Since the release of the first OnePlus phone, it has always demonstrated top-tier performance in the performance arena. In addition to flagship-level chips, other peripheral configurations are also quite excellent, especially the screen. Remember who led the industry in popularizing 90Hz screens? It was the OnePlus 7 Pro back in the day. Now, the OnePlus 15 has arrived with a 165Hz screen.

Actually, there have been a few phones equipped with high refresh rate screens in the past, but most remained obscure and didn't cause much of a stir. So, can the OnePlus 15 break through in the fiercely competitive smartphone market relying on its 165Hz screen? Is it actually good to use? Let's take a look.

Straight to the actual tests. First, a medium load scenario with our old familiar friend, "Honor of Kings." With extreme graphics quality and 120FPS mode enabled, the OnePlus 15 achieved a full frame rate score of 120.1 FPS, and the frame rate curve was very stable, essentially a straight line throughout with almost no fluctuations. The 1% Low FPS was 104.1 FPS, also a very good result, and its performance is commendable. The stability index was 0.1 (lower is better). This is the capability of the OnePlus 15. The power consumption of around 3W was as expected. As for temperature, after extended play, it was only about 35°C, lower than normal human body temperature, with almost no warm sensation.

OnePlus 15 Review

Alright, I know some might say that even "Honor of Kings" at extreme settings isn't too heavy a load. Well then, is the "Gold Hour" map scene in "Honkai: Star Rail" at maximum graphics quality sufficient? And with both 1.5K resolution and 120FPS super resolution and frame rate concurrently enabled, let's see if the OnePlus 15 can handle it. In a half-hour test, the OnePlus 15 achieved an average frame rate of 117 FPS. Although the frame rate curve showed some fluctuations, most frame rates were above 115 FPS, and there were no sudden frame drops, so the perception wasn't obvious. It's important to note that this is already a relatively extreme state for a mobile phone load, and the performance is very satisfactory. I also noticed that even with continuous play, the body temperature didn't exceed 40°C (of course, the recent drop in ambient temperature also plays a role), and the frame rate remained equally stable. Among these factors, the OnePlus WindChase Gaming Kernel certainly deserves significant credit, along with the new Glacier Cooling System and the newly added supercritical aerogel (a high thermal resistance, high insulation material) in the OnePlus 15, which enables directional heat dissipation and redirects heat away from grip areas, further enhancing the gaming experience.

Clearly, 120FPS games can no longer satisfy OnePlus's exploration of the upper limits of experience. So, how about the performance of the flagship 165FPS ultra-high frame rate feature on the OnePlus 15? Taking the popular game "Delta Action" as an example, the OnePlus 15 already supports 165FPS mode—note, this isn't achieved through "unorthodox" methods like frame interpolation, but is a natively adapted ultra-high frame rate mode within the game. Actual tests show that the full frame data of 164.3 FPS doesn't lie, and the frame rate curve is also a straight line, very stable throughout. The stability index reached 0.4, which is quite impressive for a game running at 165FPS. Among these, the MedRange value reached 99.7%, which is an excellent result. You might not be familiar with this data point, so here's a brief explanation: This value refers to the proportion of time the frame rate deviates within 20% of the median. It can be used to evaluate the stability of visual smoothness and effectively reflect the degree of impact frame rate fluctuations have on user experience. The closer this data is to 100%, the more stable the frame rate.

OnePlus 15 Review

Across multiple game sessions, it consistently achieved full frame rate operation, and power consumption was controlled within 4.5W, which is good performance. As for temperature, it was under 36°C, so you don't have to worry about frame drops due to thermal throttling during long gaming sessions. Excellent.

From the experience of the past few days, the OnePlus 15's 165FPS mode not only makes games smoother but also allows you to spot enemies faster in games—and this isn't an exaggeration. FPS means frames per second. Dividing 1 by the frame rate gives the answer easily: in 120FPS mode, outputting one frame takes 8.3 milliseconds, while in 165FPS mode, it's only 6 milliseconds. The difference between victory and defeat among experts often comes down to milliseconds.

Of course, the OnePlus 15 can only give you a slight hardware advantage; it's useless if your skills can't keep up. To further help players enhance their "combat effectiveness" through equipment, the OnePlus 15 also utilizes enhanced drive technology and a new generation circuit design to achieve a five-finger touch sampling rate of 330Hz, with an instantaneous touch sampling rate as high as 3200Hz. This is extremely important for players who enjoy FPS or MOBA games. Actual tests show, under a high-speed camera, the OnePlus 15's operation is very responsive, almost achieving pinpoint accuracy where you touch, with touch-display synchronization. There's no delay between operation and the on-screen action, whose importance in games needs no further explanation.

