OnePlus 11 Preview: can this bring the OnePlus glory days back?
OnePlus 11 Intro
OnePlus is at a crossroads. The company which started with exciting “flagship killers” is now better known for its humdrum budget phones rather than flagships, but the OnePlus 11 is finally a chance to change that. As a fresh start, the OnePlus 11 comes with a new and more refined look including a gorgeous round camera system and a bunch of improvements under the hood, most driven by the impressive new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip. It also comes with the insanely fast charging speeds that OnePlus is known for and is crafted with attention to detail, including features like the Alert Slider.
*This preview is based on a Chinese version of the OnePlus 11. The global version of the phone has slightly different software and connectivity bands.
What’s new about the device
- New, more elegant design with round camera system
- Three cameras on the back
- 2X zoom camera for portraits
- OnePlus alert slider is back!
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 inside
- Possibly best haptics ever on an Android phone
- 6.7-inch OLED screen with 120Hz
- Insane 100W fast charging
- No wireless charging, no IP68 rating
Table of Contents:
OnePlus 11 Specs
We’ve already mentioned the new processor and camera system, but take a look at all of the OnePlus 11 specs highlights below:
| Specs | OnePlus 11 |
|---|---|
| Size and Weight | 163.1 x 74.1 x 8.53mm 205 g weight |
| Display | 6.7″ OLED, 1440p, 1-120Hz LTPO 3.0 refresh rate Gorilla Glass 7 |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 |
| RAM, Storage and Prices | 8GB RAM + 128GB storage (UFS 3.1): $699 16GB RAM + 256GB storage (UFS 4.0): $799 *LPDDR5X RAM |
| Software | Android 13 with ColorOS 13 |
| Cameras | 50MP main camera, Sony IMX890 sensor, f/1.8 48MP ultra-wide, Sony IMX581 sensor, f/2.2 32MP 2X zoom, Sony IMX709 sensor, f/2.0 16MP front cam with 1080p video, f/2.4 |
| Battery Size | 5,000 mAh |
| Charging Speeds | 80W wired charging (100W internationally) |
OnePlus 11 Unboxing
(Image Credit – PhoneArena) OnePlus 11 what is in the box
The OnePlus 11 ships in a big red box with the words OnePlus and Hasselblad printed on the cap and the letters 11 beautifully engraved on it.
Inside the box you will find the following:
- Phone with pre-applied screen protector
- 100W charger with USB-A port
- Red OnePlus cable with USB-A to USB-C connection
- See-through silicone case
- Stickers
- SIM tool
- User manuals
This is generous packaging for a 2023 phone, considering that most flagships these days don’t even have a charger included in the box, let alone a case, so we appreciate OnePlus still packing all of those things in the box.
OnePlus 11 Design & Colors
Big phone with a gorgeous round camera system
The OnePlus 11 comes in one size only. It’s a large phone, with a 6.7-inch screen size, but it is not quite as wide as say a Galaxy Ultra.
The design is mostly similar to the OnePlus 10 Pro, glass back, aluminum frame, and you also have the familiar Alert Slider on the side, also known as the mute switch, which is super convenient. The glass is Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus on the front and the older generation Gorilla Glass 5 on the back.
The power button and Alert Slider are on the right, volume buttons – on the left. On the bottom, you have a USB-C port (only USB 2.0 speeds). And this time you even have an official IP rating: the OnePlus 11 is rated IP64 for some water and dust protection.
The phone comes in two colors: a green one and a black model, the green features a smooth glass finish, while the black one has a new kind of coating which glimmers when light hits it at certain angles.
OnePlus 11 Display
While others have implemented the new E6 OLED panel, OnePlus falls behind with an older generation screen
(Image Credit – PhoneArena)
You have a 6.7-inch OLED screen here, which is slightly tapered at the sides.
The resolution is 1440p resolution for extra crispy detail, and it supports a dynamic refresh rate that goes from 1 Hz all the way up to 120Hz, thanks to LTPO 3.0 technology. The 1Hz option is great if you use the AOD (Always-on Display) function as it drains less power than before.
OnePlus is not disclosing the panel technology, but unofficial sources say it uses the older Samsung E4 OLED panel, rather than the newer E6 panels. This is one slight compromise compared to other new 2023 phones and it should result in screen color cast no quite as good as on the latest generation and lower peak brightness than higher end 2023 flagships.
In terms of biometrics, the OnePlus 11 uses an optical in-screen fingerprint scanner. OnePlus traditionally has some of the fastest fingerprint scanners in the industry and we don’t expect this to change on the 11. Also, you will have face unlock via the front camera, so it’s not a 3D secure type of Face ID, but it’s still nice to have on board.
