I put the OnePlus 15R vs Pixel 9a through a 7-round real-world face-off, and here's the winner

If you're looking to spend less than the full price of a flagship phone, you've got plenty of options, especially now that the OnePlus 15R has been announced. The newest midrange model may cost more than previous OnePlus R models, but it's still a less expensive alternative to flagship devices. But does it deliver enough value to challenge the Google Pixel 9a, our reigning pick for the best cheap phone?

Google's handset would seem to have an advantage in a OnePlus 15R vs. Google Pixel 9a face-off, thanks to its lower price tag, top-performing cameras and Tensor-powered AI features. But the OnePlus 15R has a few AI features of its own to go with a more powerful chipset and long-lasting battery.

So should you pay up for those features in the latest OnePlus phone or opt for Google's less expensive midrange model? That's what this OnePlus 15R vs. Google Pixel 9a comparison aims to find out.

OnePlus 15R vs Pixel 9a: Specifications

OnePlus 15R vs Pixel 9a: Price and availability

OnePlus officially unveiled the OnePlus 15R in December for global markets, though the phone isn't available for purchase right away in most regions. The OnePlus 15R is currently up for pre-orders in the U.S. and the U.K., with open sales starting January 8, 2026.

The OnePlus 15R starts at $699 or £649 for the base variant with 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM. If you want the higher-end variant with 512GB of storage, you'll have to shell out $799 or £729.

Those prices reflect an increase from what previous models cost. The OnePlus 13R debuted earlier in 2025 with a $599 price tag.

Even before the price hike, the Pixel 9a was the cheaper option. It starts at $499 in the U.S. for the base 128GB variant. You can get the 256GB model for $599, which is also cheaper than what OnePlus charges for the 15R. Google's phone has been on sale since April.

Winner: Google Pixel 9a

OnePlus 15R vs Pixel 9a: Design

Both the OnePlus 15R and Google Pixel 9a offer familiar designs, sticking to a fairly standard Android look with plain backs, simple-looking camera modules, rounded corners, flat edges, and an aluminum alloy frame.

The key difference in build quality is that the OnePlus 15R comes with a glass back, while the Pixel 9a opts for a plastic one. The OnePlus 15R also gets better display protection thanks to Gorilla Glass 7i, which isn't flagship-grade protection but should still offer better durability than the Gorilla Glass 3 used on the Pixel 9a.

When it comes to protection, the OnePlus 15R takes a massive leap ahead. OnePlus offers four IP ratings on the 15R, including IP66, IP68, IP69, and IP69K, which is something we haven't seen on any smartphone in this price range. This makes the OnePlus 15R extremely durable in harsh conditions, and we actually put the 15R to the test to see if it held up. Spoiler alert: it does.

The Pixel 9a still offers reliable IP68 dust and water resistance, which should be good enough for most real-world scenarios, but the OnePlus 15R clearly provides more robust protection overall.

The Pixel 9a is significantly lighter at just 186 grams, compared to the noticeably heavier OnePlus 15R at 213 grams. The extra weight on the OnePlus is due to its larger display and bigger battery, but more on those later.

In terms of size, the Pixel 9a also feels more compact and easier to handle thanks to its smaller footprint, which could be a bonus if you prefer smaller phones.

As for color options, both phones offer a decent variety. The OnePlus 15R comes in three colors, including Charcoal Black, Mint Breeze, and Electric Violet, although the purple option is exclusive to the Indian market. The Pixel 9a, on the other hand, offers four color choices: Iris, Peony, Obsidian, and Porcelain, all of which are available across every market where the phone is sold.

Winner: OnePlus 15R

OnePlus 15R vs Pixel 9a: Display

Even though I personally prefer the smaller form factor of the Pixel 9a, the OnePlus 15R display stands out thanks to the type of panel it uses and the higher refresh rate,

The OnePlus 15R packs a large 6.83-inch AMOLED display that supports a massive refresh rate of 165Hz on select games. Most of the time, the refresh rate reaches 120Hz for activities like scrolling. When we tested the screen in our lab, we recorded 1,222 nits of brightness with a light meter. .

