I used the OnePlus 15 and Pixel 10 Professional, and the true winner is hiding in plain sight

Flagship season is right here in full swing. Apple’s new iPhone 17collection has arrived, Oppo’s Discover X9 Professional simply launched with an impressive camera accessory, the Pixel 10 collection got here out a few months in the past, and the Galaxy S26 collection can be right here in just some months.

One of many smartphones I’m at all times excited to make use of yearly is the OnePlus flagship. OnePlus has persistently aimed to compete with top-tier gadgets whereas protecting costs barely extra cheap. The OnePlus 15 is already here, going up towards different main flagships this fall.

The OnePlus 15 and Pixel 10 Professional are priced very intently within the US, and though you can not purchase the previous within the US but (due to delayed FCC certification), as soon as it does go on sale it’ll provide robust competitors for anybody searching for a sub-$1000 flagship.

Each telephones present robust {hardware}, cameras, design, shows, and software program options. I’ve been utilizing the OnePlus 15 and Pixel 10 Professional side-by-side as my day by day drivers for the previous couple of weeks. After spending two weeks with each telephones, I discovered the winner was hiding in plain sight.

The OnePlus 15 refined the look, however the Pixel stays extra snug

OnePlus improved so much in design, however I simply can’t let go of my Pixel 10 Professional

One of many greatest points I’ve had with OnePlus telephones is their measurement and construct. The OnePlus 13 was a powerful smartphone, however the one factor that prevented me from carrying it as my day by day driver was its measurement.

OnePlus has improved in that regard with the OnePlus 15. The corporate has switched to a flat-back panel for the primary time in years on its flagship telephone, and the construct itself feels nice to make use of due to the soft-touch again on the black variant I’ve and the rounded edges that make it simpler to carry. That’s much more spectacular once you hear in regards to the battery on this machine, however extra on that beneath.

Nonetheless, regardless of OnePlus transferring from a curved construct to a flatter design language on the OnePlus 15, after utilizing each the Pixel 10 Pro and OnePlus 15 aspect by aspect, there may be nonetheless one thing I want about Google’s flagship.

In fact, it’s principally as a result of measurement of the Pixel 10 Professional, which is way extra pocketable and simpler for my smaller fingers, and though it has its personal battery downsides, I nonetheless want the Pixel 10 Professional.

The digicam visor on the again additionally makes it simpler to carry since you may relaxation your finger on it, and I’m usually not a fan of big smartphones. The Pixel 10 Professional appears like the fitting measurement for a telephone, and I preserve wishing OnePlus would give us a tool in that phase from the beginning, and never a trimmed-down OnePlus 13s-style model with slight downgrades.

After which there may be the additional benefit of Qi2 charging. Sure, you may get Qi2 MagSafe charging on most Android smartphones, together with the OnePlus 15, with a devoted case, however that does make the telephone cumbersome, and having the function in-built feels way more handy.

In isolation, although, the enhancements OnePlus has made to the OnePlus 15’s design by transferring to a flat again are commendable, and any OnePlus person who has averted upgrading as a result of design ought to discover this modification way more interesting.

OnePlus 15 simply beats the Pixel in efficiency and battery life

Even so, the Pixel stays quick sufficient and lasts lengthy sufficient for my day by day use

Ever because the launch of the OnePlus 1, OnePlus has led most different flagship telephones in efficiency and battery life, and the OnePlus 15 solely extends that lead additional. The OnePlus 15 comes with a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset out of the field, which is undoubtedly one of the best Android chipset obtainable proper now.

Coupled with the truth that OnePlus ships the OnePlus 15 with a clean 165 Hz refresh-rate show, I’ve by no means as soon as seen my unit drop a body. All the things is clean and steady out of the field, and OnePlus has improved OxygenOS 16 considerably. It feels extraordinarily quick and polished, and the corporate has added a handful of AI options all through the system.

All of this stays true for the Pixel 10 Professional as effectively, apart from gaming. The OnePlus 15 simply handles each recreation you throw at it with out stress, whereas the identical can’t be mentioned for the Pixel 10 Professional. Each begin robust, however the sustained efficiency on the OnePlus 15 is much better for lengthy gaming classes.

