Introduction
The Oppo R15 announcement was overshadowed by a massive media charade. A barrage of clickbait articles claiming this phone shows us what the OnePlus 6 will look like, took the spotlight off the actual product announcement and misfocused the attention on something else entirely. You won't see any of that here, this review is all about the latest fashion-centric smartphone duo to come out of the Chinese company - the Oppo R15 and R15 Pro.
Oppo R15 (Purple) next to the R15 Pro (Red)
Oppo has worked hard to establish its recent smartphones as more than just handsets. Professional designers hired to create hues, famous people advertising the R series, big flashy concerts, fashion brand partnerships - Oppo's persistence worked and anybody living in Asia could tell you an Oppo is more than just a phone, the brand is becoming part of popular culture .
The latest R15 and R15 Pro flagships, just like the newest Huawei P20s, have signature paint jobs that make them eye-catchy and easily recognizable. What we have here is the flat-back R15 in Nebula Purple and the curvy R15 Pro in Ruby Red.
Oppo R15 Pro
Made of glass, those two devices feature the season's favorite tall aspect ratio screens complete with a notch up top. Oppo is returning the AMOLED panels and has worked hard on building up the Selfie Expert branding with lots of selfie-centric features.
The rest is mostly incremental upgrades - an improved rear camera with a new 16MP primary sensor and some AI capabilities, Helio P60 or Snapdragon 660 chip, and a large battery with VOOC fast charging.
Oppo R15 and R15 Pro specs
- Body R15: Aluminum frame, flat glass back, Corning Gorilla Glass 5 front
- Body R15 Pro: Aluminum frame, curved glass (or ceramic) back, Corning Gorilla Glass 5 front
- Display: 6.28-inch AMOLED, 1080x2280px, 401ppi, 2.5D glass
- OS: Android 8.1 Oreo with ColorOS 5.0 on top
- Chipset R15: Mediatek Helio P60, 4x2.0 GHz Cortex-A73 & 4x2.0 GHz Cortex-A53, octa-core CPU, Mali-G72 MP3 GPU, 6GB RAM
- Chipset R15 Pro: Qualcomm SDM660 Snapdragon 660, 4x2.2 GHz Kryo 260 & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 260, octa-core CPU, Adreno 512 GPU, 6GB RAM
- Storage: 128GB internal with microSD hybrid (SIM2) expansion slot
- Rear Camera R15: Dual - 16MP, f/1.7, 1/2.6", 1.22µm, PDAF, plus 5MP, f/2.2, LED flash
- Rear Camera R15 Pro: Dual - 16MP, f/1.7, 1/2.6", 1.22µm, PDAF, plus 20MP, f/1.7, 1/2.8", 1.0µm, LED flash
- Video recording: Regular - 4K@30fps, 1080p@60 fps; Slow-mo - 720@240fps, 1080p@120fps
- Front Camera: 20MP, f/2.0, 1080p video recording
- Connectivity: Dual SIM, Dual 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth 4.2, dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11ac, A-GPS/GLONASS, NFC, microUSB 2.0
- Battery: 3,400mAh non-removable, VOOC Flash Charge 5V/4A
- Misc: Fingerprint reader (rear-mounted)
The R15 and R15 Pro are not that different with the most notable exception being the design. While the chipsets are from different makers, they should deliver equal performance. Then there is this megapixel bump on the secondary rear camera on the Pro, which should improve the low-light performance, at least in theory. But we all know how this turned out for the OnePlus 5T and Oppo R11s, so we won't be holding our breath here.
We got to spend some time with the Oppo R15 and R15 Pro, so we'd be using both devices for the most part of this review.
Unboxing the Oppo R15 and R15 Pro
Both Oppo R15 and R15 Pro come packed with the same accessories. There is a VOOC-compatible microUSB cable and 20W plug, a pair of headphones, and a transparent silicone case.
Note that you can only enjoy VOOC charging by using both the proprietary cable and charger. Any other cable or plug limits the device to 5W or 10W charging.
The Oppo R15 comes with pre-applied protectors on both the screen and its glass back. The R15 Pro has a protector, too, but only on its screen. Of course, both phones use Gorilla Glass 5, so it's really up to you to decide whether it's worth sticking to those extra layers of protection or not.
Design
The excellent screen is what you'll first notice about the Oppo R15 and R15 Pro. Oppo says consumers want all-screen phones and having a notch out there is inevitable. The duo evolves the tall screen introduced on the R11s by making it larger, bezel-less, and yes, notched.
Oppo R15 Pro next to the R15
There are lots of changes beyond that AMOLED screen, too. For starters, Oppo has waved goodbye to the aluminum unibody in favor of glass and ceramic. It's the other trend growing stronger lately - glass is taking over metal as the preferred material for the back. Both Oppo R15 and R15 Pro have polished metal frame gluing together the front Gorilla Glass 5 and rear's shiny piece.
The R15 uses a flat Gorilla Glass on the back that comes with a pre-applied protector. The signature color for the R15 lineup is the Nebula Purple, a gradient designed specifically for the occasion. You can also get the R15 in Hot Red and Snow White.
Oppo R15 in all three colors
The R15 Pro, on the other hand, takes the design one premium step further - the back panel is made of either glass (Ruby Red) or ceramic (Ceramic Black), and is curved towards the longer sides. The R15 Pro is available in Ruby Red gradient paint job - also designed for the R15 Pro exclusively. There is also a China-limited Ceramic Black version.
Oppo R15 Pro in Ceramic Black and Ruby Red
The screens on the R15 duo might be bigger than the panel on the R11s, but the phones' sizes have been kept the same at 155.x 75 x 7.5 mm. Only the weight has increased and is now up to 175g for the R15 Pro compared to the R11's 153g.
