One Plus 11: The King of “Budget- Premium” phones returns

Every year, a new generation of smartphones is released, and OnePlus is one of the first firms to do so with its 2023 flagship model. After the launch in China in January, OnePlus 11 has officially gone global. This $699  phone offers plenty to get excited about. With a top tier Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, a new design, new cameras, and more, this phone is working hard to earn its flagship title. 

The OnePlus 10 Pro and 10T already gave OnePlus solid foundations for the most recent iteration of the phone, but the OnePlus 11 brings everything together to create a well-rounded phone that undercuts majority of its competitors where it comes to price. It's without a doubt among the best Android phones available right now.

But at the same time this phones has not undergone any significant upgrade from last year’s already excellent OnePlus 10 Pro. It has a similar design and received a big (maybe unnecessary) power bump. Even the new camera configuration, while excellent, isn't a significant improvement.

Release Date

On January 4, OnePlus unveiled the OnePlus 11 in its entirety, although this launch was limited to the Chinese market. It made its debut on February 7 for the international market and will be on sale on February 16.

Price

Price definitely works in its favor. The $699 (£729 in the UK, or approximately AU$1,270) base variant of the OnePlus 11 has 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Even the higher-end review model, with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, is only $799 (£799 in the UK), making it far less expensive than its competitors.

Design

Both the 10 Pro and the 10T from OnePlus last year featured a similar design, distinguishable by the stovetop-like camera arrangement on the back. The business wants to change things up this year and will replace the squared-off camera bump with a circular module with a ringed border. It's an intriguing appearance, but it will undoubtedly cause controversy. However, the flash and the grid of camera lenses are still present and carry some of the same design elements from generation to generation.

The OnePlus 11 shares the same curved display edges and left-corner punch-hole camera as the OnePlus 10 Pro on the front. The OnePlus 10T featured a flat screen with a punch hole in the center, which appears to be a T-series update alone.

The 11 is available from OnePlus in Eternal Green, which has a glossier finish, or Titanium Black, which employs matte frosted glass.

For the 11, OnePlus also reintroduced its recognizable alert slider. Although the OnePlus 10T was the company's first flagship model without a slider, OnePlus has previously made statements that seemed to suggest this wouldn't be a long-term choice moving ahead. This has since shown to be true.

The OnePlus 11 has been rated IP64 for protection against water and dust, unlike the majority of prior OnePlus phones. Although it falls short of many of its competitors' IP68-rated phones, the OnePlus 10 Pro nevertheless performed better than that.

Display

It has a 6.7-inch AMOLED LTPO display with QHD resolution for the screen. The LTPO 3.0 material reportedly enables the phone to support refresh rates as low as 1Hz and as high as 120Hz. It should be in an excellent position to compete with the Galaxy S23 Ultra and the iPhone 14 Pro Max for the title of smartphone with the most fully featured screen.

Specifications

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, together with a substantial 16GB of RAM, powers the phone. It has a strong chip that scored incredibly well on our battery of benchmark tests, easily placing it among the most powerful phones available. On the phone, 44 apps can all be running simultaneously.

The OnePlus 11 boasts a Cryo-velocity VC Cooling System, which aims to keep it cool throughout extended gameplay and other heavy use, so you should be able to push it hard as well.

The OnePlus 11 offers a choice of 128GB or 256GB of storage. Additionally, it has a fingerprint sensor hidden beneath the display, two speakers that support Dolby Atmos, and the OxygenOS 13 user interface on top of Android 13.

Due to the fact that it will receive four significant Android updates and five years' worth of security fixes, the OnePlus 11 will also receive long-term maintenance. Although it is the first OnePlus phone to have that level of support, the firm has previously stated that "chosen products launched in 2023 and beyond" will also receive it.

Camera

Over the past few years, the firm has kept striving for better outcomes with the devices’ camera. Its colour tuning sets it apart from other contemporary smartphones thanks to a collaboration with Hasselblad. Even though it wasn't there on the OnePlus 10T, that marking comes back for 2023 and can be seen right in the center of the lens grid.

A 50MP Sony IMX890 primary sensor in conjunction with a 48MP ultra-wide and a 32MP telephoto lens that can take 2x photos. It's regrettable that the new zoom camera's magnification level has been reduced from 3.3x to 2x. It seems sense that OnePlus is concentrating on this camera's function as a portrait camera rather than a telephoto lens, and the higher resolution should result in crisper photographs overall.

Battery

The OnePlus 11 sports a 5,000mAh battery with 100W charging, which is quick enough to complete a full charge in under 25 minutes.

That's an increase from the OnePlus 10 Pro's 80W, however it should be noted that the 10 Pro charged at a slower 65W in the US. This time around, we're seeing a similar split, with the US model supposedly charging at 80W although that hasn't been confirmed.

Is there a OnePlus 11 Pro?

Simply put, no. OnePlus has previously released two versions of its phones: a base model and a "Pro" model with greater features. However, the business abandoned that plan this year and decided to go all-in with just one multifunctional device. In essence, it is the OnePlus 11 Pro, minus the "Pro" label.

Conclusion

The OnePlus 11 harkens back to those early days with a lower-than-average pricing but the same top-tier specs as comparable phones, even though OnePlus is now an established player in the smartphone market rather than challenging it.

The OnePlus 11 is still an impressive gadget with its sizable, fluid, and clear display, rapid charging, sizable battery, and strong chipset, even though we're a little confused by the apparent absence of a dedicated Pro handset and odd adjustments like a less powerful optical zoom but rest assured that it's a quality phone.

And while the camera setup is far from the best around, it's perfectly capable of taking shots of your kids on holiday you'll be excited to share with your wider family and friends. 

But it's the price that stands out here, being one of the cheapest flagships you can buy, undercutting both the Pixel 7 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S23. If photography isn't your top priority but you do want ultimate performance for gaming on the go, the OnePlus 11 is certainly worth your time.

Check out new cases for the new OnePlus 11