OnePlus 15R to Debut With a New, Slower Snapdragon Chip — And That Might Be a Good Thing

OnePlus has officially announced that its forthcoming OnePlus 15R will be the maiden smartphone to use Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 processor. Astonishingly, this is not the ultra-high-end Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 which is used in the flagship OnePlus 15, but a slightly downscaled version that could even be of help to users.

A New Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 for the OnePlus 15R

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 5—distinct from the Elite variant—was unveiled on November 26 and now makes its debut in the OnePlus 15R. The non-Elite chip features:

• Two prime Oryon CPU cores clocked at 3.8GHz (vs 4.6GHz on the Elite)
• Six performance cores at 3.32GHz (vs 3.62GHz)
• Support for LP-DDR5x RAM up to 4,800MHz (vs 5,300MHz)
• The same Adreno GPU as the Elite
• A Snapdragon X80 5G modem instead of the X85

While the specs are modestly lower, the reduced power load may help OnePlus tackle overheating concerns—an issue seen in several devices using the higher-end Elite chip.

Expected Specifications of the OnePlus 15R

Beyond the new chipset, OnePlus has confirmed a few major hardware highlights:

• DetailMax Engine for improved camera processing
• G2 Wi-Fi chip
• 1.5K AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate (similar to the OnePlus Nord 5)

Battery details remain unconfirmed, leaving questions about whether it will feature the rumored 8,300mAh cell spotted in the China-only OnePlus Ace 6T.

OnePlus Watch Lite: Lightweight, Slim, and Cross-Platform

OnePlus is also preparing to launch the OnePlus Watch Lite alongside the 15R. Key features include:

• 1.46-inch AMOLED display with up to 3,000 nits brightness
• Slim 8.9mm stainless-steel body, weighing just 35g
• Compatibility with both Android and iOS
• Ability to pair with two smartphones simultaneously
• Dual-band GPS, 100 sports modes, and 60-second Wellness Overview
• The Watch Lite will be available in Phantom Black and appears to run custom software, not Wear OS.

OnePlus Pad Go 2: Bigger Display, Better Multitasking

Alongside the new phone and watch, OnePlus teased the OnePlus Pad Go 2, which will feature:

12.1-inch 2.8K display at 285ppi

Support for Open Canvas multitasking, the same feature seen on the OnePlus Pad 3 and OnePlus Open

Launch Date

The global launch of all three products, the OnePlus 15R, OnePlus Watch Lite, and OnePlus Pad Go 2, will take place on December 17. Additionally, the OnePlus 15R and Pad Go 2 will be released in the U. S. as well.