Smartphone Oneplus Review – Last year’s OnePlus 10 Pro will be replaced by the OnePlus 11. There will be no OnePlus 11 Pro and no regular OnePlus 10. It might all be simple, but what do you do? Without any spoilers, this is OnePlus’ flagship phone, with all its attention, development budget and everything else. The leak meant that we knew what the OnePlus 11 would look like before it was officially launched. It’s got everything we’ve already loved about OnePlus: a powerful, high-end processor, a crystal-clear screen, and (after some quick research) a competitive price tag ($699).
The OnePlus 11 launches in the same week as three phones from Samsung, the dominant Android phone player. The 2023 Galaxy S series includes phones bigger and smaller, more expensive and cheaper than the new OnePlus phone. Fortunately, this new flagship has one trick that sets it apart from Samsung’s new lineup: 100-watt super fast charging.
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OnePlus has made some changes to its design. The company found inspiration in sports cars (they have previously collaborated with McLaren) and Swiss watches. This probably resulted in a single plate with a stainless steel chamber. There are small details on the camera glass that give it a bit of a watch aesthetic, but it’s basically just another great looking camera. The metal frame protrudes a bit more than the glass, which helps prevent scratches. At first I thought it was too big and flashy, but it’s the same size as the unit on the iPhone 14 Pro – and the Pixel 7 Pro’s Cyclops camera band is clearer.
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The OnePlus 11 has also answered the requests of OnePlus loyalists by reintroducing the Alert Slider. If you haven’t seen it on previous phones, it’s the metal slider above the power button on the right edge that toggles silent, ring, and vibrate modes. OnePlus said a few years ago that the removal was due to the need for space inside the phones and that the slider would return, so the company has at least kept that promise to its fans. For the rest of us, I’m not sure we need it. Then again, I’m someone who always keeps my phone on silent.
The phone comes in glossy green (Evergreen) and glossy black (Titan Black) color options. I thought the black would have a 3D printed feel, but it’s closer to slate – somehow smooth and grippy at the same time. I don’t even understand the physics of it. Meanwhile, the green version looks very similar to last year’s phones. The gloss, unfortunately, is a canvas for all fingerprints and smudges.
The OnePlus 11 sports a 6.7-inch 2048×1080 OLED screen that can achieve a 120Hz refresh rate. Again, there’s the LTPO panel, which can now go down to 1Hz when the always-on display (AOD) is on. OnePlus claims that the OnePlus 11’s 1Hz AOD consumes 30 percent less power compared to the standard 30Hz AOD. Yes, it doesn’t use as much power as the AOD, but even if it doesn’t show up in our standard battery tests, it can improve battery life in the long run. Aside from the improved AOD capabilities, this screen is similar to the OnePlus 10 Pro – which isn’t bad. Another area where OnePlus often goes with the best smartphones, but hundreds of dollars cheaper.
The OnePlus 11’s primary camera is a new 50-megapixel sensor with f/1.8 aperture. It’s similar to the OnePlus 10 Pro’s main camera, but uses a larger 1/1.56-inch sensor. This works alongside a 115-degree ultra-wide 48MP camera that doubles up for macro photography.
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This time, the OnePlus flagship has a 32 MP phone camera, which is smaller than its predecessor’s 8 MP. However, the optical zoom goes up to 2x, while the lower OnePlus 10 Pro can reach up to 3.2x optical zoom. This is a rare change. Which solution is better? While I don’t have last year’s OnePlus 10 Pro to compare directly with the OnePlus 11, the photos didn’t look as muted as I remembered. Granted, they’re not quite as zoomed in, but given the high resolution, I can still access the results without compromising too much. Manual digital zoom is great for cropping this way, but you’ll benefit from a better sensor before cropping more megapixels.
Called the third-generation Hasselblad Camera, the OnePlus 11’s camera lineup has been improved and it comes with addictive photo and video filters. However, it can’t reach the top of smartphone photography led by the Galaxy S22 Ultra, iPhone 14 Pro and Pixel 7 Pro.
The OnePlus 11 seems to do its best work in landscape and street photography. There’s also a Pro mode so you can get into RAW editing, but I was happy with JPG files. The OnePlus 11 also has an AI Highlight video mode. The phone uses image processing to maintain consistent exposure levels when recording video and transitioning between different lighting environments. I tried it on a sunny afternoon, on a bridge, but didn’t see any noticeable benefit from the overexposure. It does a little better when recording in very dark conditions, but surprisingly, it’s a prominent software feature of this year’s OnePlus flagship – it’s barely noticeable.
The OnePlus 11 has the de facto best Android processor: the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. It’s certainly powerful, but the biggest benefits may come with longer battery life. According to the chipmaker, its new Adreno GPU can provide up to 45 percent more energy efficiency.
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OnePlus software hasn’t changed much since the OnePlus 10 Pro. OnePlus says its HyperBoost Gaming Engine uses machine learning (and the latest Qualcomm processor) to balance performance and battery drain. The caveat here is that it’s only compatible with major mobile titles, e.g
. It’s hard to say whether it makes a noticeable impact in gaming, where many other phones have the same specs and offer a similar experience.
OnePlus series phones generally offer good battery life. So it’s no surprise that the OnePlus 11 clocked in at around 20 hours in our video test. The battery icon looks a bit “stuck” at almost 100 percent after two hours of video playback. The company’s only flagship phones are the OnePlus 10T and the iPhone 14 Pro.
While that’s great, the speed at which the OnePlus 11 can charge is even more impressive. 100W charging is here – the kind of power we get from laptops. Fortunately, there’s a compatible charger in the box, but it’s proprietary technology, so you’ll need this particular charger, this cable, and the latest OnePlus phone to achieve the highest charging speeds. OnePlus says it takes 25 minutes to reach a full charge from empty, and in practice that’s accurate.
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Being able to plug in my phone for a while (about ten minutes) and charge it to 50 percent is magical. However, there is no wireless charging. It’s no surprise to me, but it’s worth noting that it’s not on a flagship phone. I’d take that super fast charging speed over wireless charging any day.
The OnePlus 11 has a great screen (again), fast charging (again) and better cameras than its predecessor. However, the supercharge speed seems to be the only difference that the OnePlus 11 brings to the table. But should that make you want to upgrade from an older phone or choose OnePlus over the competition?
At $699, it has 8GB of memory and 128GB of storage, which is $100 less than last year’s flagship. It’s a much better deal than its predecessor – which could be the deciding factor. The OnePlus 11 sits between mid-range devices like the Pixel 6a and flagship phones that include the Google Pixel 7 and Samsung Galaxy S23 series. In many ways you get the best of both, but against the dominance of other phone manufacturers, it needs to do more to differentiate itself.
All featured products are selected by our editors, independent of our parent company. Some of our articles contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. All prices are correct at time of publication. The OnePlus Nord is a great mid-range option with a premium feel, great performance and amazing battery life. But its uneven rear camera performance doesn’t make it a decent budget Android phone.
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Honorable Mention is reserved for the best things you see, use or do. If this is an option, it will take time.
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