Performance isn't just about frame rate; here I must also mention the battery life performance of the OnePlus 15. It is equipped with a large 7300mAh battery. For daily use involving only medium-to-low load games like "Delta Action" and "Honor of Kings" (including some daily apps), a conservative estimate suggests up to 10 hours of screen-on time is achievable. Even in the "Honkai: Star Rail" super resolution and frame rate concurrent scenario, the battery life performance remains very strong. Coupled with 120W wired fast charging, range anxiety simply doesn't exist.

OnePlus 15 Review

After this period of deep experience with the OnePlus 15, I feel it has undergone a very significant change: Previous phones often advertised how high their frame rates were, primarily targeting heavy-load game scenarios like "Honkai: Star Rail," which relies mainly on chip processing power. However, the OnePlus 15 not only achieves stable frames in high-load scenarios but also pushes the experience of screen refresh rate, touch sensitivity, network connectivity, and other aspects to the extreme, conducting comprehensive optimizations. This leads to a qualitative improvement in the gaming experience.

For example, for music games that have large player bases but generally don't require extremely high performance, optimization efforts from phone manufacturers have often been insufficient. The excellent stability and touch sensitivity of the OnePlus 15 can be a great help here—it's not just about ensuring stable full frames in large games; it also serves more players by improving the fundamental experience, which is most important.

It's worth mentioning that the high screen refresh rate isn't just for smoother gaming; it also enables a high refresh rate experience in other apps. Furthermore, in the system settings, you can freely set the refresh rate for each individual application, balancing experience and power consumption to ensure the device's overall battery life. Of course, initially, the 165Hz mode for apps like WeChat and Xiaohongshu can only be enabled in the Developer Options, but more apps should be adapted later. Combined with ColorOS 16's Aurora Engine and Tidal Engine, sufficient smoothness is also guaranteed within the system. The silky-smooth experience, likened to "Dove chocolate in the phone circle," has a very good reputation both in the industry and among users.

OnePlus 15 Review

Certainly, this screen isn't just about high refresh rate and responsive touch; its display quality is also outstanding. OnePlus and New Oriental jointly researched and upgraded the X3 light-emitting material, and also customized a dedicated production line to perform one-on-one calibration for each screen, aiming for better display results.

The front bezels have achieved an ultra-narrow 1.15mm four-sided equal-width design, perfectly matching the rounded corners. Whether gaming or watching videos, the visual effect is highly immersive. It's worth noting that the OnePlus 15 also achieves a hardware-level 1nit brightness display. During this period of use, I found that it can not only lower the brightness but also ensure sufficient clarity and transparency, avoiding a "mura effect" or "dirty screen" appearance. This is also because OnePlus pioneered the "Full Brightness Human Factor Color Appearance Model," which can restore the color perception of the human eye under different lighting environments and different screen brightness levels, reducing visual deviation in extreme environments and ensuring consistent viewing from different angles. This upgrade is very friendly for those who like to use their phones before sleep, providing soft, non-irritating light that is still clear enough. Coupled with numerous hardware-level eye protection parameters and software functions, the OnePlus 15 reduces the flicker risk value to below 0.12, minimizing potential damage to eyesight when using the phone at night as much as possible.

OnePlus 15 Review

As for the back design, it continues the metal cube Deco design of the OnePlus 13T. The camera module is compact and doesn't get in the way, which is very friendly for gamers. The metal frame feels rounded in hand, and the flat edges have a subtle curved chamfer, making it very comfortable to hold. This Primordial Sand Dune color version is the main color for this year. The body lacks excessive decoration, grand like an endless desert, a low-key yet distinctive color scheme.

Overall, the OnePlus 15 is indeed sufficiently "Ultra" in terms of performance. Because besides the processor, it has also made significant efforts in the screen and software/hardware adaptation—all upgrades that users can perceive directly, raising the upper limit of the experience. Returning to the initial question: Can this 165Hz screen lead the industry once again? I believe the previous 165Hz phones didn't become hugely popular because the processor performance at the time might not have kept up, and there were very few supported games, so consumers naturally weren't convinced.

However, the OnePlus 15, in collaboration with many game developers, has taken the lead in exclusively adapting the 165FPS mode. Not only for "Delta Action," but games including "Dark Zone," "CrossFire," and others already natively support it, and most can simultaneously enable the highest graphics quality, maximizing the experience. Later, games like "League of Legends: Wild Rift" and "Game for Peace" will follow suit. Consumers will then be able to intuitively feel the qualitative change in experience brought by the 165FPS mode.

The OnePlus 7 Pro promoted industry focus on high refresh rate screens with its 90Hz display, gradually phasing out 60Hz. The OnePlus 15's 165Hz screen still achieves that "hard to go back once you've used it" effect. Especially the strategy of jointly upgrading both software and hardware with game developers is very likely to lead the entire industry's development once again. Of course, that remains to be seen. If you currently want the ultimate high refresh rate gaming experience on a phone, then there is one and only one option: the OnePlus 15.