I used the Pixel 10a and OnePlus 15R, and one feels like a total steal

It’s a trap we all fall into, regardless of what we’re buying. If I spend just a little bit more, will I get a better product?

If the Google Pixel 10a is on your shopping list, the OnePlus 15R will be one of the devices that may become a temptation. Yes, it’s more expensive, but is it worth it?

I’ve been using the Pixel 10a as my main phone for a few weeks, and have had the chance to compare it to OnePlus’s reasonably priced alternative.

We’ve also compared the Pixel 10a to the Samsung Galaxy A57, and with the Nothing Phone 4a Pro, if you’re keen on any of those great phones.

Google Pixel 10a vs. OnePlus 15R price and availability

A budget stretcher from OnePlus

How much extra will you have to spend to get the OnePlus 15R over the Pixel 10a?

The Google Pixel 10a costs $499 for the 128GB model and $599 for the 256GB version. It’s available through Google’s own store, and retailers including Amazon, where you may find offers reducing the price.

The OnePlus 15R can be purchased through OnePlus’s online store and through Amazon, where the 256GB version costs $699, and the 512GB version costs $799.

If you were already considering the 256GB Pixel 10a, the 256GB OnePlus 15R is an extra $100, making it a reasonable device to consider as an alternative.

Google Pixel 10a vs. OnePlus 15R design

Compact and stylish meets big and durable

I consider the Pixel 10a a Goldilocks phone. The screen, the size of the phone, and the weight are just right. Not too big and heavy, and not too small and light either.

The flat rear panel and lack of a camera module make it sleek and pocketable. It comes in a selection of really bright colors, and the IP68 dust and water resistance make it suitably durable.

Google makes the plastic rear panel feel far higher quality than it first sounds, but the OnePlus 15R’s matte rear glass looks and feels great.

Both phones are equally comfortable to hold, although you will notice the OnePlus’s 214-gram weight over the Pixel 10a’s 184 grams.

OnePlus hasn’t shortchanged anyone on durability either. It has IP66, IP68, IP69, and IP69K dust and water resistance ratings.

I like the stylish design of the OnePlus 15R, especially in the Mint Breeze color seen in our photos. Both are premium, well-designed, and quality devices.

Choosing one over the other will likely depend on how important a pocketable size and low weight are to you.

Google Pixel 10a vs. OnePlus 15R screen

OnePlus pulls ahead

Outside the Pixel 10a’s pleasing screen size, the OnePlus 15R’s screen is the easy visual winner, although the on-paper specs sometimes defy it.

The bezels are smaller than the Pixel 10a’s by quite some margin, the pixel density is higher, and I find the refresh rate (which reduces to 30Hz and can reach 165Hz in some games) is smoother and kicks in more reliably than the Pixel 10a’s 60Hz/120Hz maximum refresh rate.

When I was taking photos outside in bright sunlight, the OnePlus 15R’s AMOLED was brighter and had better viewing angles than the Pixel 10a’s Actua panel, and it was much easier to see.

Google claims a 3,000 nit peak brightness, but the OnePlus’s 1,800 nit High Brightness Mode is more effective in real life.

Both use the same Gorilla Glass 7i glass over the display, and both have flat panels. The OnePlus’s always-on display is bright and noticeable, while the Pixel 10a’s mode is dim and harder to see at a distance.

I can’t spot much visual difference when playing video, outside the increase in brightness, but the OnePlus 15R’s speakers have a fuller sound.

If you watch a lot of video and, as we’ll talk about shortly, play games too, then the OnePlus 15R is a very good choice.

Google Pixel 10a vs. OnePlus 15R camera

Photographers will like both

The cameras are surprisingly closely matched, specs-wise. The Pixel has a 48MP main camera and a 13MP wide-angle camera, while the OnePlus 15R has a 50MP main camera and an 8MP wide-angle camera.

In the galleries below, the Google Pixel 10a’s photos are on the LEFT, and the OnePlus 15R’s photos are on the right.

Starting from the first gallery, the photos are from the main camera, main camera, wide-angle, 2x zoom, and a final main camera image.

Neither has a telephoto camera, but both camera apps tempt you to zoom in at 2x with a little shortcut.

There’s one big takeaway here. The OnePlus 15R takes more colorful, punchier, brighter photos than the Pixel 10a, which can look a little drab next to it.

When you look at both the main camera and the 2x photos taken with the two cameras, there are very few differences in detail or focus.

The primary change in how the OnePlus 15R’s photos are social media-ready, while the Pixel 10a’s photos will need some editing. It’s the same situation when comparing the Pixel to the Samsung Galaxy A57.

The Pixel 10a’s wide-angle camera takes more detailed, less hazy photos than the OnePlus 15R’s disappointing 8MP camera, a situation also seen when comparing the Pixel 10a to the Nothing Phone 4a Pro.

If you’re into shooting video, the OnePlus 15R’s ability to shoot at 4K and up to 120fps may be a welcome addition, as the Pixel 10a will manage 60fps at 4K.

If mobile photography is important to you, both the OnePlus and Pixel phones provide a similar experience, and editing quickly brings the Pixel 10a’s photos up to the same punchy style as the OnePlus, if that’s what you’re after.

Google Pixel 10a vs. OnePlus 15R performance

The OnePlus has real gaming ability

One of the major differences between the two phones is the processor. The OnePlus 15R has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, and the Pixel 10a has a Google Tensor G4.

Using the two phones next to each other, the OnePlus 15R’s additional performance is noticeable in various situations. For example, browsing photos in the Gallery, the OnePlus 15R reacts faster and more smoothly when you pinch-to-zoom.

