Oppo R15 Pro review

Design

The excellent screen is what you'll first notice about the Oppo R15 and R15 Pro. Oppo says consumers want all-screen phones and having a notch out there is inevitable. The duo evolves the tall screen introduced on the R11s by making it larger, bezel-less, and yes, notched.

Oppo R15 Pro next to the R15

There are lots of changes beyond that AMOLED screen, too. For starters, Oppo has waved goodbye to the aluminum unibody in favor of glass and ceramic. It's the other trend growing stronger lately - glass is taking over metal as the preferred material for the back. Both Oppo R15 and R15 Pro have polished metal frame gluing together the front Gorilla Glass 5 and rear's shiny piece.

The R15 uses a flat Gorilla Glass on the back that comes with a pre-applied protector. The signature color for the R15 lineup is the Nebula Purple, a gradient designed specifically for the occasion. You can also get the R15 in Hot Red and Snow White.

Oppo R15 in all three colors

The R15 Pro, on the other hand, takes the design one premium step further - the back panel is made of either glass (Ruby Red) or ceramic (Ceramic Black), and is curved towards the longer sides. The R15 Pro is available in Ruby Red gradient paint job - also designed for the R15 Pro exclusively. There is also a China-limited Ceramic Black version.

Oppo R15 Pro in Ceramic Black and Ruby Red

The screens on the R15 duo might be bigger than the panel on the R11s, but the phones' sizes have been kept the same at 155.x 75 x 7.5 mm. Only the weight has increased and is now up to 175g for the R15 Pro compared to the R11's 153g.

The Oppo R15 Pro in Ruby Red looks stunning, there are no two ways about it. The glass back with that gradient is one of the best-looking designs we've seen on a smartphone lately and that alone might be a decision maker.

The R15 Pro's glass back is curved, making it prettier than the R15's. It also helps the Pro look thinner than it actually is, which is a nice touch. We've seen this curve on many phones, starting with the edge models by Samsung, but we are glad it is sticking around.

The R15 Pro will be available with an IP67 rating on all markets outside China, which is probably a first for Oppo. We don't know the reason behind the Chinese exclusion, but a closer inspection revealed that even the Chinese R15 Pro comes with a lot of rubber seals around the chassis.

As we said, the back of the regular R15 is all-glass, but it lacks the edge of the R15 Pro. It still has a 2.5D rounded edge, so there are no sharp edges. Rather than that, everything looks the same - the camera hump, the flash, even the fingerprint scanner.

The R15 lacks any water-protection whatsoever, no matter the region. But Oppo still makes all of its phones, R15 included, moisture-tolerant as the coastal climate is rather wet a few months every year. The company has built entire machines that recreate the environment in different Chinese cities and tests all Oppos inside those.

Oppo R15 (Purple) next to the R15 Pro (Red)

The fingerprint sensors on R15 and R15 Pro are always-on, blazing-fast, and recognize your tips every single time. But in case that's not your favorite security authentication method, you can also opt for the improved Face Unlock.

Oppo R15

The notch on R15 duo has a small grille for the earpiece at its center. The 20MP selfie shooter is on the left, while the sensor bunch - on the right. There is no notification LED, and the earpiece is just that - no speaker functionality.

That 20MP cams are the technical part of the Oppo's Face Unlock. It can't be as secure as Apple's Face ID, but it uses 120 recognition points and supposedly can't be fooled by a picture. The good news is Oppo's face recognition is as fast as the fingerprint scanner at the back.

Oppo R15 Pro next to the R15

Both Oppo R15 and R15 Pro have hybrid SIM slots meaning you can swap the second SIM for a microSD card.

But most importantly, those two phones look amazing. Oppo has hired a renowned designer to mix the signature gradient paintjobs and it has paid off. After all, being a fashion icon isn't an easy task in today's smartphone beauty contest.

Oppo R15 (Purple) next to the R15 Pro (Red)

Finally, handling the Oppo R15 and R15 Pro is a pleasurable experience. Ture, they both are slippery devices unless you use the provided silicone cases. But with or without protection, the R15 duo is made to impress, it just requires regular cleaning and to be handled with care when used case-free.