OnePlus 15 will offer lower display resolution, but I think it’s the right call
From QHD+ 120Hz to 1.5K 165Hz. Has OnePlus made the right call with the OnePlus 15? We're about to find out
The OnePlus 15 smartphone is due to be officially unveiled in China next week. And with the gradual drip of information, OnePlus giveth and OnePlus taketh away.
The company has confirmed that the next-generation flagship is getting an effective display resolution downgrade from QHD+ (3168 x 1140) on the OnePlus 13 to 1.5K (typically around 2712×1220).
However, before you get the placards and pitchforks out, the lowering of the display resolution has been made to facilitate an upgrade – the previously announced 165Hz refresh rate for the phone, which should enable incredibly smooth visuals and graphics.
The OnePlus 13 arrived with a 120Hz display to go with its QHD+ display, but OnePlus is wagering the upgrade to refresh rate is more important than the number of pixels crammed into the display.
In an article on Weibo, OnePlus’ president in China Li Jie Louis said its purely a technical consideration because a 165Hz display on a QHD+ display isn’t yet possible. “Due to limitations in luminescent materials and circuit technology, the industry is currently unable to achieve the 165Hz + 2K specifications simultaneously,” Louis wrote (via Android Authority), calling the industry’s first 1.5K, 165Hz display the “optimal solution.”
I believe it’s ultimately a smart call from OnePlus. Most people would be fibbing if they told you they could spot the difference between 1.5K and QHD+ resolutions on a display that’s under 7-inches in size. Sometimes it’s not immediately obvious to me when I’m watching 4K streams on a 65-inch television, for instance. However, those smooth refresh rates? You notice those when you’re gaming, when you’re watching fast-moving action and when you’re ducking and diving around the operating system on a smartphone. It would be nice to have both, but a 165Hz display is the real win here.
Chris Smith