However, while OnePlus’s software efforts to make the system feel responsive and slick are clear when scrolling through feeds like Discover, there’s no difference in speed when opening links or browsing through apps.

The OnePlus 15R is a much better gaming phone than the Pixel 10a. Asphalt Legends plays at 120fps, and with all the graphics settings maxed out. It looks great and is incredibly smooth.

The downside of all this gaming performance is heat, as the back of the OnePlus 15R gets quite toasty, and with the settings set at their maximum, battery life takes a hit. Just 15 minutes of Asphalt Legends takes nearly 10% of the battery.

The Pixel 10a’s gaming credentials are more modest. It will still play all your games, but the small screen size, 8GB of RAM compared to the OnePlus’s 12GB, and the Tensor G4’s slight shortcomings make it less of an ideal choice.

You can see evidence of the difference in the benchmark test results above.

Google Pixel 10a vs. OnePlus 15R software

Hard to beat the Pixel 10a here

Both phones run Android 16, with OnePlus using its OxygenOS 16 interface, and Google pushing its own Material 3 Expressive design.

OnePlus will update the 15R’s operating system for the next four years, and six for security updates. Google will update both the OS and the security for the next seven years.

I’ve said numerous times that Android on the Pixel 10a is excellent. It’s a beautiful, well-designed, and logically laid-out piece of software.

From the way you can customize the Quick Settings and the neat multitasking system, to the fast fingerprint sensor, it’s always comfortable and pleasant to use.

OnePlus’s OxygenOS gets close to it. The design has improved a lot over the last few years, and it’s very fast and responsive. OnePlus has worked to ensure it looks cohesive, and its animations are smooth and eye-friendly. It really does work.

OnePlus doesn’t push its AI features too hard, outside of a dedicated Plus Key hardware button on the side to access its Mind Space tool, but this can be mapped to other features too.

Gemini on the Pixel 10a is everywhere, but also nowhere. If you don’t want to use it, you probably won’t notice it’s there. I like Gemini, though, and find its responses friendly and informative.

It’s hard not to recommend Android on the Pixel 10a over OxygenOS, but its sheer speed and responsiveness beat Google’s phone, and sometimes you want your phone to feel like a flagship. The OnePlus 15R will satisfy that need more than the Pixel 10a.

Google Pixel 10a vs. OnePlus 15R battery life and charging

Days of use from OnePlus

There’s a whopping 7,500mAh silicon carbon battery inside the OnePlus 15R, and it outpaces the 5,080mAh Li-Po battery inside the Pixel 10a.

The Pixel 10a’s battery life isn’t terrible, but it’s hard to see it last all the way through day two on a single charge, with between four and five hours of screen time being my average.

This is eclipsed by the OnePlus 15R, which easily sees two full days of use on a single charge, based on an average of around three or four hours of screen time. However, playing graphically intensive games will see this dramatically reduced.

Running a 3DMark 20-minute benchmarking stress test, the Pixel 10a needed 10% of the battery, but the OnePlus 15R only needed 7%. A 1440p YouTube video at full brightness over Wi-Fi took 2% on the OnePlus 15R and 4% on the Pixel 10a.

When it comes to charging, the OnePlus 15R’s 80W SuperVOOC charging system is faster on paper than the Pixel 10a’s 45W wired charging. However, the Pixel 10a does have wireless charging, a feature OnePlus reserves for the OnePlus 15.

It takes around 90 minutes to fully charge the Pixel 10a. If you use a proprietary OnePlus SuperVOOC charger, it should take around 60 minutes to fully charge the OnePlus 15R.

I used an Anker charger, and it took at least 90 minutes, showing you have to own the OnePlus-specific charger to get the fastest speeds.

The OnePlus 15R is a battery life and efficiency winner, and for many, this alone will likely make the extra cost of the phone over the Pixel 10a worth it. But the Pixel 10a’s wireless charging and surprisingly similar charging times do even things out.

Should you buy the Google Pixel 10a or the OnePlus 15R?

There are clear benefits to buying the OnePlus 15R over the Pixel 10a, and for a potential $100 extra, it makes the OnePlus phone feel like a great value when you start using it.

For all its excellence, the Pixel 10a never feels like an especially value-driven phone. However, the obvious performance benefits, its eagerness to play games, and the big, colorful, AMOLED screen on the OnePlus 15R mean you’ll think you’ve stolen it for $700.

The software remains the primary reason to choose the Pixel over the OnePlus, and it really is as good as everyone says. You’ll enjoy updates for longer, too, if that matters to you.

Ultimately, if you can stretch your budget to the OnePlus and want to play high-end games, you’ll have made a good decision. If you prefer to keep your spending at $500, few will be disappointed with the Pixel 10a.

• 

  SoC

  Google Tensor G4

  RAM

  8GB

  Storage

  128 or 256GB

  Battery

  5,100mAh

  Operating System

  Android 16

  The Google Pixel 10a features a Tensor G4 chipset and 8GB of RAM. It includes a 6.3-inch Actua panel and a 1080p resolution. The phone packs a 5,100mAh battery and a 48MP primary camera sensor, with a 13MP ultrawide lens. It ships with Android 16, and Google promises 7 years of software updates. 

• 

  SoC

  Snapdragon 8 Gen 5

  RAM

  12GB

  Storage

  256GB, 512GB

  Rear camera

  50MP main, 8MP telephoto

  Display type

  AMOLED

  Charge speed

  80W

  Packed with powerful specs and cutting edge features, the OnePlus 15R offers top-tier flagship power, but without the flagship price.