Review of the OnePlus 11 5G

If you're not very knowledgeable about the current state of smartphones, you may not be familiar with OnePlus, although this company has been producing high-quality smartphones since 2013. The OnePlus 11 5G is here to put the firm back on the map, even if the design may split the Android community. The company may have seen a bit of a lull over the first half of the 2020s. However, it offers an excellent list of features and components.

One of the company's flagship devices, the OnePlus 11, is a strong substitute for well-known models like the Google Pixel 7 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy S23. This phone, which will be released in early 2023, is on our list of the greatest OnePlus phones for a good reason—it has the newest processor available, the Qualcomm SM8550-AB Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, as well as an incredible display. It would be an understatement to say that I'm pleased with this phone after using it for more than a month.

Cost and accessibility

The OnePlus 11 comes in two models: 128GB and 256GB. The price of the model you choose will depend on how much internal storage you need. The RRP of each is shown below; costs may vary based on certain stores or if you want to pick up the phone as part of a contract. There aren't many color options in terms of style, but you may select between a simple Titan Black and a little more vibrant Eternal Green.

• OnePlus 11 5G 128GB – $699
• OnePlus 11 G5 256GB – $799

Specifications

Features

As one would anticipate from a flagship smartphone like the OnePlus 11, it is packed with features that elevate it to the top of the manufacturer's lineup, along with a few unexpected additions that raise the phone's overall worth and usefulness. Wi-Fi 7 connection is a great addition, particularly in a market where many flagships still use Wi-Fi 6. Additionally, the decision to provide a model with 16GB of RAM beats out a lot of other Android phones that have a maximum of 12GB or sometimes only 8GB of RAM.

Although we will go more into the cameras in the next portion of our review, it is important to note that OnePlus takes great pleasure in the Hasselblad configuration and the phone's lightning-fast charging. But what really grabs my attention are some of the characteristics that the business leaves out of its in-box marketing, particularly performance, where the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 CPU is one of the things that really elevates this phone to the upper echelons of contemporary smartphones.

The price, however, is by far the most remarkable aspect. For a price that is negligible when compared to the most expensive Samsung and Apple models, you can have all the benefits of a flagship smartphone, such as five years of security updates and support for four versions of Android, for only $699 (or $799 for the 256GB variant). Although it's true that businesses like Xiaomi now provide comparable long-term support and the recently released Google Pixel 8 also makes the same guarantee until 2030, the OnePlus 11's dedication to being relevant for years to come is something that should be highlighted.

The OnePlus 11 has numerous features that make it an appealing option, but it lacks a few functions that I've become used to seeing in a contemporary smartphone. Among them is wireless charging; more on that later. The absence of IP68 water resistance is more worrisome. Although the OnePlus 11 is splash resistant, its lack of real waterproofing makes it seem less practical for daily usage. This is particularly true if, like me, you use your smartphone to listen to podcasts while taking a shower or to play music while doing the dishes.

Photography

The OnePlus 11 has enough to make the phone relevant in the discourse, even if many people gravitate toward the amazing smartphone cameras of the new Xiaomi 13T series or the Google Pixel line. Three Hasselblad cameras are used in this device: a 50MP primary, a 48MP ultrawide, and a 32MP ultrawide. Depending on the topic or picture you're trying to capture, different photographs will arise; even in low light, landscape images tend to turn out better.

The image below, which features my adorable puppy Floyd, shows you how well the primary camera captures color. The beautiful orange hue that flows through Floyd's belly hair is difficult to capture in almost all of the pictures I've shot of him using my iPhone and other devices I've tried. My fluffy friend is captured by the OnePlus 11 in all of his grandeur, with the device able to catch the fine details in his coat that I had previously assumed were only visible to me.

The OnePlus 11 takes amazing landscape photos, catching color from far out in the distance with the same vibrant colors as anything right in front of you. This is similar to the depth in the photo of my cute puppy taken from above. As you can see in the image below, since I am fortunate enough to reside on top of a hill with an amazing perspective, you can see the verdant greenery in my neighbor's gardens and the distant trees' fall reds. This gadget is guaranteed to provide you with some Instagram-worthy photos if you're a visitor, particularly if you have a taste for expansive, naturally beautiful locations.

Although a little harsh, the 16MP selfie camera is nevertheless a benefit of this gadget. Seeing oneself in such detail, particularly in what you could consider optimal lighting for photography, makes you question why other phones don't go for such high-resolution selfie shots. It reveals the most minute aspects of your face. It doesn't seem like there is any automated smoothing either, so you may need to play about with some of the photo editing tools before posting to social media unless you are flawless, which is fantastic for you, by the way. Nevertheless, the caliber is outstanding.

Nevertheless, given how much OnePlus brags about the technology behind it, the portrait mode feels a touch bland. Although the background blur and bokeh effect are visible, it nearly seems as if they are seeping into the subject you are attempting to photograph, giving the appearance of fuzzy hair or, in the case of the picture below, fur. While it remains better than most mid-range phones' portrait modes, the camera settings I discovered while testing for our Xiaomi 13T Pro review tend to provide better results if you're looking at flagship phones.

Design

The OnePlus 11's design gives off a vibe that is more appropriate for 2013 than 2023. Whether that's a good thing or not is up to you, but I like how the Motorola Edge 40 and Google Pixel 7, which both have smooth back panels, feel more in comparison to this device's metal plating. Even after all this time, I still don't think highly of the early clamshell iPhone models.

It's simply that every time you take up the phone, you have to jiggle your grip a bit to get it to feel safe in your hand. A case is essential if you want to pick one up yourself since otherwise, you risk dropping it or having it slip off your desk. The OnePlus 11's large camera notch detracts significantly from its overall feel; in order to use it comfortably in one hand, you must grip the device by its bottom two-thirds.

