Today we're going to make a comparison between two phones with "plus" in their names. The iPhone 15 Plus is the second iteration of the revamped "Plus" model that Apple launched last year, and the OnePlus 11 is considered by many to be a "return-to-the-roots" phone for OnePlus.
The iPhone 15 Plus is now official (Apple officially unveiled the new iPhone 15 family on Tuesday, September 12th), and we have the necessary pieces of the puzzle to complete this comparison. Join us while we dissect both phones in various categories to find which one is better and which one deserves your hard-earned money. Here we go!
Verizon-locked iPhone 15 at Walmart: preorder and save $100
The iPhone 15 is also available for preorder with a Verizon subscription. Walmart allows you to save $100 on this device over 36 months. Preorder today for just $21.64/mo.
The iPhone 15 is available for preorder with a carrier subscription for AT&T at Walmart. The device goes for $21.64/mo, saving you a total of $100. Currently, all colors and storage variants are available.
The iPhone 15 Plus can be yours for just $24.42/mo with a Verizon subscription
Walmart allows you to preorder the iPhone 15 Plus with a subscription to Verizon as well. The device goes for just $24.42 a month over 36 months. In total, your savings amount to $100. This is the 128GB configuration.
iPhone 15 Plus: preorder at Walmart and save with a subscription to AT&T
The iPhone 15 Plus is also available for preorder at Walmart, too. This is a locked version of the device. It comes with 128GB of internal storage space. Walmart sells the Apple device for $24.42/mo over 36 installments.
The OnePlus 11 boasts a 6.7-inch curved OLED display with 1440p resolution and LTPO technology, enabling a dynamic refresh rate ranging from 1 Hz to a remarkable 120 Hz. This helps battery life and allows for a very efficient always-on feature. The nominal brightness is around 800 nits, and color reproduction is also very accurate on the OnePlus.
The iPhone 15 Plus features a very similar display panel to its predecessor. The size remains the same at 6.7 inches, as is the 60Hz display refresh rate. Unlike the OnePlus 11, the iPhone 15 Plus boasts a flat screen with ceramic shield on top. In the brightness department, Apple boasts some improved numbers with 1,600 peak HDR brightness, and a whopping 2,000 nits peak outdoor brightness. We have to test these but it seems that the iPhone wins the brightness game.
The OnePlus 11 has an advantage in the refresh rate department, though, thanks to the LTPO technology and its ability to switch between 1Hz and 120Hz (with everything in between), but your choice will also boil down to whether you like flat or curved screens.
In terms of design, there's a very distinct difference between these two phones, one employs the flat back, flat front design with the square camera bump on the back (iPhone 15 Plus), while the other is much more rounded. This year the iPhone 15 Plus also sports a textured matte back, which is kinda similar to the surface of the OnePlus 11, albeit as we already pointed out - flat. The dimensions and weight of both phones are similar (201 grams for the iPhone vs 205 grams for the OnePlus). The color situation is as listed below.
iPhone 15 Plus colors:
Black
Green
Pink
Blue
Yellow
OnePlus 11 available colors:
Eternal Green
Titan Black
Performance
A16 vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
The iPhone 15 Plus inherits the A16 chipset from last year's iPhone Pro models, and that is not bad news. We're tempted to include some benchmarks here, as we have the A16 results, but we'll hold our horses until the iPhone 15 Plus lands on our test bench, as there are many variables to this equation. What we can say is that the A16 is a very potent chipset and still beats the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in some tests.
Speaking of which, the OnePlus 11 comes equipped with the aforementioned Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, and there's nothing wrong with it, it's the best Qualcomm has to offer as of now. The RAM situation is very complex, the OnePlus 11 can be purchased with either 8GB or 16GB of RAM, while the iPhone 15 Plus retains the same 6GB of RAM its predecessor sported. As strange as it might sound, we don't expect the RAM amount to account for a significant difference in performance between the two phones in real-life scenarios.
The iPhone 15 Plus runs iOS 17 out of the box, and thanks to the sneak peak we got during the annual WWDC event, we know have a glimpse at some of the cool new iOS 17 features (NameDrop, pretty cool iMessage, Phone and FaceTime updates, and more). You can also download the iOS 17 developer beta, and check out our full iOS 17 preview for a deep dive. The OnePlus 11, on the other hand, is a known entity software-wise, the phone runs on Android 13 but will get the upcoming Android 14 very soon, so be sure to check out our Android 14 hub for more details about all the upcoming changes.