It’s also worth mentioning that OnePlus brings a brand new vibration motor, 67% larger than the previous one it had, and it humbly calls it “the king of Android motors”. This allows for delicate haptics while typing, while you still don’t miss calls and notifications. Plus, for the first time, this allows you to experience “double vibration”, which will be particularly useful in games.
OnePlus 11 Camera
Some strange camera choices, but can OnePlus make it work?
(Image Credit – PhoneArena)
The OnePlus 11 comes with a redesigned camera system that looks big and impressive from afar, but look closer and you will see some interesting decisions were taken with this camera.
First, let’s break down the camera specs:
- 50MP main camera, Sony IMX890 sensor, f/1.8
- 48MP ultra-wide, Sony IMX581 sensor, f/2.2
- 32MP 2X zoom, Sony IMX709 sensor, f/2.0 (up to 20X digital zoom)
- 16MP front cam, ISOCELL 3P9 (S5K3P9) sensor
You get a 50MP main snapper, but interestingly, OnePlus seems to have opted for the Sony IMX890 sensor, which other phone makers use for the ultra-wide camera on their phones. It’s certainly not in the same category as the 1-inch Sony IMX989 sensor used by Xiaomi and Vivo.
The ultra-wide camera sensor is a 48MP one and it can focus as close as 3.5cm, so you can get some neat macro shots with it.
Last, but not least, the third camera in this system is a 2X zoom lens, perfect for portrait shots.
In the camera app, you get 1X and 2X portrait modes. 1X is actually a simulation of a 3.5/30mm Hasselblad XCD lens and the 2X mimics a 2.8/65mm Hasselblad XCD lens with cool swirly bokeh.
This sounds like a great setup for portrait shots and we are super happy to see a 2X lens back on a mainstream phone! However, those who want to be able to zoom further with higher quality might be disappointed in the OnePlus 11, as it lacks a long-range zoom lens.
Main Camera
It’s evident that the OnePlus captures warmer colors that look more pleasing to our eye during the day compared to the darker and moodier exposure from the Pixel. Both capture a good amount of detail and clear photos during the day.
Night Photos
In low light, the OnePlus prefers brighter exposures, which some people may prefer, but that comes at the expense of noise creeping in the darker areas of the photos. The Pixel favors a darker exposure, but it captures a cleaner detail. Both phones automatically recognize low light conditions and will fire up an “auto night mode” shot, which you can turn off if you prefer to get a more natural looking, darker picture.
Ultra-wide Camera
Similarly to the main camera, the OnePlus 11 favors warmer colors and brighter exposure with its ultra-wide camera during the day. At night, however, the Pixel does a far better job keeping noise down to almost none, while the photo from the OnePlus has a lot of noise.
Telephoto Camera and Zooming
At 10X zoom level, the Pixel captures a much more detailed and cleaner shot, something you would expect out of it, while the OnePlus captures a very mediocre shot. At 2X zoom, the native lens of the OnePlus makes a positive difference and you can see that it captures more detail and an overall better picture.
Portrait Mode
Portrait mode quality on the Pixel uses very rough crops from the main camera and the quality is the worst out of any modern flagship. The OnePlus 11 on the other hand is able to capture very pleasing portrait mode shots and the 2X zoom lens is a god-send for portraits.
Selfies
For selfies, the differences between the two are only amplified, as the OnePlus captures an even brighter exposure than typical, and the Pixel goes for an even darker and moodier shot than usual. Both are not ideal, but if we had to pick one, we would go with the brighter shots out of the OnePlus.
OnePlus 11 Performance & Benchmarks
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 goodness
(Image Credit – PhoneArena)
OnePlus doesn’t have a great camera reputation, but it sure has impressed us with its relentless focus on performance and speed.
Not only that, if you opt for the beefed up versions, you can get the OnePlus 11 with as much as 16GB of RAM, which gives it the kind of performance you could only get out of say an Asus ROG phone. All of this is cooled by a large graphite heat sink, which helps in gaming.
The phone is also very well optimized for gamers. You can play more than 100 mainstream games at 120 frames, with higher resolution and HDR game quality beyond the native quality settings. Additionally, you have what OnePlus calls HyperBoost 2.0 game frame stabilization engine, which ensures high and stable frame rates in games. This is really impressive!
