The OnePlus 11 5G smartphone is in an interesting position, especially for a brand known for its top-end specs at an affordable price. Once known for its “Flagship Killer” motto, OnePlus has built up a worldwide fan following that is excited at the potential of each new release. While not everyone loved what the OnePlus 10T brought to the table, the OnePlus 11 is looking to change that, bringing more of what people love, all while keeping the important features the brand is known for.
While there are some minor gripes, the OnePlus 11 is exactly what the brand needs to revitalize the range and look stunning while it does so. There will be no OnePlus 11 Pro this year, so the OnePlus 11 packs a powerful punch, with its focus on being a powerhouse device ready for anything. The OnePlus 11 is a performance-first phone that is buttery smooth to use no matter the task you throw at it.
Packed with everything you need to get started in the box, OnePlus is bringing tremendous value to the table, no matter what you plan to do with your phone. Inside the box, users will find a sim card pin, instructions, OnePlus’ signature red charging cable, and unlike many modern flagship smartphones, its 80W charger.
OnePlus 11 Design – Flagship Style
With its 6.7-inch display, the OnePlus 11 design resembles the OnePlus 10 Pro, with a glass back and an aluminum frame, plus the convenient Alert Slider on the side, also known as the mute switch that is now back after a short stint of absence in the OnePlus 10T. The power button and alert slider are located on the right side, while the volume controls are on the left.
At the bottom is a USB-C port that offers up USB 2.0 speeds. The dual speakers have been enhanced with dual sub-magnets and NLC low-frequency algorithm for better sound quality. This phone comes in two colours: green and black. The green has a glossy glass finish that I very much enjoyed the look of while testing, while the black has a unique shimmering coating when exposed to light at certain angles.
New this year, the OnePlus 11 features a circular design for its camera array, a stark contrast to the square shape of its predecessor, the OnePlus 10 Pro. The lens module on the OnePlus 11 has been made smaller, making it less likely to attract fingerprints. However, some may find the shiny spots in the black area off-putting, as they resemble dust that can’t be easily removed. This is a bold look that makes the OnePlus 11 smartphone stand out when being used to take photos, especially with the prominent ‘Hasselblad’ branding in the centre of the camera array.
It has a ceramic-like sheen that gives it an ultra-premium feel. While it may be a fingerprint magnet, the glossy finish looks striking in the light, giving the phone the feel of a much more expensive device than the MSRP might suggest. The fingerprint scanner is also in the right place and works incredibly fast. In addition, this phone has the largest vibration motor among Android devices, making it a worthy rival to the iPhone in this regard.
The OnePlus 11 smartphone features a premium AMOLED display with 2K (1440×3216) resolution, high refresh rate and LTPO 3.0 technology protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus. This advanced technology allows you to adjust the refresh rate on the fly based on how fast or slow you swipe your finger across the screen — no more colour shifts when you squint.
I love the way the colour and detail look on the screen, making all kinds of media pop when viewed on the phone. As well as looking stunning, the screen supports all the latest technologies, including an eye-popping 1 billion colours, the ability to run at up to 120Hz and as low as 1Hz, and HDR with Dolby Vision and HDR10+, giving you an amazing media consumption device in the palm of your hand.
OnePlus 11 Specs, Hardware, & Gaming
The OnePlus 11’s performance is comparable to other Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 gen 2 chipset-based smartphones, delivering fantastic performance and speeds that show what is possible while on mobile. The phone features Octa-core, 1x 3.2GHz Cortex-X3 + 2x 2.8GHz Cortex-A715 + 2x 2.8GHz Cortex-A710 + 3x 2.0GHz Cortex-A510 for processing, with an Adreno 740 for graphics, and 16GB of RAM to tackle multitasking and gaming as one would hope from a 2023 flagship device.
This power means games like Genshin Impact and Fortnite run buttery smooth, giving a truly mobile gaming experience. In all our benchmarks, including 3DMark, the OnePlus 11 comes through with top marks, scoring an impressive 3602 in the Wild Life Extreme test. The OnePlus 11 is equipped with game frame insertion, which ensures that all games can be played without any hiccups, and even in the most intensive experiences, I never saw any issues with drops in framerate or anything that would make for a less than fantastic experience.