The Oppo R15 Pro in Ruby Red looks stunning, there are no two ways about it. The glass back with that gradient is one of the best-looking designs we've seen on a smartphone lately and that alone might be a decision maker.
The R15 Pro's glass back is curved, making it prettier than the R15's. It also helps the Pro look thinner than it actually is, which is a nice touch. We've seen this curve on many phones, starting with the edge models by Samsung, but we are glad it is sticking around.
The R15 Pro will be available with an IP67 rating on all markets outside China, which is probably a first for Oppo. We don't know the reason behind the Chinese exclusion, but a closer inspection revealed that even the Chinese R15 Pro comes with a lot of rubber seals around the chassis.
As we said, the back of the regular R15 is all-glass, but it lacks the edge of the R15 Pro. It still has a 2.5D rounded edge, so there are no sharp edges. Rather than that, everything looks the same - the camera hump, the flash, even the fingerprint scanner.
The R15 lacks any water-protection whatsoever, no matter the region. But Oppo still makes all of its phones, R15 included, moisture-tolerant as the coastal climate is rather wet a few months every year. The company has built entire machines that recreate the environment in different Chinese cities and tests all Oppos inside those.
Oppo R15 (Purple) next to the R15 Pro (Red)
The fingerprint sensors on R15 and R15 Pro are always-on, blazing-fast, and recognize your tips every single time. But in case that's not your favorite security authentication method, you can also opt for the improved Face Unlock.
Oppo R15
The notch on R15 duo has a small grille for the earpiece at its center. The 20MP selfie shooter is on the left, while the sensor bunch - on the right. There is no notification LED, and the earpiece is just that - no speaker functionality.
That 20MP cams are the technical part of the Oppo's Face Unlock. It can't be as secure as Apple's Face ID, but it uses 120 recognition points and supposedly can't be fooled by a picture. The good news is Oppo's face recognition is as fast as the fingerprint scanner at the back.
Oppo R15 Pro next to the R15
Both Oppo R15 and R15 Pro have hybrid SIM slots meaning you can swap the second SIM for a microSD card.
But most importantly, those two phones look amazing. Oppo has hired a renowned designer to mix the signature gradient paintjobs and it has paid off. After all, being a fashion icon isn't an easy task in today's smartphone beauty contest.
Oppo R15 (Purple) next to the R15 Pro (Red)
Finally, handling the Oppo R15 and R15 Pro is a pleasurable experience. Ture, they both are slippery devices unless you use the provided silicone cases. But with or without protection, the R15 duo is made to impress, it just requires regular cleaning and to be handled with care when used case-free.
Display
The Oppo R15 Pro, as well as the regular R15, packs a notched 6.28" screen of 2,280 x 1,080 pixels (that's 401 ppi). The matrix underneath that slightly curved Gorilla Glass 5 piece is of the Diamond PenTile kind.
In our display test, the R15 managed some 410nits of maximum brightness, in line with the R11s and OnePlus 5T. Just like the R-series phones to come before it, the R15's AMOLED doesn't offer a brightness boost in auto mode. Still, the other inherent benefits of the screen technology are intact. Contrast is, predictably, infinite and blacks are as deep as they get.
The minimum brightness equals the R11s' - just 2.1nits, perfect for reading in the dark.
| Display test | 100% brightness | ||
| Black, cd/m2 | White, cd/m2 | ||
| 0 | 410 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 410 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 441 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 437 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 435 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 440 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 618 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 370 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 658 | ∞ | |
| 0.382 | 703 | 1840 | |
| 0.397 | 554 | 1395 | |
| 0.401 | 532 | 1327 | |
| 0 | 412 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 582 | ∞ | |
| 0.328 | 477 | 1454 | |
| 0.481 | 695 | 1445 | |
Sunlight legibility is better than the R11s and pretty much the same as measured on the R11. It's on par with most of the OLEDs there and means perfectly usable even in the brightest of days.