Performance Benchmarks
The OnePlus 11 comes in either a 128 gig or 256 gig storage versions, and the 256GB one comes with the newer and faster UFS 4.0 storage, so that’s one solid argument for getting it. This newer storage standard brings a huge leap in read/write speeds and allows the actual chips to be smaller. UFS 4.0 has double the read speeds of UFS 3.1, reaching up to 4,200MB/s for read and 2,800MB/s for write.
The RAM on the OnePlus 11 is also of the faster LPDDR5X kind, and it brings a 33% speed boost and is 20% more energy efficient compared to the previous generation.
We noticed that you get a burst of performance in gaming in the beginning, outscoring even the iPhone 14 Pro Max, but those scores only last for about 3 minutes until the throttling kicks in and the score drops to levels much closer to the OnePlus 10 Pro.
OnePlus 11 Connectivity
The OnePlus 11 will not be sold on US carriers, but you will be able to buy at big box retailers and Amazon with compatible 5G bands for the US market.
It is also a dual SIM, dual active phone that can either have two 5G SIMs or one 5G SIM card and one 4G SIM card. It also supports eSIM.
International models will support different bands, as usual.
OnePlus 11 Android version
For the first time, four years of Android version updates!
The OnePlus 11 ships with Android 13, but the actual skin on top differs depending on the model. The US and global models run on Oxygen OS, while the Chinese version has ColorOS 13.
The OxygenOS skin is clean and very well optimized, and for the first time, OnePlus promises four years of major OS updates, which means it will be getting Android 17, just like the Galaxy S23 Ultra. And it will also get 5 years of bi-monthly security updates. This is great news as OnePlus earlier did not have the longest software support, and the 11 is finally fixing that.
OnePlus 11 Battery
Plenty of juice
(Image Credit – PhoneArena)
We are yet to test the OnePlus 11 battery life, so make sure the check back a while later for that.
What is not so ordinary is the incredibly quick charging speed on the phone. You get 80W max charging speeds (100W if you live outside the US), which a neat upgrade from the 10 Pro. We have the 100W version and we measured the following charging speeds:
- 17 mins – 65%
- 27 mins – 100%
Note that the global version charges slightly faster than that, but still that’s super impressive! OnePlus promises that despite those fast charging speeds, there will be no quick degradation of the battery health and a battery should last around four years before it’s due for replacement, which the company estimates is twice as long as competitors.
Of course, this charging speed is not quite a world record, this is currently held by Xiaomi and its 210W charging system (full charge in under 10 minutes). However, this will be one of the fastest charging phone that will come to the US market, so it’s definitely worth noting.
The OnePlus 11 does not support wireless charging, but we don’t think this is much of a loss with this kind of wired charging speeds.
OnePlus 11 Models
(Image Credit – PhoneArena)
The OnePlus 11 is the flagship OnePlus phone for 2023. There is no OnePlus 11 Pro or 11 Ultra at this time. OnePlus explains that it’s removing the “Pro” because that just adds unnecessary complexity to the name. You don’t need to have a Pro name for a device that’s already Pro, says OnePlus, and it doesn’t want to upsell you a “Pro” or an “Ultra”. It’s about being honest with customers, according to the company, and we appreciate that.
We have two storage/RAM versions of the OnePlus 11 in the US, but there are various other models internationally:
- 8GB RAM + 128GB storage: $699
- 16GB RAM + 256GB storage: $799
OnePlus 11 Competitors
At the $700 price of the OnePlus 11, it is one of the cheapest phones running on the powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip and undercuts even the Google Pixel 7 Pro. This is excellent value and very exciting news for those who don’t want to spend a fortune on a flagship phone.
Comparing the OnePlus 11 vs iPhone 14 Pro, the OnePlus has the advantage of being of a more manageable size, more affordable, plus it’s got faster charging and the open Android system, while the iPhone has the iOS platform with long software updates, a slightly faster chip, better video recording quality and funky features like the Dynamic Island.
OnePlus 11 Summary
(Image Credit – PhoneArena)
The OnePlus 11 focuses on performance and it shapes up to be one of the best phones for gamers and those looking for speed in 2023, but it also brings a good amount of upgrades to the camera system and even though it lacks a long-range zoom lens, it still looks plenty capable in various conditions. Those taking portrait photos are in for a treat too.
As always, OnePlus also has incredibly fast charging and the price is just right this year. OnePlus seems to be overcoming the tough stretch of 2022 when it had lost its identity and is taking a more specific niche in the smartphone space. It probably isn’t the flagship killer that would convince you to switch from a Galaxy Ultra or an iPhone, but it seems like the right phone for gamers and those who value speedy performance.