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Can OnePlus topple Apple's flagship?
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Jump to:- Specs
- Price & availability
- Design
- Display
- Cameras
- Performance & software
- Battery
- Verdict
The OnePlus 15 is a remarkable phone, beating the iPhone 17 Pro Max on battery life, charging speed, refresh rate, and price, while delivering similarly good cameras and performance.
Pros- Huge battery
- Relatively affordable
- 165Hz refresh rate
- Tops out at 512GB
- Smaller screen
- Lower resolution
The iPhone 17 Pro Max has a massive screen with a very high resolution, and you can get it with a lot of storage, but in most other ways the OnePlus 15 matches or beats it.
Pros- Up to 2TB of storage
- Massive screen
- Extremely powerful
- Very expensive
- Smaller battery
- Slower charging
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So, below, we’ve compared these two great phones in detail, looking closely at all their key specs and features, so you can more easily decide which – if either – to buy.
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OnePlus 15 vs iPhone 17 Pro Max: specs comparison
Before we analyze these handsets in detail, here’s an overview of how their core specs compare.
Swipe to scroll horizontallyHeader Cell - Column 0OnePlus 15
iPhone 17 Pro Max
Dimensions and weight:
161.4 x 76.7 x 8.1mm, 211g or 215g
163.4 x 78 x 8.8mm, 233g
Display:
6.78-inch 165Hz
6.9-inch 120Hz
HBM brightness:
1,800 nits
1,600 nits
Chipset:
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
A19 Pro
RAM:
12GB / 16GB
12GB
Rear cameras:
50MP wide, 50MP ultra-wide, 50MP telephoto
48MP wide, 48MP ultra-wide, 48MP telephoto
Front camera:
32MP
18MP
Battery:
7,300mAh
5,088mAh / 4,832mAh
Storage:
256GB, 512GB
256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB
OnePlus 15 vs iPhone 17 Pro Max: price and availability
Image 1 of 2
The OnePlus 15(Image credit: Peter Hoffmann)
The iPhone 17 Pro Max(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)The OnePlus 15 launched globally on November 13, 2025, following an initial China-only launch in October. It starts at $899.99 / £899, for which you get 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM, and that price rises to $999.99 / £999 for the model with 512GB of storage and 16GB of RAM. At the time of writing, there’s no availability in Australia.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max launched in September 2025 and starts at $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,149 for the model with 256GB of storage. There’s also a 512GB model for $1,399 / £1,399 / AU$2,599, a 1TB version for $1,599 / £1,599 / AU$2,999, and even a 2TB model for $1,999 / £1,999 / AU$3,799.
So, you have a lot more storage options with the iPhone, but the starting price of the OnePlus 15 – with which you’re getting the same amount of storage as the base iPhone 17 Pro Max – is $300 / £300 lower, so that’s quite a difference.
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OnePlus 15 vs iPhone 17 Pro Max: design
Image 1 of 2
The OnePlus 15(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
The iPhone 17 Pro Max(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)The OnePlus 15 is less showy than its predecessor, the OnePlus 13, with a redesigned, squarish camera block that doesn’t look a million miles from those on lots of other handsets.
It’s 161.4 x 76.7 x 8.1mm, 211g or 215g (depending on the finish), and it comes in Infinite Black, Sand Storm (a very pale brown), and Ultra Violet colors. It has an aluminum alloy frame, and in most cases a glass back – though the Sand Storm option instead uses a fiberglass-reinforced plastic back.
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It’s also very durable, with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front, similar protection on the back, and both IP68 and IP69K ratings. That means it’s dust-proof and water-resistant to depths of 2 meters for up to 30 minutes, as well as able to withstand high-pressure and high-temperature water jets.
With tiny bezels around its screen too, this is both a stylish and well-protected handset, with our OnePlus 15 review noting it offers “extreme durability and classy looks.”
The iPhone 17 Pro Max also has an attractive design, with a much wider camera block than its predecessor, the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and a slightly two-tone appearance on the back, with the camera housing and frame being aluminum alloy. There's also a glass cut-out on the rear.
It too has tiny bezels, though there’s a bigger cut-out in the screen than on the OnePlus 15, to house the Face ID sensors, and it’s fairly durable as well, with Ceramic Shield 2 on the front, Ceramic Shield on the back, and an IP68 rating.
That means it’s as dust-proof as the OnePlus 15, but it isn’t protected against high-temperature and high-pressure water jets. However, it can be submerged up to 6 meters deep for up to 30 minutes, which beats the OnePlus for depth.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max is 163.4 x 78 x 8.8mm and 233g, so it’s slightly thicker and heavier than OnePlus’s phone, and it’s available in Silver, Cosmic Orange, and Deep Blue shades.
Winner: tie
OnePlus 15 vs iPhone 17 Pro Max: display
Image 1 of 2
The OnePlus 15(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
The iPhone 17 Pro Max(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)The OnePlus 15 has a 6.78-inch 1272 x 2772 AMOLED screen with a 165Hz refresh rate, around 450 pixels per inch, and an 1,800-nit high brightness mode (HBM).