Sunlight contrast ratio
- Apple iPhone X
5.013 - OnePlus 5T
4.789 - Samsung Galaxy S8
4.768 - Samsung Galaxy S8+
4.658 - Samsung Galaxy S9
4.63 - Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+
4.615 - Samsung Galaxy S9+
4.537 - Motorola Moto Z2 Play
4.459 - Oppo R11
4.454 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
4.439 - OnePlus 3
4.424 - Samsung Galaxy S7
4.376 - HTC One A9
4.274 - Oppo R15 Pro
4.251 - Samsung Galaxy Note7
4.247 - Samsung Galaxy A3
4.241 - Nokia 8
4.239 - Google Pixel 2 XL (pre-update)
4.234 - OnePlus 3T
4.232 - Google Pixel XL
4.164 - ZTE Axon 7
4.154 - Samsung Galaxy Note8
4.148 - Meizu Pro 7 Plus
4.147 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017)
4.124 - Samsung Galaxy S6 edge
4.124 - Huawei Mate 10 Pro (normal)
4.096 - Samsung Galaxy Note5
4.09 - Huawei P20 Pro
4.087 - Google Pixel 2 (pre-update)
4.023 - LG V30
4.022 - Huawei Nexus 6P
4.019 - Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro
3.998 - Vivo Xplay5 Elite
3.983 - OnePlus X
3.983 - Apple iPhone 7
3.964 - Oppo R7s
3.964 - Apple iPhone 8 (True Tone)
3.957 - Huawei P9 Plus
3.956 - Meizu Pro 6 Plus
3.935 - Lenovo Moto Z
3.931 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016)
3.918 - OnePlus 5
3.914 - Samsung Galaxy C5
3.911 - Samsung Galaxy C7
3.896 - Samsung Galaxy A5
3.895 - Samsung Galaxy J7 outdoor
3.879 - Samsung Galaxy J2 outdoor
3.873 - Samsung Galaxy A8
3.859 - Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)
3.842 - Sony Xperia XZs
3.818 - Samsung Galaxy A9 (2016)
3.817 - Motorola Moto X (2014)
3.816 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017)
3.812 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)
3.804 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) outdoor mode
3.802 - Xiaomi Redmi Pro
3.798 - LG V20 Max auto
3.798 - Sony Xperia XZ
3.795 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016)
3.789 - Apple iPhone 6s
3.783 - Meizu Pro 5
3.781 - Microsoft Lumia 650
3.772 - Xiaomi Mi 6
3.767 - Sony Xperia XZ1
3.765 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
3.756 - Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
3.729 - Apple iPhone 8 Plus (True Tone)
3.725 - Oppo F1 Plus
3.709 - Vivo X5Pro
3.706 - Sony Xperia X Compact
3.694 - Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017)
3.688 - Huawei P20
3.683 - Apple iPhone SE
3.681 - Huawei Mate 9
3.68 - Samsung Galaxy A7
3.679 - Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact
3.675 - Meizu PRO 6
3.659 - BlackBerry Priv
3.645 - Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra
3.597 - Apple iPhone 7 Plus
3.588 - Sony Xperia XZ2
3.58 - LG G6
3.556 - Apple iPhone 6s Plus
3.53 - Motorola Moto Z Play
3.526 - Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016) outdoor mode
3.523 - Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016)
3.523 - Acer Jade Primo
3.521 - Microsoft Lumia 950
3.512 - Oppo R7 Plus
3.499 - nubia Z11
3.466 - Huawei P10 Plus
3.456 - HTC U Ultra
3.453 - Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra
3.445 - Samsung Galaxy J7
3.422 - Meizu MX5
3.416 - LG V20
3.402 - Huawei P10
3.379 - Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016)
3.378 - Oppo R9s
3.352 - Honor 8 Pro
3.341 - Oppo R7
3.32 - Lenovo P2
3.316 - Archos Diamond Omega
3.305 - Honor 9
3.289 - Xiaomi Mi 5s
3.276 - Nokia 5
3.261 - Nokia 6 (Chinese version)
3.244 - Nokia 6 (Global version)
3.238 - Samsung Galaxy J2
3.235 - Sony Xperia X Performance
3.234 - Xiaomi Mi Note 2
3.228 - Motorola Moto X Play
3.222 - Oppo F3 Plus
3.218 - Huawei Mate 9 Pro
3.206 - Huawei P9
3.195 - Xiaomi Mi Mix 2
3.19 - ZTE Nubia Z17
3.159 - Oppo R11s
3.153 - Lenovo Vibe Shot
3.113 - HTC U11 Life
3.108 - Motorola Moto X Force
3.105 - LG Nexus 5X
3.092 - HTC U11
3.089 - Huawei Mate S
3.073 - Microsoft Lumia 640 XL
3.065 - Apple iPhone 6 Plus
3.023 - Asus Zenfone 4 ZE554KL
3.019 - Motorola Moto X4
3.012 - Sony Xperia XA1
3.012 - Sony Xperia L1
2.994 - Sony Xperia X
2.989 - LG Q6
2.987 - Huawei P10 Lite
2.974 - Samsung Galaxy Note
2.97 - Xiaomi Redmi 5
2.951 - Huawei Mate 8
2.949 - Sony Xperia XA2
2.938 - Xiaomi Redmi 4
2.92 - Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus
2.913 - Xiaomi Redmi 3S
2.913 - Sony Xperia XA Ultra
2.906 - LG G5
2.905 - HTC One S
2.901 - Huawei Honor View 10
2.896 - Xiaomi Redmi 3s Prime
2.893 - Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus
2.884 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium (sRGB)
2.877 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium
2.877 - Sony Xperia Z5
2.876 - Nokia 3
2.871 - Microsoft Lumia 550
2.851 - Lenovo Moto M
2.813 - Xiaomi Redmi 3 Pro
2.803 - Sony Xperia Z5 compact
2.784 - Nokia 2
2.752 - Meizu MX6
2.751 - LG V10
2.744 - Huawei Mate 10 (normal)
2.742 - Motorola Moto G5S Plus
2.737 - Xiaomi Redmi 3
2.735 - Huawei Honor 7X
2.734 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
2.714 - Meizu M5
2.71 - Sony Xperia M5
2.69 - Xiaomi Mi A1
2.689 - Xiaomi Redmi 4 Prime
2.679 - Huawei P9 Lite
2.679 - vivo V7+
2.671 - Vivo V3Max
2.659 - Xiaomi Mi Mix
2.658 - Huawei Mate 10 Lite
2.654 - Oppo F5
2.653 - Doogee Mix
2.642 - Xiaomi Mi 4i
2.641 - Xiaomi Redmi 4a
2.635 - Xiaomi Mi 5X (Standard)
2.616 - Sony Xperia XA
2.609 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus (max auto)
2.582 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
2.582 - Meizu M5s
2.58 - Xiaomi Mi 4c
2.574 - LeEco Le Max 2
2.567 - Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL
