u/Capuman

Hi all,

I thought I'd do a quick update as I've had the phone now for a month. First of all I'm glad to report that I'm still extremely happy with the phone, I'm glad I decided to go for the OnePlus as opposed to the S26U or wait for the S27U.

I'm still very impressed with everything, although some things have been a bit odd after the honeymoon phase. No deal breakers at all, just observations but worth mentioning for those considering making the switch.

1. The battery is amazing. Using it in the exact same way as I used my S23U, I still end my day with about 85% battery left where as on my S23U I'd end with 55-60%. The battery takes quite some time to go from 100% to 99% but sometimes it drains quicker from 99% to 90..sometimes it hovers around 88%. Its not consistent. However, its still amazing nonetheless. (also bear in mind I have 2 active sims on all the time, with one of them roaming 24/7). Seriously, coming from a Samsung this phone is on a completely different planet when it comes to the battery!
2. The phone gets hot relatively easy. Bear in mind I'm in southern Europe so its very hot right now, carrying the phone in my pocket will heat it up just from external heat. But using it for a while, even if its just Facebook will warm the phone. Something I've never experienced with the S23U. I have read though that other phones with the same chipset experience the same (even the brand new Samsung foldables that just came out). Again, not Hot, just warm.
3. I drove around 5 hours using Android Auto. Everything was smooth, however I noticed that if I went through areas where my main sim (not roaming) would lose network for a few minutes, the phone would go into the sim pin screen. Like it would not naturally recover and reconnect to the network once the network was found. This was annoying as it was happening on my main sim (not roaming) which I use for data, so I'd constantly lose data connection. I think I solved this by removing the need for a pin on my sim. But this is not ideal since I've always liked having the layer of security. And yes, the network selection of the sim was set to automatic not manual so it should just reconnect by its own.
4. Bluetooth works fine, I have my phone connected to my Galaxy watch, all working fine even my Buds work fine, no complaints here.
5. Spotify issue, I noticed yesterday when I connected my phone to my speaker (via wifi spotify connection not bluetooth), everything plays and sounds great. However, if I press a song from my playlist, no matter which one, it jumps back to the first song in the list. However, if I press the next or previous button, it jumps to the song fine. This is so weird, it happened on 2 different speakers that I tried. So it's either a phone specific issue or a new spotify bug. Not sure which but it never happened with my S23U.

Other than the above, there's nothing else 'negative' to report. I mean none of the above is a deal breaker at all, more like nit picking but worth mentioning. My main gripe is the sim/pin stuff. But that's not major either. I absolutely love the phone though.

But if I am to be 100% honest, if the S28U or the next generation of the Samsung Wide fold comes with a proper big silicone battery, I will consider going back, purely because Samsung OneUI does feel a little more premium. However, as of right now, the battery and price of the OnePlus completely outweigh any small 'issues' this phone may have compared to OneUI.

So yeah, I'm super happy with the phone and I'm definitely keeping for at least the next 2 - 3 years!

After using Samsung phones for years, including my S23 Ultra for the past three years, I finally decided to make the jump to the OnePlus 15.

This wasn’t an impulse purchase. I spent at least a month researching the phone, reading reviews, watching videos and debating whether leaving Samsung was the right decision. In the end, I took the plunge—and I honestly couldn’t be happier.

OxygenOS has been incredibly easy to adapt to

One of my biggest concerns was leaving Samsung’s One UI. I’m very particular about the way my phone works, and I previously bought a Google Pixel about a year ago but stopped using it within a couple of weeks. I simply couldn’t get used to the operating system.

That has not happened at all with the OnePlus 15.

OxygenOS has been extremely easy to adapt to, everything feels intuitive, and I genuinely don’t miss One UI. I haven’t found myself searching for Samsung features or feeling that something important is missing. The transition has been almost completely effortless.

The camera is absolutely fine—more than fine, actually

There seems to be a lot of discussion about the OnePlus 15 camera, but I think it depends entirely on the type of user you are.

