OnePlus is set to unveil the OnePlus 15R on December 17, but we already know that the phone will be the first to come with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset.
Announced at the Snapdragon Summit in September, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 is effectively a non-Elite version of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, and its release will mark the first time Qualcomm has pursued a dual-flagship chipset strategy, allowing brands like OnePlus to bring flagship phone power to cheaper Android phones.
“If you buy a base model iPhone in 2021 [the iPhone 13]it has the same chipset as the Pro model,” Xu explained on stage. “In 2022, things will start to get interesting. If you buy the iPhone 14 Pro, it uses the A16, but the base model [the iPhone 14] stays at A15. So with the iPhone 15 Pro it’s the A17 Pro, but the base model is still last year’s A16. Basically, Apple reused its chipsets from the previous year in its base models.
“But in 2024 – and this is the most interesting thing – if you buy the iPhone 16 Pro, you get the A18 Pro. And if you buy the base model, you no longer get the A17 from last year: you get the A18. It’s a separate silicon. Qualcomm understands this competitive situation and knows it has to fight back.”
“Long story short: on your best flagship, push the power of your silicon,” Xu continued. “That’s what Apple [did] with the A18 Pro, and with the base model [from that year]the [wanted] to download [sic] the best advances from Pro to a separate silicon. It is A18.
“And it’s the same situation with the iPhone 17 series. You have the A19 Pro in the iPhone 17 Pro and the A19 in the iPhone 17. Apple is using a dual-flagship strategy with its silicon. And that’s why Qualcomm is also using a dual-flagship strategy this year, starting with Snapdragon 8 Genapdragon 5 and S Elite Gendragon 5.”
Now, I’m not sure Qualcomm would so openly admit to copying Apple’s homework, but the logic of doing so stands. And in an interview with TechRadar following Xu’s presentation on stage, the executive further explained why Qualcomm’s shift in strategy is better for Qualcomm, better for OnePlus and, crucially, better for consumers:
“Qualcomm is definitely seeing a trend there [suggests] a two-flagship strategy works better. Because with [Snapdragon 8] Elite, you can just push for the best,” Xu said. “You can pack all the best technology you have from that year, [into one chipset]. And for the base model, when you add a new flagship [chipset]you can download [sic] the latest advances from that year, rather than using last year’s architecture.
“The [Snapdragon] The 8 Gen 5 actually has the same architecture as the 8 Elite Gen 5 – the same CPU architecture, the same GPU architecture. And consumers will also feel that it is better because they will know that this is the latest chipset, a new one, instead of borrowing an older one from last year. It is the perspective of psychology.
“And as for why this is great for OnePlus, the 15 and 15R both get the latest chipsets, and because they use the same architecture, it makes it very easy for us to trickle down the latest benefits from the 15 to the 15R. For example, the always-on 120fps display and games that support 165Hz, because they share the same baseline.”
So there you have it: the OnePlus 15R will be a cheaper alternative to the OnePlus 15. But thanks to the power of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, it won’t compromise on the level of performance that earned the latter phone a five-star TechRadar review.
As for what else we know about the OnePlus 15R, OnePlus has confirmed that the phone will use the same Detailmax Engine as the OnePlus 15, as well as the same G2 Wi-Fi chip for strong Wi-Fi connectivity.
It’s safe to expect a smaller battery and somewhat lower spec camera hardware, but in any case, everything will be revealed on December 17th.
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