2.563 - Microsoft Lumia 640
2.563 - Huawei P Smart
2.563 - Xiaomi Mi Max 2
2.561 - HTC U11+
2.556 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A (Y1)
2.556 - Lenovo K6 Note
2.544 - Lenovo Moto G4
2.544 - Oppo F1
2.528 - Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
2.525 - Huawei Honor 7 Lite / Honor 5c
2.506 - Sony Xperia M4 Aqua
2.503 - BlackBerry Motion
2.494 - Oppo F1s
2.481 - Motorola Moto G
2.477 - Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus
2.473 - Huawei G8
2.471 - Huawei nova
2.467 - Sony Xperia Z
2.462 - Lenovo Vibe K5
2.459 - Meizu m3 max
2.447 - Xiaomi Mi 4
2.424 - Xiaomi Mi 5X (Auto)
2.417 - HTC 10 evo
2.407 - Huawei Honor 7
2.406 - Vivo V7
2.404 - Sony Xperia E5
2.386 - ZUK Z1 by Lenovo
2.382 - HTC 10
2.378 - Oppo F3
2.376 - vivo V5 Plus
2.371 - Meizu m1 note
2.362 - Huawei nova plus
2.329 - Razer Phone
2.328 - HTC One E9+
2.305 - Alcatel One Touch Hero
2.272 - Sony Xperia L2
2.266 - Lenovo Vibe K4 Note
2.254 - HTC U11+ (EU)
2.253 - Sony Xperia C5 Ultra
2.253 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (MediaTek)
2.249 - Sony Xperia C4 Dual
2.235 - Xiaomi Mi Note
2.234 - Motorola Moto G (2014)
2.233 - LG Nexus 5
2.228 - Huawei P8
2.196 - Meizu M5 Note
2.189 - Huawei Honor 6
2.169 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 2
2.166 - OnePlus Two
2.165 - HTC One X
2.158 - LG Aka
2.145 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (X20)
2.145 - Archos 50 Diamond
2.134 - Xiaomi Redmi Note
2.119 - Xiaomi Mi 4S
2.095 - Acer Liquid X2
2.084 - Huawei P8lite
2.078 - vivo V5
2.059 - Moto G 3rd gen max manual
2.026 - Xiaomi Mi 3
2.001 - Xiaomi Mi Max
1.996 - Sony Xperia E4g
1.972 - OnePlus One
1.961 - Sony Xperia Z2
1.944 - Meizu m3 note
1.923 - Meizu m2 note
1.892 - BlackBerry Leap
1.892 - HTC Butterfly
1.873 - ZTE Nubia Z9 mini
1.759 - Sony Xperia U
1.758 - Asus Zenfone Selfie
1.68 - Motorola Moto E (2nd Gen)
1.675 - ZTE Nubia Z9
1.659 - Jolla Jolla
1.605 - Motorola Moto E
1.545 - Sony Xperia M
1.473 - Sony Xperia L
1.351 - HTC Desire C
1.3 - Sony Xperia C
1.283 - Meizu MX
1.221 - Sony Xperia E
1.215
We also measured the color accuracy of the R15 display. The average DeltaE is 5.7 with the maximum deviation of 9.6 being at point white. There is a noticeable blue tint on some of the colors, including white, but you can use the Warm Color temperature option from Settings to lower the blue impact.
Finally, it's worth noting that the AMOLED display on the R15 Pro fares greatly in terms of color shifting when viewing the screen at an angle as there is barely any. In other words, it's no worse than on premium-tier phones such as the Galaxy S9 and iPhone X.
Battery life
The Oppo R15 Pro is powered by a 3,400mAh battery (Li-Po) sealed inside its glass body. The phone supports the fast VOOC charging standard and is bundled with the proper charger for it, a 5V unit at 4A for a total output of 20W. In our tests, it reached a 58% charge (from flat) in half an hour, and full charge in an hour and a half.
ColorOS features a few power saving modes that are enabled by default, so you may notice how the phone often intervenes by killing background apps for you. If that causes issues, you can exempt specific apps from this behavior. We found it too aggressive to our taste and had to go and white-list a few apps manually (a minor note: we wish we had a way to do this from the app switcher, instead of having to go into the settings).
Oppo R15 (White) next to the R15 Pro (Black)
We ran our battery tests and the 3,400mAh battery posted an overall score of 86 hours - slightly better than the R11 and R11s numbers. The R15 did great on talk time, web browsing, and video playback test, while its standby power consumption is slightly above average.
The R15 and R15 Pro have AOD screens, but they are far from power-efficient and will take a huge toll on the standby endurance.
Our endurance rating denotes how long a single battery charge will last you if you use the Oppo R15 Pro for an hour each of telephony, web browsing, and video playback daily. We've established this usage pattern so our battery results are comparable across devices in the most common day-to-day tasks. The battery testing procedure is described in detail in case you're interested in the nitty-gritties. You can also check out our complete battery test table, where you can see how all of the smartphones we've tested will compare under your own typical use.
Loudspeaker
The Oppo R15 Pro, as well as the R15, has a single bottom-firing loudspeaker. The tiny earpiece is just that - an earpiece - and doesn't double as a second speaker.
The Oppo R15 Pro scored a Very Good mark with its single loudspeaker, an improvement over the R11 series. It's a bit quiet in the vocal range, but it performs great for music and the sound output is rich and clean most of the time.
| Speakerphone test | Voice, dB | Ringing |
Overall score | |
| 66.4 | 71.5 | 65.0 | Average | |
| 68.4 | 73.2 | 69.9 | Good | |
| 64.3 | 71.5 | 76.1 | Good | |
| 67.8 | 72.9 | 73.3 | Good | |
| 68.9 | 74.0 | 76.2 | Very Good | |
| 66.5 | 73.1 | 79.6 | Very Good | |
| 68.7 | 72.7 | 78.3 | Very Good | |
| 69.7 | 73.5 | 76.6 | Very Good | |
| 68.5 | 74.3 | 81.1 | Very Good | |
| 66.6 | 69.8 | 90.0 | Very Good | |
| 71.8 | 69.2 | 91.0 | Excellent |
Audio quality
With an active external amplifier the Oppo R15 Pro did splendidly. Its accuracy was flawless and its volume levels were nicely high.