I’m not a photographer. I mainly use my phone for WhatsApp, browsing, a lot of work email, phone calls and some very light social media. For my needs, the photographs are fantastic.

The zoom is more than sufficient, the everyday photos look excellent, and I can even take moon photographs similar to the ones I used to take with my S23 Ultra. I’ve had absolutely no complaints about the camera and am extremely happy with the results.

Yes, the Samsung Ultra may technically have the better and more versatile camera system, but in normal everyday use, that advantage simply hasn’t mattered to me.

The battery is on another level

This is the biggest difference, and the main reason I’m so pleased that I changed phones.

Even when my S23 Ultra was brand new, around two hours of screen-on time would normally bring the battery down to approximately 70–75%. By the end of the day, I would often be at around 65–70%.

Now that the phone is three years old, despite Samsung still reporting the battery health as 100%, I generally finish the day with around 60% remaining after no more than approximately two and a half hours of screen-on time.

The OnePlus 15 is in a completely different league.

With the same usage—and even with two SIM cards active, one of which is roaming—I’m normally only using around 10–15% of the battery during the entire day. I regularly finish with between 85% and 90% remaining.

That is not a small improvement. It completely changes the way I use the phone.

I no longer think about battery life, look for chargers or wonder whether I should top it up before going out. For my usage, I could comfortably go several days between charges. Combined with the incredibly fast charging, the battery experience is simply a no-brainer.

It costs around half as much—and I don’t feel I’ve compromised

The most surprising part is that the OnePlus 15 costs roughly 50% less than Samsung’s latest Ultra phones, yet I don’t feel as though I’m using an inferior device.

In fact, for the things that matter most to me, I think it is the better phone.

The Samsung Ultra may have certain superior specifications on paper, particularly around the cameras and some of the additional features, but none of those things outweigh the enormous difference in battery life. The OnePlus is fast, smooth, beautifully built, easy to use and has an outstanding display. I don’t miss anything from my Samsung.

I also still use my Galaxy Watch and my Galaxy Buds with the OnePlus without any issues. Yes, it’s true that there are certain health features on the Galaxy Watch that I cannot use, such as ECG or blood pressure monitoring. However, I never used them anyway, as they were not available in my region in Europe. So for me, this is not an issue at all. The phone works perfectly for receiving messages, phone calls, notifications, and everything else. The Galaxy Buds also work extremely well, with no connectivity or performance issues whatsoever.

In terms of Samsung’s ecosystem software, I also don’t feel like I’m missing anything. I never really used Samsung Notes, as I rely on Google Keep Notes instead, and those work perfectly on the OnePlus 15 as well. So again, I don’t miss any part of the Samsung software or ecosystem.

Would I recommend making the jump?

Absolutely.

Anyone considering moving from a Samsung Ultra to the OnePlus 15 but worrying about OxygenOS, the camera or losing Samsung features should seriously consider giving it a chance.

Obviously, everyone’s priorities are different. A serious photographer or someone heavily invested in Samsung’s ecosystem may feel differently. But as someone who uses their phone heavily for communication, email and general everyday tasks, the OnePlus 15 has exceeded my expectations.

Unless Samsung dramatically improves its battery technology during the next two or three years, I honestly can’t see myself going back. With OnePlus apparently becoming less available in Europe, my next phone may eventually be an Oppo instead—unless Samsung finally adopts larger silicon-carbon batteries and catches up.

After a month of research and plenty of hesitation, I’m extremely happy that I made the switch.

The OnePlus 15 is not merely a cheaper alternative to a Samsung Ultra. For me, it is the better phone.

Dear Samsung, I think we need to talk…

I’m not sure how relevant this post will be anymore, considering OnePlus appears to be pulling out of much of the rest of the world, but for what it’s worth, I wanted to share my story.

Samsung, we’ve been together for years.

You’ve been reliable. Familiar. Comfortable. I knew where everything was, understood all your little quirks, and defended you whenever anyone suggested there might be something better out there.

For the last three years, I’ve been loyal to my S23 Ultra. And honestly, we had a good run. But lately, things haven’t been the same.