OnePlus 11 Camera: Android Photography Done Right
I was truly taken aback by the photography capabilities of the OnePlus 11 smartphone. I have been a fan of what OnePlus has been doing in the camera space for quite a while, delivering an experience that is well-rounded, if not best-in-class. Even with this view, OnePlus has outdone itself this time around, bringing a remarkable camera experience that delivers on all fronts.
The OnePlus 11 is a great decision for taking beautiful pictures due to the fact that all three of its cameras have top-tier sensors. The colours in the images will be more intense compared to real life, creating an atmosphere that truly immortalizes the moment. Additionally, the dynamic range and sharpening effects are both perfectly balanced, resulting in a sleek and clear photo. No need to switch to night mode for night shots either since auto mode gives similar outcomes.
Featuring three well-positioned cameras, this is one of the best-balanced OnePlus phones to date. The main camera features 50MP main shooter with a Sony IMX890 sensor and boasts an f/1.8 aperture. Photos on the main camera look sharp and clear, giving great images both in bright light and during the night. I managed to capture some vivid shots I would have thought impossible on a smartphone a few years ago, and the OnePlus 11 managed it with little effort on my part.
Granted, OnePlus does not have the incredible 200-megapixel sensors seen on the latest Xiaomi phones, but it manages to do a lot with what they have, delivering truly fantastic shots that should look great on social media or capturing precious memories.
The same can be said for the 48MP ultra-wide with its Sony IMX581 sensor. Again, while not quite as clear as the main sensor, the shots looked great and showed off how well the Hasselblad tuning has been implemented this time around, resulting in truly stunning image quality and detail. OnePlus is doing a great job of showing what is possible on a smartphone, and the shots on the ultra-wide camera can look positively stunning.
Even the 32MP 2X optical zoom lens with its Sony IMX709 sensor managed to impress. Again, colours and detail did not look as good when compared to the main 50MP sensor, but for most uses, this lens worked well and gives the 11 a vast range of options, including some great macro shots that make food, or tech photography pop, bringing a level of clarity and detail that is always welcome.
The main 50MP camera is capable of recording video at up to 8K resolution at 24fps, while the ultra wide-angle lens can capture 4K video at 30fps, and the telephoto lens tops out at 1080P and also 30fps. Both the main and wide-angle cameras perform like those found on flagship phones and deliver clear images, but the telephoto lens lags behind in terms of clarity. Zooming in and out is possible with 4K resolution at 30fps, but there seems to be some noise added after zooming. As for selfies, the front camera produces good images but, unfortunately, doesn’t support 4K or 60fps recording.
OnePlus 11 Battery – Solid Marks
OnePlus has made a name for itself in charging speed, and thankfully that is true here as well. The OnePlus 11 smartphone features a sizable 5000mAh battery with ample battery life that ensures you never need to worry about your phone’s battery during the day. Even if there is something that causes the battery to drain, thanks to the support for fast charging, It just takes five minutes to charge 25%, and a full charge is completed in 25 minutes.
Sadly, while past OnePlus phones did have wireless charging, it is absent from this offering. In terms of battery, the OnePlus 11 is more than capable, especially compared to phones like the iPhone 14 Pro Max, along with other snapdragon 8 gen 2 chipset-based phones.
OnePlus has done what was needed to bring their phone to the mainstream, delivering most of the features users would want from a 2023 flagship device. The phone is incredibly fast, easy to use, and stunning to look at. While I am sad to see the lack of wireless charging, all other important aspects have been addressed, and the camera is one of the best I have seen from an Android 13-based device.
I have not been this impressed with what OnePlus has brought to the table since the OnePlus 8 Pro. The OnePlus 11 is one of the best phones at its price point, and with the feature and improvements seen this year, it is potentially one of the best performance camera-centric smartphones you can buy. The OnePlus 11 proves you don’t need to break the bank to get an android flagship smartphone that delivers it all and does so in a style all its own.