When we plugged in our standard headphones, volume dropped to just above average, while the stereo crosstalk rose a moderate amount. Some intermodulation distortion crept in too, but that's hardly noticeable. Overall, the quality of the output is very good, although we've seen flagships do much better - particularly in the loudness department.
| Test | Frequency response | Noise level | Dynamic range | THD | IMD + Noise | Stereo crosstalk |
| +0.01, -0.02 | -93.7 | 93.5 | 0.0009 | 0.0065 | -92.0 | |
| +0.46, -0.10 | -92.8 | 93.3 | 0.0079 | 0.290 | -56.6 | |
| +0.01, -0.04 | -92.1 | 92.3 | 0.0050 | 0.012 | -92.1 | |
| +0.25, -0.10 | -91.9 | 92.9 | 0.0021 | 0.117 | -65.9 | |
| +0.01, -0.03 | -92.6 | 92.5 | 0.0012 | 0.0076 | -93.4 | |
| +0.03, -0.03 | -92.2 | 92.2 | 0.0017 | 0.042 | -76.3 | |
| +0.05, -0.11 | -94.1 | 94.1 | 0.0017 | 0.0067 | -94.5 | |
| +0.05, -0.02 | -93.7 | 93.8 | 0.0018 | 0.105 | -53.7 | |
| +0.02, -0.01 | -93.2 | 93.1 | 0.0008 | 0.0069 | -94.2 | |
| +0.03, -0.02 | -92.9 | 92.9 | 0.0057 | 0.051 | -68.1 |
Oppo R15 Pro frequency response
You can learn more about the tested parameters and the whole testing process here.
Android Oreo and ColorOS 5
The Oppo R15 and R15 Pro run on ColorOS 5, based on Android 8.1 Oreo. The new v5.0 launcher introduces a better AI engine with real-time translation, faster Face Unlock, new navigation gestures, even better gallery, enhanced split-screen multi-tasking. There are also new app shortcuts (long tap), redesigned icons and themes, improved call history, new security features including safe, and better gaming mode with WeChat integration.
ColorOS customizations run deep, making it far off from the standard Google-developed mobile experience. Units sold outside of China still come with the full Google suite, which has resulted in having a few apps with similar functionality - one by Oppo, and another one by Google.
ColorOS isn't that bloated, but it's not "pure Android" either. It comes pre-loaded with social networking apps, a document editor, and few minor-footprint apps.
The so-called AI builds on-device user behavior models for faster app startups and better resource management. It also uses this behavior to show relevant information on the left-most homescreen pane - calendar appointments, quick shortcuts, weather, world clock, package tracking, flight info, among others. You can configure those, or just leave them to the "AI."
The user interface is very familiar. There's no app drawer on the default launcher. Instead, every app you install gets dumped onto the homescreen.
The Lockscreen features a continually changing slideshow of images. You can subscribe to several different channels (e.g., photos of nature or cars or others) or provide your own imagery.
Lock and home screens
The fingerprint sensor is always-on, and it's fast and accurate. You can also set up face unlock in addition to fingerprint security - it's equally fast as the R15 wakes up the moment you pick it up.
The face recognition is indeed blazing fast, faster than on the iPhone X. It relies on 120 recognition points and supposedly can't be fooled by a picture. Surely, this implementation is not as secure as Apple's Face ID, but it's there, and it's user-friendly.
The wallpaper on the homescreen doesn't change as the lockscreen wallpaper does, but you can still spruce up the place with Themes. The Theme Store features whole themes and just wallpapers, sorted into categories (including free and paid ones). Themes change the icon pack, the lockscreen wallpaper, and even the system font.
Themes
The notification shade features notifications, quick toggles, and a brightness scrubber.
Notifications • Toggles • Task Switcher • Split screen
One of the most notable additions to Oppo's custom ROM has to be the Full-Screen Gesture model. Bigger display and diminishing bezels and chins tend to pose some ergonomic concerns beyond a certain point. Oppo's current design might not be exactly there yet, but the company is already trying its best to prepare for that.
When enabled, Full-Screen Gesture navigation positions three small lines at the bottom of the UI. Swiping up from the middle one acts like a home button but if you stop the gestures mid-way - you'll summon the task switcher (like on the iPhone X). Swiping on the left or right ones acts as Back. You can change one of those to open the recent apps manager if you like.
You can hide those lines since they are only visual aids. If you don't like these controls, there is a standard Android navigation bar to fall back to as well.
Navigation settings
Clone apps and file safe functions are on board, as well as real-time translation thanks to an improved voice assistant.
There is a Phone Manager quite similar to what Huawei and Xiaomi have the same name. It handles memory cleaner functions, app permissions and encryption, and virus scan, among other things.
Phone Manager • Game Settings • Gallery • Files
An improved Game Center allows you to handpick which notifications to pass through when you are playing with friends. It now supports WeChat Voice integration, so no more switching to WeChat if you get a call.
Performance
As you can imagine, the MediaTek Helio P60 and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660, inside the Oppo R15 and R15 Pro, respectively, aren't created quite equal. Still, they are both mid-range chips that combine more than enough power for fluid Android interaction, with battery efficient manufacturing processes - 12nm and 14nm, respectively.
Oppo R15 (Purple) next to the R15 Pro (Red)
The Snapdragon 660 inside the R15 Pro has a powerful octa-core processor housing Qualcomm's custom Kryo 260 cores - four of those cores are ticking at 2.2GHz, and the other four are at 1.8GHz. There is the Adreno 512 GPU. The R15 Pro has 6 gigs of RAM.