The battery wasn’t what it used to be. I kept hoping you would change. I waited patiently, year after year, believing that one day you would finally give me something bigger than 5,000mAh. But apparently, even the S27 Ultra next year will still be stuck there.

Samsung, I couldn’t keep waiting for you to become the phone I needed you to be.

And then I met the OnePlus 15.

I had been thinking about the OnePlus for months, although I was nervous. What if I hated OxygenOS? What if I missed your features? What if the cameras really were as terrible as some reviews made them sound?

What if I left you and immediately regretted it?

But I took the risk.

And Samsung…I’m sorry, but I think I’m in love.

Samsung, you know me, I’m not a power user. I usually get around four to five hours of screen-on time, mostly emails, WhatsApp, a little social media, browsing and a couple of calls. I travel fairly often, so I use Google Maps, and I constantly have dual SIM enabled, with one SIM roaming.

Nothing particularly extreme.

And yet, by 8pm you're already telling me you're tired... that you need to sleep... So I did, I laid you down, I put you to sleep and then I moved on to the OnePlus 15. And just within an hour of being with OnePlus, it felt as though we had known each other for years.

OxygenOS is clean, fast and incredibly easy to use. Everything feels fluid. Simple. Effortless. I genuinely miss almost nothing from you.

Well, that’s a lie.

I miss being able to create folders in the app drawer.

But Samsung, if the only thing I miss about our relationship is app-drawer folders, I’m afraid that says more about us than it does about OnePlus.

Then there’s the camera.

Seriously, what the hell are people complaining about?

I’m not a photographer, you know that. I take photos of my family, my dog and the places I visit. For that, the OnePlus camera is brilliant. Photos are colourful, vibrant and snappy, with plenty of filters available. Night photos are perfectly good too.

Does it have the ridiculous 100x zoom of the S23 Ultra? No. But I used that feature perhaps a handful of times in three years, usually to take a blurry photograph of something I had no business trying to photograph from that far away anyway.

Seriously, if I wanted a camera that happens to have a phone attached, I'd probably buy the enormous new Oppo.

But what I want is an amazing phone with a genuinely great camera, and for that, I bought the OnePlus 15.

It’s faster, slimmer and lighter than you. It cost me around half the price. And after only a couple of days, I already feel completely at home with it.

Which makes this romance rather bittersweet, because there’s a good chance this will be the first and last OnePlus phone I ever own.

Hopefully it lasts for many years. Perhaps by the time it finally dies, you will have finally discovered batteries larger than 5,000mAh.

But honestly?

I’m no longer sure I even want to come back.

This experience has made me realise how stupid it is to spend twice as much on a phone when something substantially cheaper can be just as good.

Actually, “just as good” isn’t quite right.

Better.

Maybe one day I’ll move on to Xiaomi. Maybe Oppo will finally sell its best phones worldwide. Maybe another brand will come along and sweep me off my feet.

I don’t know what the future holds.

But Samsung, at twice the price and with almost half the battery…

Who are you anymore?

And more importantly…

Why?

Regards,
Your ex.

Im fed up of Samsung not increasing the battery size and my S23 with minimal, use barely makes it through a day of use now. 5 SOT max. Thinking of the Oneplus and im wondring, what would i miss from OneUi? I tried the google pixel and ultimately did not like the OS experience (like no real gallery, file manager was weird..). Ive been a Samsung user for the lasr 10 years..

Any ex Samsung users here who could share their experience?

EDIT1: For the record, where I am from, the S26Ultra 512GB version is £850 vs £625 for the OnePlus15 (512GB). Thats £225 difference. Does the S26U really have £225 more in features to justify 2,300mah battery difference? Do those 2,300mah extra on the OnePlus really equate to many more hours of real use battery life or is the S26U so well optimised that its not that much of a difference really?
Im no camera expert, just take family pics and videos on holiday and i dont use routines or that much customization outside of changing my wallpaper occasionally. But i do like the Samsung eco system and have a Galaxy watch and tablet.

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