The Pixel 9a, in comparison, offers a smaller 6.3-inch display. It uses a pOLED panel and tops out at a 120Hz refresh rate. The Pixel 9a can hit a higher brightness though — 2,076 nits at its peak during lab testing.

However, the OnePlus 15R has another trick up its sleeve with PWM dimming support. That can make a noticeable difference if you're sensitive to display flickering.

That said, the biggest differentiating factor here isn't just the panel itself, but the bezels surrounding it. The Pixel 9a comes with noticeably chunkier bezels, which honestly feel large even for a midrange smartphone in 2025.

Sure, you do get used to them over time, but the OnePlus 15R's slim and uniform borders around the display are clearly more modern and far more pleasing to look at.

Winner: OnePlus 15R

OnePlus 15R vs Pixel 9a: Cameras

The Pixel 9a and OnePlus 15R offer fairly similar camera setups, with both phones omitting a dedicated telephoto lens to keep prices down. As a result, both phones feature a primary wide-angle camera and an ultrawide lens on the back, although the sensors used on the two devices are different.

The OnePlus 15R packs a 50MP (f/1.8) primary sensor, just like on flagship OnePlus 15, but paired with an 8MP ultrawide sensor offering a 112-degree field of view. The Pixel 9a, on the other hand, features a 48MP (f/1.7) primary sensor coupled with a 13MP ultrawide lens that delivers a 120-degree field of view.

To test how the cameras on both of these devices compare, I took the OnePlus 15R and Pixel 9a through a variety of conditions during my day trip to Dubai, and the differences between the two phones are clearly visible.

In broad daylight, images from both phones are sharp and colorful. Both devices manage to capture clear shots with quite a lot of detail, but in typical OnePlus fashion, images lean slightly toward the saturated and vibrant side. On the other hand, the Google Pixel 9a manages to keep colors looking as close to real life as possible.

When comparing ultrawide shots from both phones, the Pixel 9a pulls ahead again. Not only are the shots noticeably clearer thanks to the higher-megapixel sensor, but the Pixel 9a also keeps photo processing much more balanced.

In the shot of the building with the pool in front, look at how the Pixel 9a handles the shadows of the trees, while the OnePlus 15R slightly over-saturates and brightens them, leading to mild overexposure.

In low light as well, the Pixel 9a manages to process photos in a more realistic manner, even though it loses a bit of detail in the process. The OnePlus 15R keeps images brighter overall, but it tends to overexpose certain portions of the frame while doing so.

Google Pixel smartphones have long been known for their reliable camera performance, regardless of lighting conditions or price range, and the Pixel 9a continues that reputation. The cameras on both smartphones are quite close, much closer than I expected, but if you're looking for a more consistently reliable camera phone, it's hard to beat the Pixel 9a at $499.

Winner: Google Pixel 9a

OnePlus 15R vs Pixel 9a: Performance

Historically, Google Pixel smartphones have struggled when it comes to raw performance compared to other Android phones, and that trend continues with the Pixel 9a. It becomes even more noticeable given the silicon featured in the OnePlus 15R.

Specifically, the OnePlus 15R is the first Android smartphone powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset. That system-on-chip isn't as powerful as the the flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, but you still get a lot of horsepower, as the OnePlus 15R demonstrates in benchmark tests.

The Pixel 9a is powered by the Tensor G4 chipset, which is now more than a year old. While the Pixel 9a handles everyday tasks without major issues, there are areas where the OnePlus 15R is simply better, including cellular reception and sustained peak performance during longer gaming sessions.

All of this also shows up clearly in benchmark results. The OnePlus 15R easily beats the Pixel 9a in Geekbench 6, scoring 2,691 in single-core compared to 1,707 on the Pixel 9a. The multi-core gap is even larger at 9,502 on the OnePlus 15R versus 4,512 on the Pixel 9a.