MediaTek's Helio P60 on the Oppo R15 packs an octa-core processor of 4x Cortex-A73 @2.0GHz and 4x Cortex-A53 @2.0GHz. There is a tri-core Mali-G72 GPU to handle graphics. The R15 also comes with 6 gigs of RAM.
Oppo R15 (Red) next to the R15 Pro (Ruby Red)
The CPU tests show that the pair of chips is not that far apart. That's plenty of number-crunching power for most any everyday task. The pair can even kind of compete in with last year's top Snapdragon 835 chipset in this department, which is a pretty good testament to how far mid-rage silicon has come in the last few months. Then again, it is a bit of a disappointment that last year's Oppo R11 and R11s models are practically just as potent as their successors.
Things between the two R15 units look a bit different on the GPU side of things. The Mali G72MP3, just can't keep up with the Adreno 512 inside the R15 Pro, as well as the Oppo R11 and R11s. The new even taller screen ratio means a slight bump in on-screen resolution as well, which leaves the newer R15 Pro at a slight rendering disadvantage, compared to its predecessors. However, that's only the synthetic loads talking, in real life terms, there is no discernible difference.
GeekBench 4.1 (single-core)
Higher is better
- Oppo R11s
1614 - Oppo R15 Pro
1612 - Oppo R11
1596 - Oppo R15
1520 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro
1327 - Huawei Mate 10 Lite
913 - Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus
874 - Sony Xperia XA2
865 - vivo V7+
767
GeekBench 4.1 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- Oppo R11s
5907 - Oppo R15 Pro
5809 - Oppo R15
5806 - Oppo R11
5777 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro
4696 - Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus
4309 - Sony Xperia XA2
4215 - vivo V7+
3912 - Huawei Mate 10 Lite
3603
But as far as real-life gaming is concerned - we ran a few fan-favorite games side by side on both phones - and we found no difference in performance. So, no matter what the GPU numbers suggest, in real-world scenarios - both are excellent performers.
GFX 3.0 Manhattan (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Oppo R11s
23 - Oppo R11
22 - Oppo R15 Pro
19 - vivo V7+
17 - Sony Xperia XA2
15 - Oppo F5
11 - Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus
9.4 - Huawei Mate 10 Lite
7.9
Basemark X
Higher is better
- Oppo R11s
20914 - Oppo R15 Pro
20693 - Oppo R11
20350 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro
14897 - Sony Xperia XA2
14312 - Oppo R15
11993 - Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus
10484 - vivo V7+
9955 - Oppo F5
9205 - Huawei Mate 10 Lite
8721
Running the compound AnTuTu and BaseMark tests we got some more, pretty solid numbers from the R15 pair.
AnTuTu 7
Higher is better
- Oppo R15 Pro
146526 - Oppo R15
140161 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro
107737
Basemark OS 2.0
Higher is better
- Oppo R11s
2499 - Oppo R15 Pro
2438 - Oppo R11
2386 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro
2030 - Oppo R15
1985 - Sony Xperia XA2
1545 - Huawei Mate 10 Lite
1408 - vivo V7+
1290 - Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus
1226 - Oppo F5
424
Obviously neither of the phones is a slouch in real-world terms. The Snapdragon 660 is one of the best choices for a mid-ranger, but also a beast when running on 1080p resolution. If raw performance is what you are after, then you can probably get more value for your money with the Pro model. But even if you end up with the R15's Helio chipset - you won't feel a difference in real-life performance, ever. And that's what matters.
The R15 and R15 Pro run cool even under peak load, and we didn't observe any throttling. And since the Snapdragon 660 is returning to power a third Oppo from the R-series, it's clear that it remains one of the smartest choices around.
Familiar dual camera setup, doubtful helper sensor purpose
The Oppo R15 and R15 Pro have dual camera setups, quite similar to the OnePlus 5T and R11s. That's not exactly saying much since the particular combination of cameras is kind of unorthodox and offers arguably more limited applications compared to other setups.
But, before we get to that, some praise is in order here for the primary 16MP IMX519 sensor, found inside both phones. Oppo claims it was co-developed with Sony, specifically for the pair. We appreciate the comparatively larger 1.22µm pixels that should enable better low-light performance.
The new camera also supports automatic scene detection - you'll see a small icon when a scene is successfully recognized, and the software will tweak all settings accordingly. Food, snow, pets, sunsets, grass, among other scenes, are caught mostly correctly.
Oppo R15
There is no OIS on either camera and we think it's about time Oppo makes the extra effort here. But our beef is not with the lack of stabilization. It's the choice of the secondary sensor. On the regular R15, that would be a simple 5MP, f/2.2 unit. Oppo mostly uses it for additional depth information to improve portrait shots.
Oppo R15 Pro
The R15 Pro, however, is a lot more inexplicable in its choice of a 20MP secondary snapper - the same found on the Oppo R11s and OnePlus 5T. It is not black and white, has practically the same field of view as the main one, so there are no ultra-wide or zoom capabilities. Not only that, but it has the same f/1.7 aperture, its sensor is a bit smaller at 1/2.8" and it has smaller pixels, at 1.0µm, compared to the primary 16MP snapper. That means that it isn't that much help with low-light shots either. So, it seems that its main purpose, beyond playing the PR numbers game, is providing depth information for portrait shots. Same as the 5MP helper on the R15.
The interface has borrowed a lot from the iOS app, of course. Most settings are on the left (or top, depending on the orientation), while different modes are selected on the right next to the shutter key. Strangely, the left-hand side also has a few additional modes that didn't find a spot in the carousel on the right.