But if, like me, you like buttons that click and clack, the OnePlus 11's responsive lock and volume keys are a nice touch to the design. Similarly, the three-way slider lets you swiftly flip between quiet, vibration, and ring modes. This is very helpful if you need to adjust fast before a meeting or have an incoming call to be aware of. When friction in your pocket modifies these settings without your knowledge—that is, you can miss a call or hear it ring when you thought it was on silent—that can be a bit frustrating.

Display

The OnePlus 11 excels when it comes to the display. Over the last several months, I've reviewed a number of phones from various manufacturers, and this screen may be my favorite since it provides crisp, high-quality gaming and streaming regardless of the lighting conditions. The additional width in landscape mode draws attention to the screen even more, particularly in games that resize to fit the wider screen.This device offers an unmatched viewing experience because to its large AMOLED screen. The gadget is especially well suited to cinematic television shows and movies because of its total length. I used my OnePlus 11 to test this by watching two movies: Disney's vibrant Up and the infamously grim and gloomy There Will Be Blood. Both movies benefited from the phone's rich color depth. It's worth considering getting this gadget if you're a regular traveler who enjoys watching the newest movies while on the go.Even with the OnePlus 11's very smooth video streaming, gaming is still superior. As a die-hard Marvel Snapper, I was unaware of the game's complexity of animations until I started using this gadget, which well outperforms my iPhone 14 in terms of expressive expression. The OnePlus 11 allows me to experience a level of detail in games like Asphalt 9 and Honkai Star Rail that I never had the opportunity to really enjoy before. When it comes to performance, this gadget is a must-have for mobile gamers. If that's what you're looking for in an Android smartphone, you should definitely check out its remarkable display and top-notch performance.

Power Source

Similar to fellow Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi, OnePlus is well-known in the Android community for using long-lasting batteries to power its handsets, and the OnePlus 11 delivers on that promise. This item can easily last 48 hours, and frequently even more if you're simply using it for basic smartphone operations like texting, calling, and internet surfing. Of course, if you choose maximum gaming performance, which does drain the device faster than normal, that time will not be spent on this device.The charging speed, however, is even more astounding than the battery life. The OnePlus 11 can charge from zero to fifty percent in less than fifteen minutes or to one hundred percent in less than thirty minutes when connected to the mains and using the approved converter. I don't need to describe how easy it is to use—I think most of us have been there before—when we discover we're running low on charge and have a short window of time before we have to leave the home. This gadget doesn't have that problem; even five minutes will give it a good 10-15% boost, which will last you until your next chance to charge.The absence of wireless charging detracts from this gadget, even if many other parts and functions are up to speed with what you would expect from a contemporary smartphone. For any smartphone that costs more than $500, it ought to come standard. Although OnePlus isn't the only brand offering wired charging in 2023, it is still very quick, and wireless capabilities is something I've become used to.Performance

You can expect best-in-class performance from the OnePlus 11, and it does it thanks to its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 CPU. With possibilities to boost performance levels much above what you can presently get on the previous generation of iPhone or Google Pixel devices, this device can handle almost any game you throw at it.Since this is mainly a gaming website, I have a list of games that I constantly check to see how different devices perform. The OnePlus 11 is among the more powerful alternatives available on the market in this respect. Performance is enhanced by the brilliant display; for example, Watcher of Realms, which I usually play on my PC using an Android emulator, looks and performs better than it does on my laptop. It's a gaming wonder, to put it plainly, and OnePlus need to highlight this more given that it costs less than other gamer-friendly smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S23.I never noticed the OnePlus 11 becoming hot, even though there have been complaints of overheating problems with the smartphone. However, given that I'm writing this review in early October in Britain, it may have something to do with the fact that people who complain about these problems often encounter them in hotter temperatures. Like many gadgets, it warms up a little bit when charging, but I wouldn't say it overheats, and if that's the price I have to pay for this item charging so rapidly, I'm willing to accept it.

Is the OnePlus 11 5G a good purchase?

The OnePlus 11 excels in many areas, including performance, clarity of image, and battery life that makes the smartphone worthwhile to promote on its own. It's not very attractive, but as I've learned from all the Disney films I've seen on my phone, the most important thing is what's on the inside. In that sense, the OnePlus 11 is deserving of being called a flagship device and should be given more respect than it does when compared to other of the more well-known brands in the smartphone industry.But there are some restrictions. The OnePlus 11, with its clicky buttons and similarities to smartphones that have been off the market for five years, is a little out of its element if the feel of a design is important to you when choosing your next phone. In addition, the device's design flaws and conspicuous absence of IP68 waterproofing and wireless charging give it a rather outdated appearance when compared to the Google Pixel 7 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S23.

Substitutes

If, after reading our review of the OnePlus 11 5G, you decide it's not the phone for you, you can look at some of our other options below.

Xiaomi 13T Pro / Xiaomi Mi Ultra 13

The Xiaomi Mi Ultra 13 5G, which has comparable performance and battery life to the OnePlus 11, is a suitable replacement for folks who live in the United States. Depending on what you're looking for in a camera, the Xiaomi seems to deliver somewhat superior portrait photos. For readers in the UK, the recently released Xiaomi 13T Pro is comparable, but its Leica-coengineered cameras provide even better pictures.

Pixel 7 Pro from Google

The Google Pixel 7 Pro is a strong contender to replace OnePlus' flagship smartphone if it must run Android. The Pixel phone's cameras are somewhat better, and on-the-go picture editing is made simpler with tools like Magic Eraser. Although it's not as excellent for gaming, you shouldn't have any trouble grinding Honkai Star Rail for hours on end.