The OnePlus 15 and Realme GT 8 Pro sit in the same flagship segment, offering the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, large high-refresh-rate displays, and big batteries at similar price points in India. On paper they look very close, but their focus is slightly different: OnePlus leans towards a balanced all-round flagship experience, while Realme clearly pushes camera innovation and visual flair.
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Both phones target power users, gamers, and content creators who want premium performance without necessarily paying ultra-premium prices like top iPhones or Galaxy S25 Ultra type devices. The Hindu comparison article mainly evaluates how these two stack up in terms of design, display, performance, cameras, battery, and value in the Indian market.
Design and build
OnePlus 15 follows a more classic flagship design language with a premium metal-glass build, curved edges, and a clean camera module, giving it a more understated, professional look. Realme GT 8 Pro, on the other hand, goes for a flashier design with bold colours, a unique back panel, and an eye-catching camera island that is intended to stand out, especially for younger users and creators.
Realme also experiments with elements like an interchangeable or highly stylised camera module and strong visual branding, which makes it feel more experimental compared to OnePlus’ more mature aesthetic. In terms of durability, both offer robust builds and IP-rated protection, but OnePlus 15 emphasises “unbreakable” durability marketing with high-level dust and water resistance.
Display and multimedia
Both phones come with large, high-end AMOLED panels with fast refresh rates, making them excellent for gaming, video streaming, and social media. OnePlus 15 offers a 6.78‑inch LTPO display with up to 165 Hz refresh rate and QHD+ resolution, giving it ultra-smooth motion and excellent clarity along with very good calibration.
Realme GT 8 Pro uses a 6.79‑inch 2K AMOLED panel with up to 144 Hz refresh rate and extremely high peak brightness (around 7,000 nits), which makes it especially strong for outdoor visibility and HDR content. Reviewers generally describe the Realme panel as more vivid and punchy, while OnePlus aims for a more accurate, colour‑calibrated look, which The Hindu and other comparisons highlight.
Performance and gaming
Inside, both devices share the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 flagship processor paired with fast LPDDR5X RAM and UFS storage, so baseline CPU/GPU performance is very similar. However, OnePlus 15 uses a “Performance Tri‑Chip” setup optimised for gameplay, network stability, and visual responsiveness, combined with a strong cooling system, which helps with sustained performance in longer gaming sessions.
Realme GT 8 Pro counters with a dedicated R1 gaming chip plus a Hyper Vision AI chip that handle gaming optimisations and AI effects separately from the main SoC. In practice, benchmark and gaming reviews show both are extremely fast, but longer stress tests often give a slight edge to OnePlus in stability, whereas Realme focuses more on higher frame targets and AI‑driven enhancements.
Camera capabilities
Camera is where their personalities really separate. OnePlus 15 offers a flagship‑grade triple camera setup with a high-quality main sensor, an ultrawide lens, and a telephoto, tuned for balanced stills and video with consistent skin tones and natural colours. It performs strongly in daylight and low light, and front camera selfies are noted as sharp and detailed, though some reviewers mention that skin tone handling is slightly more neutral than Realme’s.
Realme GT 8 Pro’s highlight is the Ricoh‑branded GR camera system: a 50 MP main sensor with specific Ricoh GR film-style modes, a 50 MP ultrawide, and a 200 MP periscope telephoto lens capable of very high zoom levels and special film tones mode. The Ricoh GR partnership is similar in spirit to Xiaomi–Leica or Vivo–Zeiss collaborations and is aimed at creators who like stylised colours, street photography vibes, and more artistic shots straight out of the camera.
Battery and charging
OnePlus 15 packs a large 7,300 mAh silicon‑carbon battery with 120 W wired fast charging and 50 W wireless charging, providing very strong endurance and flexible top‑ups. Real‑world testing shows that OnePlus 15 can comfortably last a full heavy day with significant charge left and still recharge from near‑zero to full in under an hour.
Realme GT 8 Pro includes a slightly smaller 7,000 mAh battery but matches OnePlus with 120 W wired and 50 W wireless charging support, so full charges are similarly fast. Screen‑on time is typically a bit lower than OnePlus in long‑term benchmarks, partly because of Realme’s display tuning and brightness behaviour, but still easily enough for full‑day usage for most users.
Software and long-term updates
OnePlus 15 ships with OxygenOS based on Android 16, with a clean, near‑stock layout plus OnePlus custom features and optimisations, and promises long update support for several major Android versions and security patches. OxygenOS is often appreciated for its balance of smoothness, minimal bloat, and useful extras, which appeals to users who want a refined software experience.
Realme GT 8 Pro runs Realme UI 7.0 on top of Android 16 and also commits to four major OS updates and five years of security updates, matching expectations for a 2025 flagship. Realme UI is more feature‑rich and visually bold, which some users like for customisation and others may find slightly heavier compared to OxygenOS.
Key differences at a glance
Which one should you choose?
If priority is stable performance, excellent battery life, cleaner software, and an overall balanced flagship package, the OnePlus 15 is likely the safer and more refined choice. It suits users who game a lot, travel frequently, and want a phone that simply stays fast and reliable without drawing too much attention with its design.
If you lean more towards mobile photography, creative shooting styles, eye‑catching design, and enjoy tuning your phone’s look and feel, the Realme GT 8 Pro becomes very attractive. Its Ricoh GR camera partnership, high‑brightness display, and bold aesthetics especially appeal to content creators and users who want their phone to look and feel different from mainstream flagships.