Camera
Different on paper
The OnePlus 11 comes with one additional camera on its back, compared to the system on the iPhone 15 Plus. There's a 50MP main camera, a 48MP ultrawide, and a 32MP telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom. All this might sound like a lot of megapixels, but we're not sure there'll be a huge difference between the two phones in terms of real-life photos.
The iPhone 15 Plus comes with an upgraded 48MP main camera, stripped down from last year's iPhone Pro models. The ultrawide camera remains the same as the one in the iPhone 14 Plus, but all in all, we expect very similar results. We don't see the 32MP telephoto as a huge plus (pun intended) for the OnePlus, the same results (or very similar ones) could be achieved by using cropping, which is exactly how the iPhone 15 Plus handles telephoto, by using 2x crops from the main 48MP sensor. Apple calls it Optical-quality 2x telephoto.
Of course, computational photography is king nowadays, and we'll have to see what trick is hiding up Apple's sleeve with the iPhone 15 Plus and iOS 17. If you're choosing between these two phones, the camera system probably shouldn't be the deciding factor. Stay tuned for a detailed camera comparison, as the iPhone 15 Plus will land on our test bench soon.
Audio Quality
The OnePlus 11's dual loudspeakers have new magnets and new NLC low-frequency algorithms, so the phone does sound better than its predecessors.
Will it sound better than the iPhone 15 Plus? We're not sure, but the iPhone 14 Plus sounds incredible, and we're expecting the same from the successor. iPhones have always had decent speakers, and the size of the Plus model sure helps with resonance and bass response.
Neither of these phones sport a 3.5mm audio jack, so you'll have to use an adapter or settle for Bluetooth earbuds/headphones ("Never Settle," wasn't this the moto of OnePlus...oh, well).
Battery and Charging
Super-fast vs same old
Everyone's hopes were pretty high when Apple announced the USB-C port on the iPhone 15 series but it was a short-lived celebration. The iPhone 15 Plus does come with a USB-C port but it's limited to USB 2.0 transfer speeds, and the charging speeds seem to have remained the same - Apple cites 50% in 30 minutes with a 20W fast charger. Which is pretty far from let's say 100W wired, right?
And we're mentioning 100W because that's the insanely fast charging capability of the OnePlus 11, and it's hard to beat. Even capped at 80W (in the US), the OnePlus 11 is able to charge its 5,000mAh battery in half an hour. In comparison, the iPhone 15 Plus will most likely take twice as long to charge its 4,325mAh battery (capacity still not confirmed).
Specs
iPhone 15 Plus
OnePlus 11
Size, weight
160.9 x 77.8 x 7.8 mm, 201 grams
163.1 x 74.1 x 8.53 mm, 205 grams
Screen
6.7" OLED 60Hz
6.7" AMOLED 1-120Hz
Processor
A16 Bionic 4nm
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 4nm
RAM, Storage
6/128GB 6/256GB 6/512GB -
LPDDR5
8/128GB 16/256GB -
LPDDR5
Cameras
48MP main 12MP ultra -
12MP front
50MP main 48MP ultra 32MP telephoto -
16MP front
Battery
4325 mAh*
5000mAh
Charging
USB-C 20W wired MagSafe
USB-C 100W(80W) wired
*iPhone 15 Plus battery capacity not confirmed
Summary
The iPhone 15 Plus and the OnePlus 11 are very different animals, despite their morphological similarities. On paper, the OnePlus 11 offers better bang for your buck and comes equipped with better features. It has an LTPO display, while the iPhone 15 Plus is stuck in the past with the old school 60Hz.
The camera system of the OnePlus 11 is also a bit more flexible with a dedicated 32MP zoom lens. Whether or not this will translate to a real-life advantage, it's hard to say. Stay tuned for our detailed camera comparison to find out. When it comes to battery life and charging, things are looking even more gloomy for the iPhone 15 Plus. Even though it now sports a USB-C port, charging speeds seem to have remained the same. Again we have to test this once the phone lands in our lab, but we're pretty sure this battle is doomed for the iPhone.
At the end of the day, the deciding factors is the price and the preferred platform (Android or iOS). If you're coming from an iPhone device and looking to switch, the OnePlus 11 could be a decent choice, especially at its current price. If it's the other way around, you have cheaper options with the vanilla iPhone 15.
The iPhone 15 Plus is actually a great upgrade if you're coming from an older iPhone and want a big screen without the big price tag, the phone starts at $899, the same starting price as its predecessor, so kudos to Apple for keeping the price unchanged.
