Introduction
00:00:00Bolder Design, Bigger Body, Tougher Sealing The 15R carries the 15’s design language with a slimmer, distinctive “squirangle” camera module after dropping the third lens. It feels heavier and larger than the 13R due to a bigger battery and display, yet stays similarly thick with rounder, more comfortable edges. Durability jumps to IP66/68/69/69K versus IP65 on the 13R. Ports and controls include USB‑C 2.0 (no 3.1), dual‑SIM tray, IR blaster, and a programmable Plus Key replacing the alert slider (defaults to Mind Space or Plus Mind voice record).
High‑Refresh Display, HDR Support, and Truer Color The 15R’s screen is slightly larger and reaches 165 Hz in supported games (120 Hz in UI), while the 13R tops at 120 Hz with LTPO; the 15R uses NTPS instead. Both support HDR formats including Dolby Vision with similar outdoor brightness, though the 13R can peak a bit brighter in demanding HDR scenes and uniquely offers Video Color Boost. Color tuning is more neutral on the 15R, yielding better skin tones; both have ProColor, with the 13R splitting it into Cinematic and Brilliant choices. The 15R upgrades to an ultrasonic in‑display fingerprint scanner, and haptics feel comparable. Audio retains LHDC/LDAC on both, but the 15R’s stereo speakers are louder and fuller.
Cooler, Steadier Power for Gaming and Longevity With Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 and UFS 4.1, the 15R outpaces the 13R’s 8 Gen 3 setup across CPU and GPU benchmarks, while dropping the 16 GB RAM option the 13R offered. Stability improves markedly: long CPU‑throttle and 3DMark stress runs show higher, steadier performance thanks to better thermals. Gaming gains include near‑native 120 fps in Genshin via Hyper Frame Rate (around 110–112 fps) and support for 165 fps in many titles. A larger 3D Cryo‑Velocity chamber helps keep temps under ~43°C during sustained play. RAM management keeps apps resident longer, preserving snappy performance over years.
Long‑Lasting Battery, Familiar Charging, and Modern Connectivity A 7,400 mAh battery replaces the 13R’s 6,000 mAh, pushing screen‑on time beyond 12 hours and sometimes past 15. Charging stays at 80 W with the brick in the box, and there’s still no wireless charging. Connectivity parity includes Wi‑Fi 7, NFC, and broad 5G band coverage with similar real‑world carrier results. Bluetooth advances to 6.0 on the 15R from 5.4 on the 13R.
Smarter Imaging with Detail Max, Better Video, and Selfie Gains The 15R skips the 13R’s 2x telephoto but adds a sharper 32 MP AF selfie and the Detail Max engine, which can auto‑switch to 26 MP high‑res stills (and fall back to 12 MP) when the high‑res mode is enabled. Daylight shots show cleaner HDR with tighter highlight control, smoother sky gradients, reduced backlit face glow, and more natural skin tones. Portraits are mixed: the 13R edges ahead on cutouts and fine detail, while the 15R offers a 35 mm/1.5x option with nicer tones; the 8 MP ultrawide is average on both, especially in low light. Selfies clearly improve on the 15R, but the 13R retains better optical zoom from 2x to 20x. Video tilts to the 15R with 4K60 and 4K120 on the main camera plus 4K30 selfies, stronger stabilization and dynamic range, cleaner low light, and better audio; the ultrawide stays 1080p30 on both, while zoom video favors the 13R.
Clean OxygenOS 16 and a Justified Upgrade Despite Two Trade‑offs OxygenOS 16 on Android 16 brings a clean build with scalable icons, a revamped Control Center, Flux 2.0 lock‑screen options, Parallel Animations 2.0, minimal bloat, and deep Gemini integration; Plus Mind’s Mind Space adds robust capture and summarization, though AI Writer is temporarily paused. Both promise 4 OS and 6 security years, with the 15R’s practical support window longer by virtue of being newer. With phone prices rising on the back of RAM costs, the upgrades justify the higher tag despite two clear trade‑offs: no telephoto and a non‑LTPO panel. The result is a meaningful step forward that keeps the flagship‑killer spirit intact.