, but few Android users would opt for a OnePlus 15 with this in mind.

The multi-year alliance with photography brand Hasselblad transformed the way OnePlus captured photos and videos, transforming a then-mid-range Android option into the mobile photographer’s best friend, starting with the OnePlus 9. Before that, OnePlus’ camera functionality was middle-of-the-road at best, barely offering specs to compete with its flagship competitors. This long-term collaboration successfully implemented color science tuning, professional photography modes such as the XPan panoramic format, and creative depth that rivaled the best that competitors Samsung and Google had to offer.

Now that the Hasselblad partnership is over, the creative utility and overall image and video quality will suffer with the OnePlus 15. The level of customization and quality of previous OnePlus camera arrays leaves the latest flagship in the dust. While it would be logical to think that OnePlus camera systems will improve over time as internal development progresses, that’s not a guarantee. Perhaps we’ll see something similar to the Hasselblad camera lineup in future iterations of OnePlus flagships, but only time will tell. OnePlus will likely follow Apple’s iPhone camera features closely, just as it does with the overall design of the OnePlus 15’s handset and operating system.

Beyond the fallout from the Hasselblad partnership, the latest iteration of the OnePlus flagship suffers from physical downgrades across its entire sensor lineup. Instead of continuing to push the envelope with advanced camera components, OnePlus opted to install smaller, less capable physical sensors in the rear triple camera array. This, in turn, places a burden on internal software processing to hide hardware upgrades, forcing consumers to rely on algorithms rather than high-end optics.

While OnePlus has released its own proprietary imaging software, the DetailMax engine, attempts to artificially preserve edge-to-edge clarity fail due to smaller pixel counts and lower quality physical glass. The 50MP triple camera system offers true 3.5x optical zoom as well as an action mode for fast-moving objects, but using camera hardware that simply doesn’t compare to the OnePlus 14 is a big problem for a flagship handset commanding a premium price. It’s not the worst camera setup on an Android phone, but for those who rely on smartphones to capture sharp, crisp moments, the OnePlus 15 will likely show reduced low-light performance and less detailed telephoto clarity compared to the OnePlus 14. The OnePlus 15 is not a bad Android handset, but considering how many OnePlus features have been removed, it’s hard to recommend it over its previous model.