In a nutshell
The early flagship phones from OnePlus made their name by having top end specs but keeping the cost down to hundreds of euro less than the competition.
And while those days are behind the BBK-owned company now, its latest flagship OnePlus 11 is still a competitively priced high-end smartphone that’s impressive enough to recommend over more expensive Android competitors.
OnePlus 11 competitors
OnePlus 11’s main competition is the superb Google Pixel 7 Pro, which at €899 is only €70 more expensive.
Pixel 7 Pro was one of my favourite phones of 2022, narrowly ahead of OnePlus 10 Pro. It has excellent cameras, awesome software and a unique design. It’s one of the most fluid Android 13 handsets.
OnePlus 11 is a noticeably more zippy and powerful device especially for gaming and multitasking. It also has better battery life and much faster charging. But Pixel 7 Pro’s brilliant 5x optical zoom leaves OnePlus 11 standing.
The cheapest phone in the Samsung Galaxy S23 series costs €999, a cool €170 more than OnePlus 11. It doesn’t charge as quickly, and its battery is much smaller capacity.
But it comes with a brighter and more dazzling display while matching the specs of the OnePlus chip and cameras and running an OS that’s arguably as fluid.
The third biggest rival to OnePlus 11 is the Xiaomi 12T Pro which costs €30 less at €799.
Its biggest drawback on paper is that it uses the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 from the latter half of 2022
But in everyday use you’ll not notice a huge difference in terms of speed although the OnePlus model is faster.
The 12T Pro introduced a ground-breaking 200MP main camera and has even faster 120W wired charging. It runs MIUI 14, an OS that not everyone likes although I am a fan.
OnePlus is offering five years of software support and four years of Android upgrades. Xiaomi offers three years of OS updates but 12T Pro shipped with Android 12 whereas OnePlus 11 ships with Android 13.
OnePlus 11 performance
The thing I love most about OnePlus 11 is the fast and fluid user experience across the entire UI.
The brains of the device is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, which is also found in the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra which I’m currently testing too. It’s the fastest, most powerful, chip you can get in an Android phone.
Here, it’s not quite as blazing fast as Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra but it’s not far behind – and that phone costs hundreds of euro more.
I’m making the assertion on performance based on both real world everyday use and benchmark tests using the likes of Geekbench 5, 3D Mark and PCMark for Android.
The OnePlus phone runs OxygenOS 13, incidentally, which is essentially Android 13 with more customisation options. I enjoy using the OS and its well laid out and clearly labelled settings app.
My review model had 16GB of RAM and 256GB of the fastest UFS 4.0 storage. The animations are superb – cycling through your apps on this phone feels fast and fluid the way it does on all OnePlus flagships.
OnePlus 11 design and build
It is a large device but feels slim and compact in the hand thanks to its rounded edges and curved display. It’s only 205g in weight. For comparison, S23 Ultra is 234g and iPhone 14 Pro Max is 240g.
OnePlus 11 is only 74mm wide and this combined with the screen’s tall 20.1:9 aspect ratio means it is it good for one handed use or turned landscape for gaming with both hands.
I’ve been using it without a cover and there is not a mark or scratch on it after three weeks thanks to the Gorilla Glass Victus on the front and Gorilla Glass 5 on the rear.
I am a big fan of how slim and light OnePlus 11 feels in the hand, and I love the redesigned circular camera module.
The camera module is not something everyone likes, but I like the way it blends into the handset’s aluminium frame.
My review model was the matte-finish Titan Black in colour; you can also get the handset in a glossy-finished Eternal Green.
The firm’s unique three-position alert slider – silent-vibrate-ring – is present and correct.
OnePlus 11 cameras
Hasselblad is on board with its third-gen camera software, and I have captured hundreds of photos on OnePlus 11 and found its main 50MP camera with its 1/1.56in sensor delivers consistently pleasing natural-looking images.
It has a wide f/1.8 aperture which takes in enough light to properly expose shots. The high dynamic range (HDR) is to be applauded.
