OnePlus is expected to unveil the OnePlus 15R on December 17, but we already know that the phone will be the first to ship with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset.
Announced at the Snapdragon Summit in September, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 is actually a non-Elite version of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, and its release will mark the first time Qualcomm has pursued a dual-flagship chipset strategy, giving brands like OnePlus the opportunity to bring flagship-level power to cheaper Android phones.
“If you buy a base model iPhone in 2021 [the iPhone 13]it has the same chipset as the Pro model,” Xu explained on stage. “In 2022, things start to get interesting. If you buy the iPhone 14 Pro, it uses the A16, but the base model [the iPhone 14] stay at the A15. Next up with the iPhone 15 Pro, it’s the A17 Pro, but the base model is still last year’s A16. Basically, Apple was reusing its chipsets from the previous year in its base models.
“But, in 2024 – and this is the interesting thing – if you buy the iPhone 16 Pro, you get the A18 Pro. And if you buy the base model, you no longer get last year’s A17: you get the A18. It’s a separate silicon. Qualcomm understands this competitive situation and knows it has to fight back.”
“Long story short: on your best flagship, you need to push the power of your silicon,” Xu continued. “That’s what Apple [did] with the A18 Pro and with the base model [from that year]they [wanted] download [sic] the best advances of the Pro in a separate silicon. It’s the A18.
“And it’s the same situation with the iPhone 17 series. You have the A19 Pro in the iPhone 17 Pro and the A19 in the iPhone 17. Apple is using a dual-flagship strategy with its silicon. And that’s why Qualcomm is also using a dual-flagship strategy this year, starting with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5.”
Now, I’m not sure Qualcomm would so openly admit to copying Apple’s homework, but the logic is sound. And in an interview with TechRadar after Xu’s onstage presentation, the executive further explained why Qualcomm’s change in strategy is better for Qualcomm, better for OnePlus and, most importantly, better for consumers:
“Qualcomm is clearly seeing a trend that [suggests] a dual headlight strategy works best. Because with the [Snapdragon 8] Elite, you can just go for the best,” Xu said. “You can incorporate all the best technology that you have that year. [into one chipset]. And for the base model, when you add a new flagship [chipset]you can download [sic] the latest advances from that year, instead of using last year’s architecture.
“THE [Snapdragon] The 8 Gen 5 actually has the same architecture as the 8 Elite Gen 5 – same CPU architecture, same GPU architecture. And consumers will feel it’s better too, because they’ll know it’s the latest chipset, a new one, instead of borrowing an old one from last year. This is the point of view of psychology.
“And as for why this is great for OnePlus, both the 15 and 15R have the latest chipsets, and since they use the same architecture, it makes it very easy for us to take advantage of the latest benefits from the 15 to the 15R. For example, the always-on screen at 120fps and games supporting 165Hz. It’s very easy for us to port, because they share the same software base.”
So there you have it: the OnePlus 15R will be a cheaper alternative to the OnePlus 15. But thanks to the power of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, it won’t compromise on the level of performance that earned the latter phone a five-star TechRadar rating.
As for what else we know about the OnePlus 15R, OnePlus has confirmed that the phone will use the same Detailmax engine as the OnePlus 15, as well as the same Wi-Fi G2 chip for strong Wi-Fi connectivity.
We can expect a smaller battery and less capable camera hardware, but either way, everything will be revealed on December 17.
Follow TechRadar on Google News And add us as your favorite source to get our news, reviews and expert opinions in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!
And of course you can too follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form and receive regular updates from us on WhatsApp Also.
