The smartphone industry never lacks duels, but this one may be one of the most intense battles of the year. With the official debut of the OnePlus 15 in China today and its global market launch in the coming weeks, the goal of this flagship phone is very clear - to directly target Apple's strongest product, the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
With possibly the fastest Android chip in history and a massive 7300 mAh battery, the OnePlus 15 is making a strong push. But can it really compete with Apple's top flagship? The following is a comparative analysis based on current leaks, rumors, and official forecasts.Design and Appearance: Ceramic Metal vs Aluminum Alloy Extremely Simple Style
Based on leaked renderings and official OnePlus preheating, the OnePlus 15 adopts a flatter and cleaner design language. The glass and metal sandwich structure continues the mainstream flagship style, converging with product designs from Apple, Samsung, and Google. The square camera module on the back is somewhat similar to the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, but it may just be a coincidence.
Rumors suggest that OnePlus will introduce a new material for the first time - the "aerospace grade nano ceramic metal" frame, whose strength is said to surpass titanium and aluminum alloys. If true, this will be a major highlight of this release. Apple, on the other hand, has taken the opposite approach by abandoning titanium in favor of an integrated aluminum body for the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
The size has not been confirmed yet, but according to leaked information on Weibo, the thickness of the body is about 8.1 millimeters and the weight is between 211-215 grams, depending on the material of the back cover. In terms of protection level, OnePlus 15 is expected to maintain IP69 dust and water resistance performance - currently the highest level for smartphones.
In terms of color matching, one of the main colors of OnePlus 15 is "Sandstorm", and purple, titanium gray, and black versions will also be available.
On the Apple side, the iPhone 17 Pro Max comes in three classic colors: silver, cosmic orange, and deep blue.
Screen: 165Hz high refresh rate vs Apple's top OLED
The screen is one of the core features of the competition between the two models. It is rumored that the OnePlus 15 will be equipped with a 165Hz AMOLED screen, using BOE's latest X3 material, which is expected to improve brightness performance. The resolution is still 1.5K, but the bezel has been further narrowed to 1.15mm, which is expected to become one of the narrowest bezel phones currently available.
In contrast, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is equipped with a larger 6.9-inch OLED panel (1320 × 2868 pixels, approximately 460 PPI). In Apple's display testing, the panel achieved an astonishing peak brightness of 20 nits at 2689% APL - one of the highest records to date.
In terms of biometric recognition, the OnePlus 15 still integrates an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner under the screen, while Apple still insists on Face ID and does not provide a fingerprint solution.
Performance: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 vs A19 Pro
OnePlus India has confirmed with Qualcomm that the OnePlus 15 is equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip. Qualcomm explained that the "Elite" series will become the unified name for its high-end products, representing the pinnacle of performance.
Apple's A19 Pro chip is still a self-developed flagship SoC, usually leading in overall performance, but early data suggests that Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 may approach or even surpass Apple for the first time in multi-core and GPU performance.
In terms of memory, the OnePlus 15 offers 12GB to 16GB RAM (and may even launch a 24GB special edition), while Apple is still known for optimization - the iPhone with 17GB RAM still runs smoothly.
In terms of storage, the OnePlus has a maximum limit of 1TB, while the iPhone 17 Pro Max offers a maximum version of 2TB.
In terms of system and update cycle, OnePlus 15 comes pre installed with OxygenOS 16 based on Android 16, and the official promise is a 4-year system update; Apple's iPhone 17 Pro Max runs iOS 26 and is expected to receive at least 6 years of support until 2031.
Camera: Paper configuration is similar, with significant differences in style
On the imaging system, the configurations of the two phones appear to be similar. The OnePlus 15 is expected to continue the three main camera scheme - three 50MP sensors, with Sony LYT-700 as the main camera, and Samsung JN5 as the ultra wide angle and telephoto lens.
Apple's iPhone 17 Pro Max also features three 48MP rear facing cameras, but the front facing lens has been upgraded to an 18MP intelligent rotating selfie camera that can automatically adjust to landscape or portrait shooting.
In the comprehensive camera test, the iPhone 17 Pro Max received a high score of 156/158, ranking among the top in the world. Although OnePlus' collaboration with Hasselblad has significantly improved color and dynamic performance, it is still difficult to completely surpass Apple in the overall visual experience in the short term.
Battery and Charging: High Battery Capacity vs. Stable Efficiency
This is one of the biggest selling points of OnePlus 15. Rumors suggest that it has a built-in 7300 mAh silicon carbon battery, which is further improved from the previous generation's 6000 mAh battery and may become the most powerful Android flagship in terms of battery life.
The battery capacity of iPhone 17 Pro Max is more conservative: the eSIM version is 5088 mAh, and the dual SIM version is 4823 mAh. In testing, the battery life was about 7 hours and 46 minutes, ranking middle among flagship models.
The difference in charging speed is even more pronounced - the OnePlus 15 supports up to 120W wired fast charging (some markets may be restricted by regulations), while Apple still maintains a steady route, with the iPhone 17 Pro Max taking about 76 minutes to fully charge. In this regard, the OnePlus 15 undoubtedly has more advantages.
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