Camera UI
There are a few settings, including location tagging and guidelines, separated out in their own menu in the phone's settings. There is a total lack of any clear resolution control for stills. All you get is a choice of aspects, between the standard 4:3 one, 1:1 and 16:9. It's not clear which aspect ratio is native to the sensor, and how choosing any of the other affects the resolution of the images.
Selfie camera interface
Expert mode is available for those seeking more manual controls. It comes with a handy horizon level and can change most settings on the primary camera (this mode doesn't work on the selfie cam). The shutter speed control lacks fine adjustment, good mostly for very low-light shooting - it starts at 1s and increments at full stops to a maximum of 16s. Manual focus adjustment is present as well.
The Portrait mode offers a regular (2x telephoto-like) view, or you can opt for the out zoomed option from the dedicated virtual key.
Image Quality
The regular samples turned out very good with lots of detail, excellent contrast, and lively colors. The dynamic range is barely average though - there are lots of blown highlights. There is little oversharpening here and there, and mostly noisy skies. Those are not among the best samples we've witnessed in the class, but are far from being the worst too.
Oppo R15 Pro 16MP camera samples
The 2x pictures are just cropped and then digitally upscaled to 16MP, and you can tell right away. There is no optical-like zoom on the R15 phones.
Zoomed camera samples
Low light is where the second camera comes into play, at least in theory. It automatically starts in low-light conditions. With its intelligent technology it merges 4 pixels into one aiming to cancel out noise - in our book this leaves a 5MP image. However, what we get is a 16MP so it must be upsampled. This sounds like just what the OnePlus 5T is doing, though on the R15 Pro you will always get a 16MP image, whereas the 1+5T sometimes spits a 20MP one.
Well, the 16MP samples we got from the Oppo R5 Pro are indeed very good with little noise. There are enough detail and good contrast, and while sometimes the colors are off, those are some solid 16MP shots.
Oppo R15 Pro 16MP low-light samples
You bet we've played with the expert mode, too. We always appreciate a camera app that offers manual controls, and we weren't disappointed with the R15 Pro.
Oppo R15 Pro low-light long-exposure samples (6s-10s)
And here are some low-light samples we took with the Oppo R15. Those are entirely identical with the ones produced by the R15 Pro. The last image was shot behind a window and with a shutter speed of 6s.
Oppo R15 low-light samples
Finally, you can head over to our Photo compare tool to see how the Oppo R15 Pro handles the controlled environment of our studio. We've pre-selected the Oppo R11s and OnePlus 5T, but you can replace those with any other two phones you feel like.
Oppo R15 Pro vs. Oppo R11s vs. OnePlus 5T in our Photo compare tool
Panorama
The 180-degree panoramic images are flagship-worthy. The maximum height is now taller than on the R11s and is now 3,200px. There is plenty of detail, excellent colors and contrast, and good sharpness. The dynamic range is far from impressive, though.
Oppo R15 Pro panorama samples
Portrait mode
The Portrait Mode is the only place you can get a 20MP picture but only if you switch from the telephoto-like view to normal. When using the default zoomed Portrait view, your picture will end up being 8MP. Confusing, indeed. But things get weirder from here.
The pixel peepers will immediately notice the 20MP images aren't in native resolution, but digitally upscaled. We tried physically obstructing each camera, and it turned out the R15 Pro uses its primary 16MP snapper for the base shot, while the info from the 20MP sensor is just for depth.
Wide Portrait (20MP) • Tele Portrait (8MP) • Wide Portrait (20MP) • Tele Portrait (8MP)
Anyway, Portraits are pretty good, both wide or telephoto-like. Subject separation works well, there aren't abrupt transitions from sharp to blurred, the bokeh is nice, and overall - those are among the better portraits we've seen.
20MP Wide Portrait with different lightning effects
8MP Tele Portrait with different lightning effects
Selfies
Oppo phones usually deserve their self-proclaimed Selfie Expert tag and come with an impressive snapper at the front. The R15 duo packs a 20MP selfie cam that surely makes more sense than the 20MP rear one. It doesn't have autofocus, which isn't an issue in and of itself - it's just that the focus plane is all too close to the phone.
The Oppo R15 phones offer company's new 3-HDR tech for the selfie camera. It's a combination of tricks that results into better HDR selfies with the HDR effect applied in real-time and visible on the viewfinder. You can turn that off if you like (disable the HDR Auto), but we'd recommend leaving it on - the HDR effect is really good even though there is some noticeable over-sharpening.
There resolved detail is mediocre and if you don't hit the sweet spot where the focus is fixed, you'd get slightly blurred images. The colors and contrast are great, though. And whatever the shortcomings, those pictures would look perfect once downsampled to any other size thanks to the impressive 20MP resolution.
The R15 may lack a secondary selfie sensor for the bokeh shots (those are saved in 8MP), but it still does great in detecting and separating the person from the background. Sure, you can notice the processing tries to mask the borders with some forced blur, but this improves the effect instead of hurting it.
Normal • HDR • Bokeh (8MP) • Normal • HDR • Bokeh (8MP)
Some more samples.
Background blur off (20MP) • background blur on (8MP)
Angie took a few shots, too.
Normal selfie • AI Beauty selfie • Normal bokeh selfie (8MP) • AI Beauty bokeh selfie (8MP)
The low-light selfies are far from impressive, and even the high resolution can't hide their softness.
Oppo R15 Pro 20MP low-light selfies
Finally, there are lots of stickers available to apply to your selfies. The sticker-enabled selfies are also captured at 8MP.