The iPhone 17 Pro Max, meanwhile, has a 6.9-inch 1320 x 2868 OLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, around 460 pixels per inch, and a 1,600-nit high brightness mode.
So, the OnePlus 15 has a higher refresh rate, though this will mostly just be useful when gaming (and only when playing certain titles), and it has a slightly brighter high brightness mode. The iPhone 17 Pro Max, on the other hand, has a larger, slightly higher resolution screen.
In our OnePlus 15 review, we said its “excellent display is bright and colorful,” while in our iPhone 17 Pro Max review, we said it has an “excellent Super Retina XDR display” that’s “brighter than ever.”
Winner: tie
OnePlus 15 vs iPhone 17 Pro Max: cameras
Image 1 of 2
The OnePlus 15(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
The iPhone 17 Pro Max(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)For a close look at how the cameras on the OnePlus 15 and iPhone 17 Pro Max compare in practice, you should head over to our dedicated OnePlus 15 vs iPhone 17 Pro Max camera comparison, but in short, they both held up well.
Our tester – Phones Editor Axel Metz – concluded that both are good for zoom shots, but that the iPhone wins for selfies. As far as other image types go, the OnePlus 15 tends to more consistently deliver realistic images, while the iPhone 17 Pro Max can take photos that have more of a cinematic quality.
Or to put it another way, Metz claimed “the iPhone is capable of higher highs and lower lows, while the OnePlus is a 'safer', potentially more dependable (but also potentially more boring) camera.”
As for the camera hardware, the OnePlus 15 has a 50MP f/1.8 wide camera, a 50MP f/2.0 ultra-wide (with a 116-degree field of view), a 50MP f/2.8 telephoto (offering 3.5x optical zoom), and a 32MP f/2.4 front-facing camera.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max has a 48MP f/1.8 wide camera, a 48MP f/2.2 ultra-wide (with a 120-degree field of view), a 48MP f/2.8 telephoto (with 4x optical zoom), and an 18MP f/1.9 selfie camera. So, the core specs here are broadly comparable.
Winner: tie
OnePlus 15 vs iPhone 17 Pro Max: performance and software
Image 1 of 2
The OnePlus 15(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
The iPhone 17 Pro Max(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)The OnePlus 15 has a top-end Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset and either 12GB or 16GB of RAM. That chipset, for reference, is even more powerful than the one in the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, so this is a seriously capable phone.
But the iPhone 17 Pro Max also ranks among the most powerful phones you can buy, with an A19 Pro chipset and 12GB of RAM. Which chipset is best? That depends on which benchmark you’re looking at, but in general, they appear very closely matched.
In our reviews, we described the OnePlus 15 as having “stellar performance” and the iPhone 17 Pro Max as being “fast and effective in every scenario”, so there shouldn’t be much to choose here.
There is, however, a bit more to choose from in their respective software packages, as while the OnePlus 15 runs Android 16 (with the company’s OxygenOS 16 customizations), the iPhone 17 Pro Max runs iOS 26.
Both of these operating systems are polished and a pleasure to use, so it will come down to personal preference as to which you prefer. It is, however, worth noting that OnePlus is only promising four years of major Android updates for the OnePlus 15, and while Apple makes no official promises, iPhones are usually updated for around six years.
Winner: tie
OnePlus 15 vs iPhone 17 Pro Max: battery
Image 1 of 2
The OnePlus 15(Image credit: Blue Pixl Media)
The iPhone 17 Pro Max(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)The OnePlus 15 is the clear winner here, as it has an almost unprecedented 7,300mAh battery, along with 120W wired charging, 50W wireless, and 10W reverse wireless.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max, on the other hand, has a much lower capacity 5,088mAh (or 4,823mAh if you’re not using an eSIM-only model) battery, along with wired charging at around 40W, wireless charging at 25W, and no reverse wireless charging.
That said, Apple’s handset is still a long-lasting phone, with our iPhone 17 Pro Max review finding that it would keep going for over 30 hours, which is better than most handsets can manage. It also sports Apple's convenient MagSafe charging technology.
But it just can’t compete with the OnePlus 15 for pure endurance, with our reviewer recording around three days of life from the phone – and, of course, the OnePlus 15 can charge up faster too.
Winner: OnePlus 15
OnePlus 15 vs iPhone 17 Pro Max: verdict
While the OnePlus 15 and iPhone 17 Pro Max are both exceptional phones, there are some clear differences between them.
The OnePlus 15 – despite costing less – has a much bigger battery, far faster charging, a higher refresh rate, and – in the top configuration – more RAM.
On the other hand, the iPhone 17 Pro Max can be bought with more storage, and it also has a larger, slightly higher resolution screen.
In most other areas – including their cameras and power – these two phones are closely matched, so the only other real deciding factor is the operating system, but there’s no clear winner there either; it’s more just a matter of preference.
So, if you want a relative bargain with exceptional battery life and great gaming credentials, go for the OnePlus 15. If, however, you want the biggest screen possible, a ton of storage, or simply prefer iOS, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is the clear choice.
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TOPICS Apple CATEGORIES iPhone OnePlus Phones James RogersonSocial Links NavigationJames is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.
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