OnePlus 15 isn't getting a 2K display, but don't call it a downgrade just yet

What you need to know

• The OnePlus 15 won't have a 2K display, with the phone instead switching to 1.5K resolution.
• The panel will still be made by BOE, and OnePlus China head Li Jie Louis confirmed that it will get 165Hz refresh.
• Alongside the 1.5K resolution, the phone gets thinner bezels, and the ability to go down to 1nit in low-light situations.

The OnePlus 15 is all set to debut on October 27, and while we got a look at the possible cameras, battery tech, and what the phone might cost, there wasn't much in the way of other hardware details. That's changing now, with the phone maker confirming that it will use a 1.5K BOE display on the device.

At an initial glance, that may seem like a downgrade from the 2K panel used on the OnePlus 13, but OnePlus' Li Jie Louis took to Weibo (via Gadgets 360) to clarify a few things. Basically, OnePlus wanted to increase the refresh rate to 165Hz on the phone, and that wasn't possible with a 2K panel. So instead of going with the standard 120Hz display, OnePlus chose to "upgrade" the panel.

The display is still made by BOE, and it should get the usual extras that have been a mainstay on OnePlus phones these last two years, including DC dimming and good color vibrancy. Although the panel resolution is lower, Louis indicated that the display is costlier this time.

Honestly, this isn't an issue. Having used the best OnePlus phones, I can't tell the difference between a 2K and 1.5K panel in regular use, and I like that the phone maker is instead offering higher refresh — that's something you can actually notice. In a similar vein, the phone has thinner bezels this time, and goes down to 1nit at night; these are tangible gains that make a difference in regular use.

Also, while OnePlus says this was done to switch to 165Hz, the real reason might have to do with its BBK siblings. Both the Vivo X300 Pro and Find X9 Pro use 1.5K panels as well, and at the X300 launch event in Shanghai, Vivo talked extensively about how it partnered with BOE to set up a production line catered to its devices.

This is just conjecture on my part, but I believe the Find X9 Pro and the OnePlus 15 use a similar panel, and it wouldn't have been feasible to switch to a 2K resolution just for one device — which doesn't sell anywhere as much as its OPPO and Vivo siblings.

Anyway, the result is that the OnePlus 15 will have a 1.5K panel, and it shouldn't be an issue. If anything, it may even have better battery life on account of not having to drive quite as many pixels, and I'll take that any day over infinitesimal gains in resolution.