Nonetheless, regardless of OnePlus bettering its software program expertise, the Pixel nonetheless stays my most popular software program total. Sure, the animations are barely slower, however I like the brand new Materials 3 Expressive design all through the Pixel 10 Professional.

It feels cohesive and genuinely refreshing. OnePlus gives loads of customization choices, however the Pixel 10 Professional is solely nice out of the field. Plus, there are a few software program options, particularly Add Me within the Digicam app and Now Taking part in, that I miss essentially the most on the OnePlus 15.

When it comes to battery life and charging, the OnePlus 15 is unbeatable. It not solely simply beats the Pixel 10 Professional, but in addition each different Android telephone I’ve used this yr. The big 7,300 mAh battery is extraordinarily onerous to empty it doesn’t matter what I throw at it.

Surprisingly, the largest battery drain on my OnePlus 15 has not been gaming or digicam use however powering Android Auto wirelessly, which drains it a bit sooner. Nonetheless, the battery is hard to kill.

After which comes charging. The OnePlus 15 helps 120W quick charging in my area, and regardless of the large battery, about half-hour of charging throughout my morning routine is greater than sufficient to energy the telephone for the whole day.

This isn’t one thing I can say about my Pixel. I’ve to cost the Pixel 10 Professional each evening on my ESR wi-fi stand to make sure it lasts by way of the subsequent day. In any other case, I’m compelled to hold an influence financial institution in my backpack. I want Google and even Samsung would study from OnePlus and ship sooner charging on their gadgets.

The cameras are nearer than folks may count on

Even with out Hasselblad tuning the OnePlus 15 delivers robust outcomes

Earlier than we dive into the digicam efficiency of each telephones, I’m certain you could have seen plenty of reviews complaining in regards to the supposedly downgraded sensors on the OnePlus 15. Including to that, the corporate dropped its partnership with Hasselblad in favor of its in-house DetailMax Engine, which led many to imagine the digicam efficiency would undergo in comparison with earlier generations and particularly when in comparison with the Pixel 10 Professional, contemplating Pixels are extensively considered among the best-performing digicam telephones.

Nonetheless, I discovered this to be unfaithful.

For me, photographs from the OnePlus 15 had been simply comparable, if not higher in some situations, to these from the Pixel 10 Professional. The telephone delivers punchy and vibrant colours, and total efficiency in broad daylight has been robust.

The digicam does fall behind barely in low-light and synthetic lighting, the place the Pixel 10 Professional takes the lead. Check out among the pictures I captured on each gadgets beneath. The primary set of photographs is from the OnePlus 15, and the second row is from the Pixel 10 Professional.

My solely actual want is for a smaller OnePlus 15 mannequin

On the entire, after utilizing the OnePlus 15 and Pixel 10 Professional aspect by aspect for the previous few days, my solely actual want is for a smaller OnePlus 15. The OnePlus 15 delivers an ideal smartphone expertise for the value, particularly with its battery life and top-tier chipset. The one main disadvantage of the OnePlus 15, for me, is its measurement, however that could be a subjective desire anyway,

The Pixel 10 Professional does an ideal job for what it is price, particularly in comparison with the Pixel 9 collection, however if you’re searching for a gaming smartphone with robust battery backup and an total nice software program expertise, the OnePlus 15 is certainly the higher choose.

• 

  Model

  OnePlus

  SoC

  Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5

  Show

  6.78-inch 165Hz OLED

  RAM

  12GB, 16GB

  Storage

  256GB, 512GB, 1TB

  Battery

  7,300mAh

  The OnePlus 15 is a flagship Android 16 smartphone that ships with a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, a 165Hz LTPO AMOLED show, and a 7,300 mAh inner battery.

  
  

• 

  Model

  Google

  SoC

  Tensor G5

  Show

  6.3-inch Tremendous Actua show 1280 x 2856 pixel decision OLED (1-120Hz)

  RAM

  16GB

  Storage

  128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB

  The Pixel 10 Professional options Google’s new Tensor G5 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 128GB, 256GB, 512GB or 1TB of storage. The smartphone’s total design appears to be like similar to its predecessor, together with its sprawling digicam bump.