In the 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Unlimited test, the OnePlus 15R posts an average score of 4,669 compared to 2,634 on the Pixel 9a, along with a much higher average frame rate of 27.9 fps versus 15.7 fps.

In terms of my real-world use Performance and gaming on the OnePlus 15R over the past two weeks have been good enough that it never felt like I was using a midrange phone instead of a flagship device. Everything opened, processed, and loaded just as smoothly as it did on my OnePlus 15, and the difference between this chip and a true flagship processor is genuinely hard to notice.

I even tried the Red Dead Redemption (Netflix edition), and the OnePlus 15R didn't drop a single frame throughout my gameplay.

Winner: OnePlus 15R

OnePlus 15R vs Pixel 9a: Battery and charging

OnePlus smartphones have traditionally offered better battery life and charging capabilities compared to most other Android smartphones sold in the U.S., and the OnePlus 15R only carries that reputation forward.

The OnePlus 15R comes with a massive 7,400 mAh battery, which is the largest battery we've ever seen on a OnePlus smartphone. This is paired with up to 80W fast wired charging.

The result is exactly what you'd expect: excellent battery life. I've been using the OnePlus 15R for the past two weeks, and there wasn't a single day when I managed to kill the battery after a full day of use. That said, there is no support for wireless charging on this model, something the Pixel 9a offers.

As for Google's phone, it features a 5,100 mAh battery, which is the largest battery Google has shipped in a Pixel A series device. This is paired with up to 23W wired charging and 7.5W wireless charging.

While these numbers may seem small compared to the OnePlus 15R, the Pixel 9a still managed to last a full day of continuous use in my testing. This is helped by the smaller display, which consumes less power overall, although charging times are noticeably longer.

In the Tom's Guide web-browsing test, the OnePlus 15R lasted nearly 22 hours of continuous usage, while the Pixel 9a shut down at around the 13-hour mark. The Pixel 9a's result is better than average for a phone, while the OnePlus 15R's time is only exceeded by the OnePlus 15.

Winner: OnePlus 15R

OnePlus 15R vs Pixel 9a: Software and AI

The Google Pixel 9a really flexes its muscles when you consider the software experience. As you'd expect from a Google smartphone, the Pixel 9a offers a plethora of AI features out of the box, though it must be said that OnePlus is catching up quite a bit in this department.

You'll find several Pixel-exclusive features on the Pixel 9a, such as Add Me in the Camera app, Reimagine for easily reframing photos, Now Playing, notification summaries, and more, available only on the Pixel 9a. That said, some features like Object Eraser in the Photos app and Circle to Search are available on both phones.

The biggest benefit of owning a Pixel smartphone is guaranteed access to the latest software updates, and that remains true for the Pixel 9a. The Pixel 9a currently runs Android 16 with the latest QPR2 build. The OnePlus 15R also runs Android 16, but will receive updates for a shorter overall period — four years to Google's seven.

On the whole, if you want faster Android updates and longer software support, the Pixel 9a remains one of the most affordable ways to get that experience.

Winner: Google Pixel 9a

OnePlus 15R vs Pixel 9a: Verdict

The OnePlus 15R and Pixel 9a are two very different phones built for different customers. What started as a close competition, with OnePlus challenging Google by offering an all-rounder midrange smartphone that was good-to-decent at everything, has now shifted with the OnePlus 15R becoming a clearly performance-focused device.

Both phones have their own advantages and disadvantages, along with a noticeable gap in their starting prices. But if given a choice, I would go with the OnePlus 15R.

That mainly comes down to the fact that the display, durability, performance, and battery life on the OnePlus 15R are unmatched by the Pixel 9a — or frankly any other smartphone in this price range. The camera performance also isn't too far off. The only thing I'd genuinely miss on the OnePlus is faster Android updates, but that's a trade-off you make with almost every non-Google smartphone.

That said, the Pixel 9a isn't a bad smartphone at all. In fact, at its current pricing of $499, I'd argue it offers an even better overall deal if you're looking at the total package rather than raw performance alone.

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