The next round of Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 flagships is right around the corner. The realme GT 8 Pro, OnePlus 15, and iQOO 15 will all fall between ₹60,000 and ₹70,000, and they’ll likely compete head-to-head in almost every department. These devices have already launched in China, and the India launches are happening soon: OnePlus on November 13, iQOO on November 26, and realme on November 20. Let’s see which one has the stronger camera system based on the China launches so far.
Main Camera
| Phone | Sensor | Sensor Size | Aperture | Full-Frame Equivalent | Focal Length |
| realme GT 8 Pro | 50 MP Sony IMX906 | 1/1.56-inch | f/1.8 | f/7.61 | 24 mm |
| OnePlus 15 | 50 MP Sony IMX906 | 1/1.56-inch | f/1.8 | f/7.61 | 24 mm |
| iQOO 15 | 50 MP Sony IMX921 | 1/1.56-inch | f/1.88 | f/7.94 | 23 mm |
All three phones have the same size main sensor, 1/1.56-inch, which is solid for this segment. The realme GT 8 Pro and OnePlus 15 use the same Sony LYT700 sensor, while the iQOO 15 might go with the Sony IMX921. The differences will mostly come down to processing since the hardware is nearly identical.
The iQOO has a slightly narrower aperture (f/1.88 vs f/1.8), which means it will capture a bit less light. In real life, that’s not huge, but it may affect low-light shots slightly though again, it might not be noticeable.
Telephoto Camera
| Phone | Sensor | Sensor Size | Aperture | Full-Frame Equivalent | Focal Length | Minimum Focus Distance |
| realme GT 8 Pro | 200 MP Samsung HP5 | 1/1.56-inch | f/2.6 | f/10.9 | 65 mm | 25 cm |
| OnePlus 15 | 50 MP Samsung JN5 | 1/2.76-inch | f/2.8 | f/18.6 | 85 mm | 30 cm |
| iQOO 15 | 50 MP Sony IMX882 | 1/1.95-inch | f/2.65 | f/14 | 73 mm | 70 cm |
Here’s where things get really interesting. The realme GT 8 Pro’s telephoto lens is so good it could almost replace the main camera. It uses a large 1/1.56-inch 200 MP sensor, which is the same size as the main sensor used on these phones.
That means it’s not just for zoom; you could shoot regular photos with it and get near-main-camera quality, plus better reach and background blur.
The aperture of f/2.6 (f/10.9 in full-frame terms) also lets in almost 1.5 stops more much light as the OnePlus 15’s f/2.8 telephoto (f/18.6 full-frame). This makes a huge difference in low light and portraits.
The OnePlus 15 has a smaller sensor and slower lens, so it won’t pull in as much detail or light. The iQOO 15 sits somewhere in the middle with a larger 1/1.95-inch sensor and slightly brighter aperture than OnePlus, but its 70 cm focusing distance is the worst of the three.
The realme’s 25 cm focusing distance is amazing though, meaning it can do proper telemacro shots, something the other two simply can’t match. If you are wondering, the iQOO’s telephoto can capture 0.82 stops more light than the OnePlus’ telephoto.
Ultra-Wide Camera
| Phone | Sensor | Sensor Size | Aperture | Full-Frame Equivalent | Focal Length | Autofocus |
| realme GT 8 Pro | 50 MP OmniVision OV50D | 1/2.88-inch | f/2.0 | f/14 | 15 mm | Yes |
| OnePlus 15 | 50 MP OmniVision OV50D | 1/2.88-inch | f/2.0 | f/14 | 15 mm | Yes |
| iQOO 15 | 50 MP Samsung JN5 | 1/2.76-inch | f/2.05 | f/13.5 | 15 mm | Yes |
The OnePlus and realme both use the new OmniVision OV50D sensor for their ultra-wide cameras, while the iQOO uses the JN%. With f/2.0 aperture and autofocus, these should similar results overall. It will mostly come down to color science and distortion correction in software.
Selfie Camera
| Phone | Sensor | Sensor Size | Aperture | Focal Length | Autofocus |
| realme GT 8 Pro | 32 MP GalaxyCore GC32E2 | 1/3.1-inch | f/2.4 | 21 mm | No |
| OnePlus 15 | 32 MP Sony IMX709 | 1/2.74-inch | f/2.4 | 21 mm | Yes |
| iQOO 15 | 32 MP GalaxyCore GC32E1 | 1/3.1-inch | f/2.2 | 21 mm | No |
The OnePlus 15 clearly leads in the selfie department with the Sony IMX709 sensor — larger than both GalaxyCore sensors used by realme and iQOO — and with autofocus support. Both realme and iQOO skip autofocus, which might limit sharpness in certain shots.
Launch Timeline
- OnePlus 15: November 13
- realme GT 8 Pro: November 20
- iQOO 15: November 26
Final Verdict
| realme GT 8 Pro | OnePlus 15 | iQOO 15 | |
| Main | 50 MP IMX906, 1/1.56-inch, f/1.8 (f/7.61), 24 mm | 50 MP IMX906, 1/1.56-inch, f/1.8 (f/7.61), 24 mm | 50 MP IMX921, 1/1.56-inch, f/1.88 (f/7.94), 23 mm |
| Telephoto | 200 MP HP5, 1/1.56-inch, f/2.6 (f/10.9), 65 mm, 25 cm MFD | 50 MP JN5, 1/2.76-inch, f/2.8 (f/18.6), 85 mm, 30 cm MFD | 50 MP IMX882, 1/1.95-inch, f/2.65 (f/14), 73 mm, 70 cm MFD |
| Ultra-Wide | 50 MP OV50D, 1/2.88-inch, f/2.0 (f/14), 15 mm AF | 50 MP OV50D, 1/2.88-inch, f/2.0 (f/14), 15 mm AF | 50 MP JN5, 1/2.76-inch, f/2.05 (f/13.5), 15 mm AF |
| Selfie | 32 MP GalaxyCore GC32E2, 1/3.1-inch, f/2.4, 21 mm, FF | 32 MP Sony IMX709, 1/2.74-inch, f/2.4, 21 mm, AF | 32 MP GalaxyCore GC32E1, 1/3.1-inch, f/2.4, 21 mm, FF |
From what we know so far, the realme GT 8 Pro has the most complete camera setup out of the three. Its telephoto lens alone could match, or even beat, the main sensors on these phones. The fact that it captures over 1.5 stops more light than the OnePlus’ telephoto is actually incredible.
The OnePlus 15 and iQOO 15 should still hold their ground in daily photography, but realme’s hardware gives it the clear upper hand this time. It’s not often you can say a phone’s telephoto is as good as its main camera, but that’s exactly what realme seems to be going for with the GT 8 Pro.
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