OnePlus confirms a key downgrade for the OnePlus 15

The OnePlus 15 is scheduled to launch in China on Monday, and we know the phone has a 165Hz refresh rate. We previously heard rumors that the device would have a lower-resolution screen, though, and OnePlus has now confirmed this.

OnePlus China president Li Jie Louis confirmed in a Weibo article that the OnePlus 15 will have a screen with a 1.5K resolution. That’s a downgrade on paper compared to recent OnePlus flagships, which offered QHD+ screens. However, the executive claimed that this was a technical decision rather than a cost-cutting measure.

OnePlus says it opted for a reduced display resolution because it’s not possible to have a QHD+ screen running at 165Hz.

“Due to limitations in luminescent materials and circuit technology, the industry is currently unable to achieve the 165Hz + 2K specifications simultaneously,” Louis wrote. He added that the OnePlus 15’s 165Hz+1.5K display was the “optimal solution” and that it was the industry’s first 1.5K screen running at 165Hz.

Interestingly, the executive explained that the OnePlus 15 screen is actually more expensive than the OnePlus 13 display. He claimed that everything from the screen’s luminiscent materials and drivers to circuit design had to be “independently developed and reconstructed.”

One other possible reason not mentioned by OnePlus is battery life. Sure, today’s flagship phones (at least from Chinese manufacturers) offer gigantic batteries, but that advantage might be partially offset by running a QHD+ screen at a ridiculously high refresh rate. Then again, this was also a concern with QHD+ 120Hz screens, but LTPO display technology and software enabled efficiency optimizations in this regard.

Either way, I can understand why OnePlus fans might be disappointed with this decision. The company’s flagship phones have always been praised for their screen quality, and it’s used QHD+ screens on every flagship since the OnePlus 10 Pro. In fact, all of the firm’s Pro phones, dating back to 2019’s OnePlus 7 Pro, have offered this screen resolution.

It’s worth noting that stablemate realme has opted for a different approach as the newly launched GT8 Pro embraces a 144Hz QHD+ screen. But the OnePlus executive seems adamant that the 165Hz screen offers an “unprecedented smooth experience and is the future of (the) mobile phone screen experience.” We’ll just have to wait to get our hands on the OnePlus 15 to see whether this claim is true or overblown marketing hype.