OnePlus 15 could beat Apple and Samsung with this big display upgrade – Charm

A new leak could have just tipped us off that OnePlus’ upcoming OnePlus 15 phone might match the best gaming phones in one key area: refresh rate. Although there may also be an unfortunate catch.

While OnePlus might not be the most well-known brand out there, the OnePlus 13 still ranks among our picks for one of the best phones you can currently buy. As such, we’ve been keeping an eye out for any new updates on its follow-up, the alleged OnePlus 15. And yes, OnePlus appears to be skipping the OnePlus 14 entirely and going straight to 15.

In a recent post on Weibo, well-known source, Digital Chat Station (DCS) — via Phone Arena— revealed that OnePlus is testing a 165Hz refresh rate for the phone.

(Image credit: Digital Chat Station @ Weibo)

On top of the improved refresh rate, it is also stated that OnePlus is developing a new performance engine, which would allow the phone to run games at 165FPS natively.

However, all of this comes at the cost of the display’s resolution, which is stated to be dropping down to 1.5K. For reference, the OnePlus 13 released with a 2K display, so this would be a noticeable drop in fidelity if accurate.

It isn’t just the display that’s mentioned, as DCS also states the OnePlus 15 could launch with what’s described as a super black color option called Moon Rock Black. The phone is also stated to be coming with the same Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 that’s tipped for Samsung’s Galaxy S26 series.

165Hz looks impressive on paper, but would it make a difference?

The back of the OnePlus 13 showing the camera — (Image credit: Tom’s Guide)

As it stands, very few phones tend to aim for 165Hz, with both the Galaxy S25 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro peaking at 120Hz. There are a couple of reasons for this, with the main being that most apps available on phones struggle to utilize the rate.

The other issue has to do with power consumption, as a higher refresh rate will drain more of the battery when in use. While DCS doesn’t specify if the new display features an adaptive refresh rate to counter this, the OnePlus 13 does, so I’d assume it’s a given.

What else do we know about the OnePlus 15?

A few of the best phones held in the hand. — (Image credit: Future)

For the most part, news and leaks about OnePlus’ next device have been pretty sparse, but indications online have stated that the new phone could even have a smaller screen. According to a report from Phone Arena, the OnePlus 15 will apparently launch with a 6.78-inch screen, compared to the current 6.82-inch display seen on the OnePlus 13.

We have also seen that OnePlus plans to drop its mute switch and instead replace it with something akin to the Action button seen on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 series. However, the response to this has been mostly negative, with many fans being upset at the news.

As with any leak, we should always take the information provided with a pinch of salt, at least until we can see the phone for ourselves.

On that note, several rumors have stated that OnePlus plans to launch the phone in China in October 2025, which could (if OnePlus sticks to its usual release schedule) mean a global release around January next year.