The optical image stabilisation (OIS) counteracts any shaking in your hands and works a treat.
It’s fast to focus and there is little or no shutter lag in the camera app.
There’s also a 115-degree ultrawide lens with a 48MP half-inch sensor. Shots aren’t as bright as the main lens, but images are still sharp and usable.
There is only a 2x optical telephoto lens (a step down from the 3.3x lens found on the OnePlus 10 Pro from 2022) but images from this 32MP portrait shooter are decent in good lighting conditions.
The 16MP selfie camera is probably the weakest of the bunch. Again, it’s a step down from the 10 Pro which had a 32MP front camera.
You also get the Hasselblad-branded X-Pan mode to shoot like an old film camera in a wide panoramic format, plus a Hasselblad Pro mode that’s well-thought out with manual controls and includes the options to shoot in RAW and 10-bit colour.
In general, the camera system is great fun to shoot with.
OnePlus 11 battery life
Despite its super-slim frame, OnePlus 11 has a large dual cell 5000mAh power pack inside.
Even in heavy use during testing, I consistently got to midnight with some juice in the tank after an 8am 100 percent start.
Battery life is superb, and my review model had a 100W charger that went from zero to 100 per cent in less than half an hour. There is no need to risk overnight charging. Simply plug it in when you wake up and you’ll be fully charged before you leave the house.
If wireless charging is a dealbreaker for you – it’s certainly not for me – then that’s something to consider as this phone does not support wireless charging.
OnePlus 11 display
I also love the bright, crisp, colourful 6.7in, QHD+ resolution, OLED display and its 120Hz smooth refresh rate.
The display uses LTPO 3.0 technology, which means it can vary its refresh rate.
This means it can soar to the superfast120Hz when playing compatible games or scrolling through social media and text, but it can go all the way down to 1Hz to save battery when not needed.
The screen makes the phone a joy to both work and play on. It supports both HDR10+ and Dolby Vision.
Other OnePlus 11 features
The phone’s haptics are excellent, among the best vibration feedback on an Android device.
There are pleasing quality stereo speakers and a reliable optical in-display fingerprint scanner.
You get software support for five years and four years of Android OS upgrades.
There is a pre-installed screen protector.
As touched on above, the phone is not waterproof. It has a rating of IP64 for dust and water resistance, which means it’s dust-proof and can only withstand splashes of water.
OnePlus 11 verdict
I’ve been using the OnePlus 11 for close to one month at the time of publication – enough time to notice any quirks and accurately assess battery life and performance in everyday use.
The Pete Lau spearheaded company’s latest flagship device goes on sale in Ireland on February 16.
If you pre-order it before then you get either a free Bang & Olufsen speaker or a free set of OnePlus Buds Pro 2.
That’s a decent deal and I can heartily recommend the handset after all my testing.
OnePlus 11 delivers an impressive flagship experience for many hundreds of euros less than the top phones from Apple and Samsung.
The firm is promising software support until 2028 too.
It is a slickly polished all-rounder.
OnePlus 11 pricing and availability
OnePlus 11 goes on sale on February 16 for €829. Pre-order now at oneplus.com
OnePlus 11 specs
Dimensions: 163.1 mm × 74.1mm × 8.5mm
Weight: 205g
Display: 6.7in, 3216 x 1440 QHD+ resolution AMOLED display, 1-120Hz refresh rate with LTPO 3.0, 20.1:9 aspect ratio
Rear cameras: 50MP Sony IMX890 main camera, f/1.8, OIS; 48MP Sony IMX581 ultrawide, f/2.2; 32MP Sony IMX709 portrait telephoto, f/2.0
Front camera: 16MP Sony IMX471 selfie camera, f/2.45
SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
OS: Android 13 (Oxygen OS 13.0)
RAM: Up to 16GB LPDDR5X
Storage: 128GB UFS 3.1 or 256GB UFS 4.0
Battery: 5000mAh dual cell battery
Wired charging: 100W
Wireless charging: None
Connectivity: USB 2.0 Type-C, NFC, 5G, Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi 7-ready
