Apple and OnePlus both offer large-sized smartphones. Should you go for the iPhone 15 Pro Max or the OnePlus Open? Let’s evaluate them!
The iPhone 15 Pro Max introduces an all-new, customizable Action button, a titanium chassis with round edges, and a USB Type-C port. It exclusively offers up to 5x optical zoom, too.
The OnePlus Open is the company's first foldable, featuring a sleek design, a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform chip, advanced camera system, and more. It is available in two colorways and starts at $1,699.
When planning to buy a new smartphone, one could have a hard time finding the best option. Narrowing down the available models could help an indecisive customer make a final purchasing decision. In the large flagship department, we've got Apple's best iPhone to date, the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and OnePlus' first foldable, the OnePlus Open. So, which of these two excellent devices should you opt for? Let's find out.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max launched in September 2023 for $1,200. The base model offers 256GB of storage, while the highest-end variant maxes out at 1TB for an added cost. You can pick between Natural Titanium, Black Titanium, Blue Titanium, and White Titanium colorways.
Meanwhile, the OnePlus Open became available to preorder on Oct. 19 for $1,699, with general availability following a week later. It offers 512GB of storage, and it offers Emerald Dusk and Voyager Black color options. Below you will find a comprehensive table that highlight both phones' main specifications.
When it comes to the exterior design, these two phones look very different. Starting with the iPhone 15 Pro Max's back side, you get a matte glass panel with a centered Apple logo and a Pro camera system towards the top-left corner. Flipping the device over, you get a 6.7-inch edge-to-edge display with thin bezels and a Dynamic Island cutout that houses the TrueDepth camera system. This iPhone's OLED screen has a 2796×1290 resolution at 460 ppi and a peak brightness of 2000 nits.
Moving on to the OnePlus Open, you get either a vegan leather back if you opt for the Voyager Black variant or a matte glass one if you pick the Emerald Dusk model. Towards the top left, you also get a camera bump with the OnePlus logo resting beneath it. Meanwhile, the right half of the back side houses the secondary 6.31-inch display, which offers a 2484×1116 resolution at 431 ppi and a peak brightness of 2800 nits. Looking at the top center of this display, you will notice a small, circular cutout that houses the selfie camera.
Flipping the OnePlus Open over reveals the primary 7.82-inch display, which, as you may have guessed, folds in half. It offers a 2440×2268 resolution at 426 ppi, with its peak brightness similarly reaching 2800 nits. Towards the top-right corner, you will find another small, circular cutout that houses a second selfie camera.
So now that we've broken down both devices' designs and displays, it's time to make a final judgment. In terms of design and build, we're crowning the iPhone 15 Pro Max for offering more color options (as noted in the previous section), having a higher IP68 rating, and being generally more durable due to its form factor. That's not to mention that its rear camera bump isn't as horrendous as that of the OnePlus Open.
Though, in terms of display technology, the OnePlus Open is hands-down the winner, as it offers two displays, one of which folds. That's not to mention that it has a higher peak brightness when compared to the iPhone 15 Pro Max. And while the Android foldable has a lower pixel density, you likely won't be able to tell the difference between the two. Ultimately, both screens offer 120Hz refresh rates and fall in the flagship category. Whether you want a foldable phone or not should be the main question you ask yourself.
The performance round in this battle is arguably not as important as the design and display, as both phones pack flagship internals. This means that they will likely accommodate your everyday tasks seamlessly and remain supported through software updates for several years. Nonetheless, we will take a look at benchmark tests to weigh their performance.
The A17 Pro chip, which powers the iPhone 15 Pro Max, scores higher in pretty much every relevant test, except when it comes to graphics. So, when compared to the OnePlus Open's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform, you're getting superior power and energy efficiency. Despite that, the score differences between the two chips are very minimal, so this aspect really shouldn't sway your purchasing decision.
