OnePlus has officially pulled back the curtain on its next flagship handset, and it’ll be powered by the most powerful Android chip ever.

The upcoming OnePlus 15 will be one of the first phones to use the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset.

The news comes hot off the official announcement of the Snapdragon chipset itself during Qualcomm’s ongoing event in Hawaii, but what’s got our attention is the promise of a two-generation leap forward in power.

Xiaomi has already confirmed that the Xiaomi 17 range will get the Elite Gen 5, while Samsung has hinted that at least some of the Galaxy S26 handsets will follow suit.

Alongside the announcement, Qualcomm’s SVP and General Manager of Mobile Handsets, Chris Patrick, added: “As the world’s fastest mobile CPU, paired with our most advanced GPU and NPU, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 delivers breakthrough speed, sustained gaming power, intelligent photography and all-day efficiency—exactly what OnePlus users need.”

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OnePlus

At this point in time, very little is known about the OnePlus 15, though the company says more will be revealed “over the coming weeks”.

However, thanks to the phone’s surprise appearance at Qualcomm’s separate event for the Chinese press, we do know what the phone will look like.

Doing away with the circular camera bump of the OnePlus 13 , this newer handset will take on a more square-like array that doesn’t feel too dissimilar to what Apple previously went with before the iPhone 17 Pro stretched things out across the entire width of its chassis.

OnePlus also confirmed in a post on Weibo that the refresh rate would jump from 120Hz to 165Hz, which should make for a much smoother viewing experience, especially when playing fast-paced mobile games.

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OnePlus via Weibo

This will be the first flagship OnePlus phone in several years that hasn’t been developed in conjunction with camera company Hasselblad after an end to the partnership was revealed just a few weeks ago.

In place of Hasselblad’s contribution, OnePlus has explained that the OnePlus 15 will feature an all-new DetailMax image engine , which is designed to bring out the best version in every picture that you take.

Given that the OnePlus 13 is easily among the best phones that we’ve tested this year, we’re excited to know more about its successor, so keep an eye on our news coverage for more information as it appears.

Author: Thomas Deehan, Contributor, Tech Advisor

The OnePlus 15 is coming, and it’ll be powered by the brand - 3

Tom began covering tech all the way back in 2018, initially writing about tech deals for Trusted Reviews before working his way up to being the site’s Deputy Editor. Now operating as a freelance writer, you can find Tom testing the latest smartphones, wearables, earbuds and more. In his spare time, you’ll either find him trying to get through a backlog of books, games and TV shows, or trying to write his very own novel (if he’s feeling productive).

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