11 hours ago
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The OnePlus 15 is a remarkable flagship in just about every way -- ZDNET's reviews say it all. The battery life is excellent, the photography capabilities are impressive, AI integration is seamless, and the software is clean and intuitive.
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However, there are a few things about the phone that detracted from my experience with it. These issues are not the worst things, but at best, they felt like questionable decisions, and at worst, they adversely affected my ability to use the phone. Here are the three things, along with suggestions on how to fix two of them.
1. Quick launching the camera isn't the same
For years, the standard method for quickly launching the camera on an Android phone has been to double-press the power button. There are some Chinese manufacturers that don't support that function, but for the most part, that's how it has been done in the US. The OnePlus 15 — and bear in mind that BBK, OnePlus's parent company, is based in China -- didn't seem to include that, or at least not by default. Buried within the settings, you can enable the option. Here's how to do it:
Go to Settings -> Accessibility & convenience -> Power button -> Double Click the Power Button, and then tap "Camera."
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It's essential to note two key points here. First, as it stands, if you power cycle the phone with this option on, it will turn back off after a restart. OnePlus confirmed that this was a bug -- the setting should be retained. But OnePlus could not confirm what the default behavior of the switch would be once that bug was fixed.
The fact that it is off after a power cycle suggests that "Off" will be the default behavior; however, we'll have to wait until the bug fix is pushed to confirm. In the meantime, it's particularly annoying that this option even exists.
2. The hard truth about fast charging
The OnePlus 15 comes with a 7,300mAh battery that defies all logic. It's insanely huge and incredibly long-lasting. The only phones I have ever tested that could last more than two days on a charge had thicknesses measured in centimeters, not millimeters. The OnePlus 15 bucks that trend, and it's seriously impressive.
OnePlus is also known for its ridiculously fast charging speeds. Indeed, in the past, OnePlus phones have improved my charging experience. When I test my OnePlus phone, I don't plug it in overnight. I just wait until the phone gets low and I'm ready to head out the door. Then I plug in the phone while I get my shoes on and gather my things, and unplug it when I leave. Usually by then, I have at least 50% to play with, if not more.
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But OnePlus has a new setting buried in its battery menu. By default, the phone will not charge that quickly. That's actually a good thing, since fast charging can wear down your battery more than a slower charge. However, OnePlus has long been known for its impressive charging speeds, so it's unusual to see this setting turned off by default. I get offering your users the option, but I'm not sure why OnePlus decided to ship its phones with slower charging enabled.
To fix that, go to Settings -> Battery -> Charging Settings, and turn on "Smart rapid charging."
It's worth mentioning that this setting did not help my charging speeds. It still takes me over an hour to charge the phone from dead to full. I have tried multiple plugs and a few different OnePlus chargers. I think mine may be slightly defective, but I didn't request a replacement unit. I don't think having a phone with only moderately fast charging was justification for asking for a different device, but if you want your phone to charge even faster, make sure you enable that setting.
3. Are the bezels too thin?
OnePlus was quick to point out the super-thin bezel -- just 1.15mm around the periphery of the phone -- as one of its design triumphs. That is quite nice, to be sure. The lack of a bezel makes looking at your phone just a little more immersive and fun. However, it also comes with a slight downside.
During my time with the OnePlus 15, I played some games. These aren't AAA titles or anything like that. They're just dumb little time-killer games like Paper.io 2. The problem I encountered on multiple occasions is that, while holding the phone, my fat sausage finger would flop over and start to touch the very bottom of the screen, which prevented the phone from registering my touch elsewhere on the screen to direct my little dude. It caused me to die, which got more than a little annoying.
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A few other times, I was trying to take a photo or a selfie, and I had trouble pressing the shutter button. I can't absolutely confirm that it was a phantom touch issue -- I've tried to reproduce it since then, and I've been unsuccessful, so to be totally fair, I can't necessarily blame this issue on phantom touches.
It has been a while since I've experienced a phone as prone to phantom touches as the OnePlus 15. It was a throwback to the mid-2010s when curved phone screens first became a thing. In this case, it's just a question of being more mindful of hand placement when playing games like that, but it's still annoying. Thin bezels aren't always a good thing. I would rather have a two- or three-millimeter bezel with no phantom touches, thank you very much.
Bottom line
Overall, none of these are deal breakers, but they're certainly not ideal. I'm not sure why OnePlus made the calls it did, but I am glad at least they're fixable. This is a really great phone, and with a few changes, it can be even better.
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