The OnePlus 15 impressed my wonderful colleague, David Lumb, with its excellent battery life and wonderful efficiency, particularly for gaming. I wasn’t as thrilled with the cameras in my early testing, however the proof of its pictures prowess comes all the way down to the way it stacks up in opposition to the competitors. On this case, the iPhone 17 Pro is one in every of our favourite phone cameras and certainly among the best camera phones you can buy in 2025.
For years, OnePlus has partnered with the enduring Swedish digicam maker Hasselblad to work on colour science and picture calibration for OnePlus telephones. However that partnership has ended, which places a number of stress on the Chinese language firm to impress with its digicam suite on the OnePlus 15. All through all these adjustments, Apple launched the iPhone 17 Pro, which has a brand-new 48-megapixel 4x telephoto digicam and carries ahead the corporate’s popularity for wonderful pictures.
I headed out to the streets of Edinburgh, Scotland, to check each cellphone cameras in quite a lot of conditions. It is essential to notice, although, that what I contemplate “higher” won’t be what you agree with. Pictures, like all artwork, is subjective. Whereas, as a professional photographer, I desire extra pure, true-to-life tones, you might desire imagery with extra pop and colours. Take my ideas with a grain of salt.
Be aware, too, that each one photographs have been taken with every cellphone’s customary digicam mode in JPEG format, and all photographs have been resized utilizing Adobe Lightroom, with no extra edits or sharpening utilized. Small print executed with, let’s dive in.
Straight off the bat, I am going to admit a small mistake within the images above. I took this shot utilizing one of many iPhone’s Photographic Types. I believe it was Gold, and so it is no shock that it is given the picture a extra vibrant, hotter look that fits the scene extremely effectively. I solely had the model energetic for this instance and the ultrawide model beneath.
Nonetheless, I seen that the iPhone’s publicity is broadly higher, whereas the OnePlus’ software program processing had labored so onerous in lowering picture noise that a number of the feel within the flooring had been misplaced.
Change to the ultrawide lenses, and issues do change a bit. The iPhone’s publicity above appears preferable to my eye, however the OnePlus’ shot undoubtedly has extra element general.
This instance above is sort of traditional of the issues I’ve not simply with the OnePlus 15, but additionally with most of OnePlus’ telephones. The picture is sort of closely saturated, with an electric-blue sky and vivid greens that look unnatural to me. The iPhone’s picture has a a lot better deal with on colour right here.
My different drawback with OnePlus’ telephones is how onerous they go along with their HDR processing, brightening up shadows and pulling again highlights, leading to photographs that very often lack depth and plausible distinction. The picture above is a chief instance the place the deep shadows below this bridge have been maintained within the iPhone’s shot, however the place the OnePlus 15 has tried to lighten them a lot that the picture appears very overprocessed.
And to show it is not a one-off, this instance above is an actual low level for the OnePlus. It actually tried to remove any type of shadows on this scene, whereas pulling again the highlights within the sky exterior far an excessive amount of. The picture appears faux, overprocessed and precisely what folks would consider when you instructed them a photograph was taken on a cellphone. By taking a much more refined strategy, the iPhone’s picture is rather more to my liking.
The OnePlus hasn’t gone as onerous with its vendetta in opposition to shadows within the picture above, however it does seem like it is ramped that saturation approach up. It is not that I do not like vibrant colours — I do — it is simply that I need to add in that saturation ought to I need to, fairly than having it pressured on me by default.
The pictures above present a extra muted scene and a very good effort from each telephones. Though taken simply 9 seconds aside (I checked the metadata), I do assume the solar might have barely peeked out from behind a cloud a bit extra within the iPhone’s shot, because the entrance of the constructing does look rather a lot brighter. Or possibly the OnePlus goes onerous on the HDR once more. Who is aware of? Both approach, good particulars on this picture from each telephones.
iPhone 17 Professional, ultrawide digicam
OnePlus 15, ultrawide digicam
The identical scene in ultrawide does arguably look a bit muted from the iPhone, no less than when put next with the daring blue of the OnePlus’ shot above. Someplace between the 2 could be my candy spot. After I zoomed in on the main points, the iPhone’s shot is definitely clearer, however at full display — or in your Insta feed — that distinction is negligible.
That brightness and colour distinction persists when taking every cellphone to its most default telephoto zoom, so possibly it does not have something to do with the solar and clouds in spite of everything. Colours apart, the iPhone’s shot above can be clearer, and its particulars look sharp with out being overly digitally sharpened. The OnePlus’ picture does have one thing of a “crunchiness” to it from its software program processing that I do not like as a lot.
Telephoto zooms, element crop. OnePlus on the left, iPhone on the fitting.
Peeping shut up on the pixels on every cellphone’s telephoto zoom shot, I undoubtedly assume the OnePlus has gone too onerous with its sharpening within the picture above of an individual in a window.
I am barely extra torn on this nighttime scene. The OnePlus shot above has but once more gone large on the saturation. Take a look at the overcooked inexperienced on the grass — it appears prefer it was taken at noon within the spring. The iPhone’s colours look far more pure. Nonetheless, the OnePlus’ sharpening works in favor at evening, delivering a shot with crisper particulars all through.
And in ultrawide, I flat out desire the OnePlus picture above. These vibrant tones look a lot better right here, particularly as they make the oranges of the constructing within the background stand out extra.
Night time mode, element crop. OnePlus on the left, iPhone on the fitting.
And if we peep at these pixels once more, it is clear that the main points on the OnePlus’ shot (left) are much better. Lastly, a win for the OnePlus.
This last indoor low-light scene is a little more of a combined bag. The OnePlus’ picture above is definitely brighter — particularly the folks nearest the digicam — however its noise discount has gone a bit too onerous in some areas, lowering textures on clothes and hair that the iPhone hasn’t executed. Total, although, I would say this instance is a detailed struggle.
iPhone 17 Professional vs. OnePlus 15: Which digicam is best?
For me, it is a simple victory for the iPhone 17 Professional. Virtually throughout the board, its photographs are extra pure trying with practical colours, saturation ranges and publicity. The OnePlus 15’s reliance on heavy-handed picture processing has resulted in typically garish-looking images which might be virtually the alternative of what I search for in my pictures. Nonetheless, as I mentioned at the start, that is simply my opinion.
As a photographer, I would like my digicam — any digicam — to have the ability to seize the best-looking picture straight out of the digicam that I can then apply extra edits to if I need to. However possibly you do not need to do this and as a substitute need a vibrant, punchy-looking shot which you can instantly share to social media. In that case, possibly the OnePlus shall be high quality for you.
On the finish of the day, deciding which cellphone to purchase will come all the way down to extra than simply the digicam, so make sure that to learn CNET’s in-depth critiques of all of 2025’s best phones to determine which is the one for you.
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