Struggling to decide between the iPhone 15 and OnePlus 12R? Then you’re in the right place.
While the iPhone 15 has been available since September 2023, and earned a 4-star rating and Trusted Reviews Recommended award, the OnePlus 12R is currently only available for pre-order and will be available on 13th February 2024, meaning we haven’t yet had a chance to give it a full review. But we’ve done our research to get a good idea of how the two phones compare on paper.
The OnePlus 12R starts at £649/€699, compared to the iPhone 15’s starting price of £799/€949, making the OnePlus 12R a more appealing option if you’re looking for a slightly cheaper handset.
Both phones have exciting features and specifications, and although Apple may have more visibility on the market, OnePlus is making a name for itself as a strong contender. So which smartphone is a clear winner? Keep reading to see our comparison guide of the OnePlus 12R and iPhone 15.
iPhone 15 is powered by the A16 Bionic processor
Apple’s A16 Bionic processor is one of the most powerful chips available on the smartphone market. Apple states that the A16 Bionic’s performance CPU cores consume 20% less power than before, making it highly efficient too. It is worth noting that this is not the most powerful processor that is currently available on iPhone, as the iPhone 15 Pro uses the newer and more powerful A17 Pro chip.
Similarly, the OnePlus 12R doesn’t run on the most recent chip used on OnePlus phones. Instead of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which is used in the new OnePlus 12, its predecessor, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is favoured for the OnePlus 12R. This means you shouldn’t expect the fastest and best performance that’s available on the market, but as it is still a fairly new chip this should be a good choice, especially for mobile gamers.
OnePlus 12R has quicker fast charging
The OnePlus 12R features 100W SUPERVOOC charging, supposedly allowing the phone’s battery life to go from 1-100% in a speedy 26 minutes. Although the iPhone 15 is fast-charge capable, Apple states that the iPhone can gain up to 50% charge in around 30 minutes, making it comparably slower than the OnePlus 12R.
The iPhone 15 does, however, allow for wireless charging up to 15W, whereas the OnePlus 12R does not support wireless charging at all.
Despite a lack of wireless charging support, the OnePlus 12R is powered by a hefty battery size of 5,500mAh, making it the biggest battery a OnePlus phone has ever had. This means the phone should be able to store power for longer, potentially resulting in more time between charges. However, as we have not been able to test this yet, this is something we are yet to verify.
Due to the large battery size, the OnePlus 12R is fairly thicker than the iPhone 15, coming in at 8.8mm. If a thinner phone is important to you, then the iPhone 15 is 7.8mm.
If fast charging ability and longer battery life is something you need in a phone, then the OnePlus 12R is unmistakably a contender. If, however, you believe wireless charging is an absolute necessity in your next smartphone, then the iPhone 15 is the one for you.
iPhone 15 has the Dynamic Island
The iPhone’s Dynamic Island was unveiled back in 2022 with the iPhone 14 Pro and has since become a staple for new flagship models. The Dynamic Island replaced the iPhone notch and acts as a cover for the cameras and sensors but also offers a secondary space for certain notifications to appear.
Activities including voice memo recording, map directions and tracking live football scores can be found in the Dynamic Island at the top of the home screen and can make using your phone much easier. It is worth noting however that not all apps offer Dynamic Island support, but the ones that do can make using your phone much easier.
OnePlus 12R has a larger screen
In lieu of a Dynamic Island however, the OnePlus 12R has a larger screen size measuring in at 6.78 inch with a 2780 x 1264 pixel-resolution display compared to iPhone 15’s smaller 6.1 inch and a 2556 x 1179 pixel-resolution display.
If a slightly larger and uninterrupted screen size is more important to you, then the OnePlus 12R may be a preferable choice.
It is worth noting that the iPhone 15 Plus is a similar size as the OnePlus 12R, measuring in at 6.7 inch with a slightly higher 2796 x 1290 pixel-resolution display. The iPhone 15 Plus also earned a 4-star rating from us, and it starts at £899/1099.