“We’re Not Making a Gaming Phone, We’re Making a Better Phone for Gaming”: Marcel Campos on the OnePlus 15

The OnePlus 15 is all set to launch on November 13, and a few things are already clear. It runs on Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and features a 165Hz display, the fastest we’ve seen on a OnePlus flagship. The design also takes a new turn with the familiar circular camera module making way for a design we’ve already seen on the OnePlus 13s. Besides that, the Hasselblad collaboration is also no more, and instead, OnePlus is introducing its own DetailMax Engine for image processing. And that’s a sign of where the company’s focus is shifting. Cameras are still part of the equation, but not the headline act this time. The OnePlus 15 feels like a phone built around balance — and gaming sits right at the centre of that idea.

After trying out the device at the OverPower event in Singapore, I sat down with Marcel Campos, Director of Product and Gaming Strategy at OnePlus — a lifelong gamer and collector whose shelves include the Nintendo Game Boy, DS, and even the Atari 2600 — to understand what’s driving this new direction.

A Shift in Direction

When asked about why gaming suddenly seems to be a bigger priority than before, Marcel said.

“When we think about any new product, we think about where we’re going to focus more. OnePlus has always tried to be an all-around device, the best we can do in every part. But performance has been in our DNA since the beginning. 'Fast and Smooth’ might sound like a tagline, but it’s really a promise that you don’t need to worry about lag or slowdowns.”

He adds that the growing importance of gaming wasn’t just a marketing decision, but something OnePlus observed directly from users.

“If you look at the market, especially in India, mobile gaming has grown massively. And when people benchmark performance, they always use heavy games. Performance has become connected to gaming. Our community talks about cameras, design, and everything else, but one thread that keeps coming up is gaming performance.”

That observation, he explains, led to a deeper rethink inside the company.

“We were always improving hardware and software for overall performance — but we never really focused on developing things exclusively for gaming. This time, we went deep on both hardware and software to improve gameplay itself.” We asked, 'What if we go to the core of all games? What are the fundamental areas we can improve on a smartphone that help every game, not just one title?’”

Collaboration with Qualcomm at the Chip Level

The OnePlus 15 brings in the new OP Gaming Core, which uses a proprietary CPU scheduler built right into the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. It replaces Android’s default CFS system, which OnePlus claims enables the phone to handle gaming tasks more efficiently and maintain consistent performance during long sessions.

“When we say we co-developed with Qualcomm, it means we could occupy some of the memory microarchitecture inside the Snapdragon processor to enable new optimisations. We decided to use those for gaming. That’s the core change.”

Campos says this shift has ripple effects across the entire device architecture.

“The dedicated Wi-Fi chip is good for gaming, but it’s good for everything else, too. I was part of the original ROG Phone team at Asus, and one thing we learned back then is that in the PC world, if a machine is good for gaming, it’s good for everything. But in smartphones, gaming phones often come with compromises — especially in cameras and design. We don’t want those compromises”

The Bigger Challenge

OnePlus’ decision to integrate optimisations directly at the chip level wasn’t an easy one. Campos says the biggest hurdle was timing — working within Qualcomm’s manufacturing process to ensure OnePlus’ proprietary code could be embedded directly into the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.

“It’s the timing. Those chips from Qualcomm have to be separated in the factory for us only because they need to receive a code inside the chip that can’t be changed later. And that code can’t go to competitors — but it’s the same chip.”

The challenge, he explains, was getting these changes in before the silicon left the factory floor.

“So, if we want to put in new features that we’ve developed, they have to go in before the chip leaves production. That’s why timing is the most complicated part. It’s a fundamental change.”

A Gaming Phone Without the Label

He clarifies that OnePlus isn’t trying to make a gaming phone in the conventional sense.

“We’re definitely not targeting to have a gaming phone. We’re making our phones better for gaming. That’s a different approach. Some people might think we’ll make a gaming phone in the future — never say never — but right now, that’s not the goal.”

That philosophy shows up even in the OnePlus 15's hardware design.

“Gaming stresses every part of a smartphone for long durations. The vapour chamber in the OnePlus 15 is almost the size of the phone. We had to make it thinner using stainless steel to keep the device slim, but still manage heat. It’s a complete rework of how the phone handles sustained performance.”

Gaming as the Stability Test

Campos believes gaming isn’t just a showcase feature — it’s the toughest real-world stress test for any modern smartphone.

“Recording 4K 120fps video is heavy, but you do that for maybe 10 minutes. Gaming pushes the phone for hours. The entire system has to be stable for that long. That’s why we’ve redesigned things like the vapour chamber — it’s not about specs on paper, it’s about endurance.”

The takeaway from the conversation was clear: OnePlus is betting that optimising performance for gaming will naturally make the device better across the board. The OnePlus 15 isn’t branded as a gaming phone, but as Campos puts it, it’s a flagship that just happens to play games like one.

The OnePlus 15 is already with us and is currently undergoing extensive stress and gaming tests to see if Marcel’s claims about the OP Gaming Core and the rest of OnePlus’ hardware optimisations hold up in real-world use. Stay tuned to Gizbot for our full coverage and performance breakdown soon.