I used the OnePlus 15 and Pixel 10 Professional, and the actual 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 all the time excited to make use of yearly is the OnePlus flagship. OnePlus has persistently aimed to compete with top-tier gadgets whereas conserving costs barely extra affordable. 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 regardless that you can’t purchase the previous within the US but (due to delayed FCC certification), as soon as it does go on sale it is going to supply 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 every 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 quite a bit in design, however I simply can’t let go of my Pixel 10 Professional

One of many largest 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 every 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 gadget, 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 facet by facet, there may be nonetheless one thing I desire about Google’s flagship.

In fact, it’s largely as a result of measurement of the Pixel 10 Professional, which is way extra pocketable and simpler for my smaller arms, and regardless that it has its personal battery downsides, I nonetheless desire the Pixel 10 Professional.

The digicam visor on the again additionally makes it simpler to carry since you possibly can relaxation your finger on it, and I’m typically not a fan of giant smartphones. The Pixel 10 Professional seems like the appropriate measurement for a telephone, and I preserve wishing OnePlus would give us a tool in that section 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 rather 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 alteration 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 every 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 the perfect Android chipset obtainable proper now.

Coupled with the truth that OnePlus ships the OnePlus 15 with a easy 165 Hz refresh-rate show, I’ve by no means as soon as seen my unit drop a body. Every thing is easy and secure 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 nicely, aside from gaming. The OnePlus 15 simply handles each sport 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 periods.

Nonetheless, regardless of OnePlus bettering its software program expertise, the Pixel nonetheless stays my most well-liked software program general. 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 Digital camera app and Now Enjoying, that I miss essentially the most on the OnePlus 15.

By way of battery life and charging, the OnePlus 15 is unbeatable. It not solely simply beats the Pixel 10 Professional, but additionally each different Android telephone I’ve used this 12 months. The massive 7,300 mAh battery is extraordinarily laborious 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 quicker. 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 massive battery, about half-hour of charging throughout my morning routine is greater than sufficient to energy the telephone for all the day.

This isn’t one thing I can say about my Pixel. I’ve to cost the Pixel 10 Professional each night time on my ESR wi-fi stand to make sure it lasts by means of the following day. In any other case, I’m pressured to hold an influence financial institution in my backpack. I want Google and even Samsung would be taught from OnePlus and ship quicker 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 broadly thought to be 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 circumstances, to these from the Pixel 10 Professional. The telephone delivers punchy and vibrant colours, and general 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 facet by facet for the previous few days, my solely actual want is for a smaller OnePlus 15. The OnePlus 15 delivers an awesome smartphone expertise for the worth, 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 choice anyway,

The Pixel 10 Professional does an awesome job for what it is value, particularly in comparison with the Pixel 9 collection, however in case you are searching for a gaming smartphone with robust battery backup and an general 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 general design seems similar to its predecessor, together with its sprawling digicam bump.