Upcoming OnePlus phone beats Samsung to an Android | Tech News

OnePlus has flipped the script on its traditional release schedule, releasing the flagship OnePlus 15 this month merely 9 months after the OnePlus 13. That was partly to make sure the new phone was the primary on the UK market to characteristic the top-of-the-line Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset from Qualcomm.

Not content material with beating its rival Samsung to the punch with that accolade, it now seems OnePlus is set for an additional Android first with the announcement of the OnePlus 15R, a presumably cheaper model of the £899 OnePlus 15 that would be the first to use one other new Qualcomm processor, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5.

OnePlus teased the release of the OnePlus 15R, which can be totally unveiled on December 17, saying in a press release the phone would be the firm’s “ultimate value flagship device”. An image on its official web site (above) seems to reveal the phone has twin rear cameras, fairly than the three on the OnePlus 15.

“OnePlus 15R is the latest member of the OnePlus R series, flagship devices with a legendary laser-like focus on performance and high end gaming,” OnePlus stated. “This ethos begins with the chipset and OnePlus 15R will be the first device to launch with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 mobile platform, the newest iteration of the Snapdragon 8 Series which also powered OnePlus 11R, OnePlus 12R and OnePlus 13R.”

This new chip is a small step down in energy from its ‘Elite’ sibling however will nonetheless pack a punch, claiming a 36 % increase in CPU efficiency over the earlier technology, plus an 11 % increase in GPU efficiency and 46 % enchancment in AI efficiency.

“Our commitment to delivering fast and smooth performance is taken to the next level with the OnePlus 15R, which is part of OnePlus 15 flagship series and a 2-generation upgrade in power, intelligence and design,” stated Celina Shi, Chief Marketing Officer of OnePlus Europe.

The “2-generation upgrade” refers to the actual fact the OnePlus 13R used the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which was changed by the Snapdragon 8 Elite, after which the 8 Elite Gen 5.

Qualcomm’s complicated naming apart, the release of an 8 Gen 5 marks a return to the naming conference we final noticed with the 8 Gen 3 – skip forward two generations and also you get Gen 5, a chip that’s now outgunned by the 8 Elite Gen 5. 

Nice and easy, proper?

“As such, we’re thrilled the OnePlus 15R includes the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, one of most powerful chipsets on the market and we’re excited to see how our users take to the OnePlus 15R when it launches later this year,” Shi stated.

While the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is probably going to characteristic on upcoming telephones such because the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra as probably the most performant Android chipset from Qualcomm this technology, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 can be no slouch, with two prime cores and 6 efficiency cores, simply with a barely decrease clock velocity.

OnePlus has stored all different spec data below wraps, together with the price, so we can have to wait till December 17 to discover out full particulars. The OnePlus 15 begins at £899 and the OnePlus 13R from earlier this yr price £679, so hopefully the 15R is priced beneath £700 for these Android consumers who worth high efficiency however don’t need to splurge close to £1,000 on a smartphone.