When the Google Pixel 10 debuted MagSafe-style wireless charging earlier this year, we thought other Android manufacturers might soon follow suit. But OnePlus fans will at least have to wait a little longer for an equivalent of PixelSnap on top OnePlus phones.
The OnePlus 15 is set to launch globally on November 13, and while we can’t share all the specs and features about the phone yet, we do know that it will come with a whopping 7,300mAh battery and support for 120W wired charging (via SuperVOOC) and 50W wireless charging (via AirVOOC).
What it doesn’t have, however, are any kind of built-in magnets, meaning OnePlus 15 owners will have to buy a separate magnetic case to better take advantage of the impressive wireless charging speed. The same was the case with the OnePlus 13, which was launched in January.
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So why has OnePlus chosen not to follow Google’s example? As Rudolf Xu, Senior Product Marketing Manager at OnePlus, explained at a recent pre-briefing event for the OnePlus 15: “We have not integrated magnets into the phone because magnets are too heavy and we are already reserving most of our space for a larger battery.
“The [spare] space inside the phone is very limited. For example, you have the wireless coil, which already uses a lot of space. And if you add magnets, it will not only sacrifice comfort [because of the weight]but it will too [mean] the battery must be smaller. And then we cannot challenge [our competitors] with the largest possible battery. There are advantages and disadvantages – you give and take.”
It’s worth noting that the 7,300mAh battery inside the OnePlus 15 is 22% larger than the 6,000mAh cell inside the OnePlus 13, and about 40% larger than the 5,200mAh cell inside the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL. Apple doesn’t publicly disclose the battery sizes in its top iPhones, but the iPhone 17 Pro Max is believed to have a 5,088 mAh cell.
On paper, then, the OnePlus 15 should deliver longer battery life than all three phones, and Xu is keen to note that Samsung makes the same charging trade-off with the best Samsung phones: “Samsung does the same. Their phones don’t support Qi2, but their cases do [it]so they claim ‘Qi2 ready’. It’s a similar style [to what we’re doing]. We would like to offer you a solution.
“So the first feature supported is obviously wireless charging and there are other things you can do with it [our OnePlus 15] matter. When you’re inside a car, for example, you can easily click it onto a car-mounted charger. Or when you’re navigating and want to easily check the map, you can put it on a stand.”
Are you glad that OnePlus has chosen to prioritize longer battery life on the OnePlus 15 at the expense of more convenient (but slower) wireless charging? Let us know in the comments below.
And for more on what to expect from the phone’s November 13 launch, check out our exclusive chat with OnePlus’ Celina Shi, who detailed the OnePlus 15’s chipset, camera features, colors and more.
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