Similarly, the iPhone 15 Pro Max offer 8GB of RAM, half of what's in included in the OnePlus Open. Though, iOS 17 is certainly less demanding than OxygenOS 13.2. And speaking of memory, the OnePlus foldable features 512GB of storage as a standard, while the iPhone starts at 256GB and offers 512GB and 1TB variants. So if 512GB don't cater to your needs, you may be limited to the iPhone or cloud storage solutions.
Though, perhaps the most important highlight of the performance round is the foldable's versatility. You get to use the OnePlus as a tablet or a phone. You also get to take advantage of more advanced multitasking features, such as running multiple apps side by side, thanks to the larger display and Android's flexibility. You also may want to consider the operating systems and their respective ecosystems. If you already own other Apple products, then buying the iPhone may make more sense to utilize the tight ties between these devices. Similarly, if you rely on one of the latest Chromebooks or Android tablets, then you may want to pick the OnePlus Open. Lastly, it's worth mentioning that the iPhone 15 Pro Max doesn't offer a physical SIM slot in the U.S. So if you're opposed to using eSIM, the OnePlus foldable will accommodate your preference.
The cameras are another angle you may want to consider when buying a new phone, as many of us document their lives digitally using them. Fortunately, both phones offer advanced rear camera system, in addition to decent selfie cameras. The iPhone 15 Pro Max features a 48MP wide, 12MP ultrawide, and 12MP telephoto lenses, while the OnePlus Open goes for 48MP, 48MP, and 64MP, respectively. So, on paper, the OnePlus has a superior rear camera system. Higher specs, however, don't always translate accurately when it comes to performance. So you'll have to wait for samples when the phone becomes widely available.
And while the OnePlus may produce superior still photos, it likely won't match the iPhone 15 Pro Max in the video department. Apple has been the leader in mobile videography for a while now, and with the 15 Pro Max, users can even shoot ProRes LOG video, making it a legitimate tool for creatives who are interested in advanced color grading. Otherwise, both phones support a wide set of photography modes, such as portraits, night shots, and more.
When it comes to the front-facing camera, the iPhone 15 Pro Max offers a 12MP TrueDepth camera system, which can 3D map your face for authentication and portrait shots. Meanwhile, the OnePlus Open has 20MP primary and 32MP secondary lenses that can also produce stunning selfies and power face unlock. And speaking of authentication, the OnePlus foldable additionally offers a side-mounted fingerprint reader, which you can use to unlock the device and approve purchases.
When it comes to deciding which phone you should buy, it mostly comes down to the form factor, as this is the most important difference between the two devices. Yes, one may excel at videography, while the other offers a brighter display. However, both devices are flagships, and these differences aren't as major when compared to the folding mechanism, or the lack thereof. As a result, we're crowning the OnePlus Open as the winner of this battle, as it is objectively handier and more versatile than the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
The OnePlus Open is the company's first foldable, featuring a sleek design, a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform chip, advanced camera system, and more. It is available in two colorways and starts at $1,699.
Though, with the OnePlus foldable costing $1,699, it may not be an option for a lot of people. So if you're on a more limited budget, the iPhone 15 Pro Max acts as a solid, albeit less capable, alternative that starts at $1,199. Furthermore, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is a safer purchase, as it is more durable, should have a higher resale value, and will likely operate in a more stable manner.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max introduces an all-new, customizable Action button, a titanium chassis with round edges, and a USB Type-C port. It exclusively offers up to 5x optical zoom, too.
Mahmoud has been actively testing Apple products for around a decade. He currently uses an iPhone 15 Pro Max, MacBook Air M2, iPad Air M1, Apple Watch Series 9, AirPods Pro 2, Apple TV 4K 3, and HomePod Mini. When out of the office, you’ll likely find him jogging at a park, swimming in open water, brainstorming at a coffeehouse, composing poetry on a rooftop, or merely lost in nature. You can reach out to Mahmoud via Instagram or email.