8MP selfies with various stickers
Video recording
The Oppo R15 Pro records videos in 4K and 1080p at 30fps. There is no digital stabilization available on any resolution.
The standard 2160p/30fps mode is encoded at about 42Mbps, on par with the flagship crop. Audio is recorded in stereo at 96Kbps - far from impressive.
The 4K videos are a bit softer than we prefer, but with enough detail and great contrast. The frame rate is steady, and we liked the color rendition. The dynamic range is still rather limited.
The 1080p videos came out even softer than the 4K clips despite the 20Mbps high bitrate usually suggests the opposite. The resolved detail is mediocre, as are the dynamic range and contrast.
There is also a slow motion mode available, that can go up to 120fps in 1080p and 240fps in 720p. However, it is not done in the super slow-motion Sony or Samsung way, but rather in the traditional manner, where the phone simply captures a high frame rate video full-length, which it then plays back as a slow motion clip.
You can, of course, download untouched video samples, the way they came out of the Oppo R15 Pro - 2160p at 30 fps (10s, 53MB) and 1080p at 30fps (10s, 25MB). You can also download this 720p@240fps video sample (10s, 90MB).
Finally, for some extra pixel peeping head over to our Video compare tool, where you can examine the Oppo R15 Pro output against any phone we've tested before. We've pre-selected the Oppo R11s and the OnePlus 5T, but you can, of course, pick your own set of phones.
2160p: Oppo R15 Pro against the Oppo R11s and the OnePlus 5T in our Video compare tool
Competition
In this notched world there is plenty of notched competitors. Starting with Oppo's very own R15 and F7, BBK's OnePlus 6 and vivo X21, through the whole Huawei P20 series, the overly expensive Apple iPhone X, and the ever-confusing Asus Zenfone 5 lineup. If all-screen with a notch is your thing, you have a lot to choose from.
Oppo R15 Pro
The Oppo R15 lacks the curved ceramic back yet it is equally stunning. The other omission is the high-res secondary camera, but it makes little to no difference in quality. So, the real question is if the extra $50 are worthy of that ceramic piece and water-sealed body you get with the Pro, outside China that is. Probably, but there is also that Nebula Purple exclusivity to R15. Tough choice.
Oppo R15 (Purple) next to the R15 Pro (Red)
The Huawei P20 Lite costs pretty much the same as the Oppo R15, which means $50 cheaper than the R15 Pro. It has a slightly smaller screen, which isn't much of an issue, but the inferior processor and graphics might be. Then there are the imaging skills - while the P20 Lite is a match to the R15 for the most part, it has narrower aperture and can't do 4K videos.
Vivo is all-in in the notch race, too. Its more affordable V9 (read cheaper than R15) is basically the R15 with less-capable processor and uninspiring paintjobs. There is also the X21 model, which is almost identical with Oppo's R15 - screen, design, chipset, camera and battery, with the selfie snapper being the exception. It even has a more expensive version with an under-display fingerprint sensor.
Asus Zenfone 5z is a rather cheap flagship, with a similar notched screen, good-looking body and top of the line Snapdragon 845 chip. All of its snappers have gyro-based EIS, promises richer connectivity options and boasts stereo speakers. The only downside is the Zenfone 5z will be launching in June.
Finally - the elephant in the room - the OnePlus 6 is still in the works, under wraps. We are yet to see it go official and launch, but the rumors paint it as an R15 Pro with a Snapdragon 845 chip. It will most probably lack the catchy paintjobs, go out of stock in a flash, in addition to all the usual OnePlus perks and quirks. And no matter the theoretical speed gap, no one could be able to feel that in real life. Plus, we doubt the OnePlus 6 will have the same reach in China as the R15 duo.
Huawei P20 lite • vivo V9 • vivo X21 • Asus Zenfone 5z ZS620KL • OnePlus 6
The Verdict
The Oppo R15 Pro is just one Snapdragon short of being the OnePlus 6. Probably. Maybe. Who knows? But the R15 Pro is available today in all colors, on every official market. No invites, queues, out of stock messages, and whatnot. You can go inside any Oppo store and buy it.
Oppo R15 (Purple) next to the R15 Pro (Red)
But the R15 duo doesn't deserve the numerous OnePlus analogies even though it's part of the same parent company. The R15 and R15 Pro are influential enough to stand their ground. The design alone is a deal sealer, but the trendy screen, great selfie camera, and the skillful main snappers are what makes it great.
Pros
- R15 Pro: Premium design with curved ceramic back, water-tight outside China
- R15: Good-looking design with stunning Nebula Purple color
- Superb bezel-less AMOLED screen
- Great performance, no matter Snapdragon or Helio
- Very good battery life, blazing-fast charging
- Very capable camera with excellent daylight and low-light quality
- Great 4K videos
- Selfie Expert isn't just PR, it's real with that 20MP cam
- Excellent retail bundle
Cons
- The notch, obviously
- The 20MP secondary camera on the R15 Pro is mostly PR
- The 1080p videos are pretty awful
- It's pricey at some markets
Oppo once again succeeded in making a great smartphone series. It ticks all the right boxes for any youth - the attractive design, all-screen front, high-res selfie camera. The R15 and R15 Pro are powerful enough for smooth gaming, and Oppo enhanced that with a dedicated Gaming mode with control over interruptions. Finally, the rear camera won't disappoint with quality in both well and dark lit environments.
Oppo R15 (Purple) next to the R15 Pro (Red)
In China the Oppo R15 and R15 Pro are among the best smartphones to get right now. Both reasonably priced, exceptionally designed, and fancy the selfie persons. There are cheaper offers, and there are more expensive ones. Which puts the R15 and R15 Pro at the right place, time, and pricing. And that's a job well done.
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