OnePlus 11 review

Competition

According to OnePlus, the 11 is missing the Pro designation from its name, not because they don't believe it's a Pro model, but rather because there's only one OnePlus 11 phone (except for the 11R). However, the pricing and the feature set speak for themselves. The OnePlus 11 is a clear step down from the 10 Pro from last year in some aspects, but it also asks a bit less at launch - $699/€849. On one hand, it's pretty competitive, but on the other, you can find quite a few adequate alternatives. It's considerably more expensive than the OnePlus 10T as it's a more capable phone overall, while being more attractive than the 10 Pro as it carries most of its high-end features.

In the context of the 2023 flagships, the OnePlus 11 is kind of a flagship killer, even. The Samsung Galaxy S23 came out pretty pricey, and the Xiaomi 13 Pro is expected to be around the €1,000 mark (educated guess).

One of the few proper flagship phones that undercut the OnePlus 11 is the Pixel 7 Pro. In our opinion, the latter is the more desirable option if photography is your top priority. It has a better overall camera experience with superb performance and further zoom reach (5x). It also has a brighter display, IP68 certification against dust/water (higher rating than OnePlus 11's IP64) and a clean Android. Because let's face it, if you came here looking for that good old OnePlus experience, the Pixel 7 Pro will probably cater better to your needs.

Google Pixel 7 Pro • Motorola Edge 30 Ultra • Realme GT2 Pro

On the other hand, the OnePlus 11 is more powerful; it offers better sustained performance under load and lower surface temperatures, substantially faster wired charging and longer battery life too.

Another clean Android alternative is the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra, which also checks all the boxes and sells for a bit over €700. Charging is almost as fast, the display is faster and brighter and almost as quick to charge, while using a more widely spread charging protocol. OnePlus' contender, though, has the upper hand with better overall camera experience (particularly the telephoto and ultrawide).

Surely, the Realme GT2 Pro is due for an upgrade already, given that its initial release was exactly one year ago, but its price makes it a very lucrative alternative to the OnePlus 11. It runs the same software, offers a similar level of camera experience (better ultrawide, albeit no telephoto), excellent LTPO2 OLED panel, fast charging and outstanding battery life. It's the same size as the OnePlus 11 too, minus the premium build.

OnePlus 10 Pro • Oppo Find X5 Pro

Now, the hard part. Should you get the OnePlus 10 Pro or the OnePlus 11? After the recent price cuts, the newly announced 11 is just €10 cheaper, going by OnePlus' official web store, but third-party retailers will sell you the Pro for a little over €700. Still, like most things in life, it depends.

The 10 Pro has fast wireless charging but marginally slower cable charging. It also has a longer reach with a 3x zoom (but not as good quality). And it's got the nicer overall ultrawide camera, but no AF.

The rest of the hardware and overall experience is pretty much identical, for all intents and purposes. The upgrade to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 isn't negligible, but it would go unnoticed by the vast majority of users. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 is still a very capable SoC.

All in all, one could make a case that the OnePlus 11 is just a more affordable version of the 10 Pro (going by the launch prices of both phones). That's not to say the OnePlus 11 isn't a competitive handset in the context of H1 2023.

Verdict

After years of uncertain releases, the OnePlus 11 seems to have a good chance of winning over many fans this year. It's a competitive upper-tier phone with little missing from its specs sheet. It has a cutting-edge LTPO3 AMOLED panel, the latest hardware from Qualcomm, good overall camera experience in both day and night, long battery life, blazing-fast charging, nice-sounding stereo speakers and great sustained performance.

Sure, the OnePlus 11 isn't flagship-level in some aspects, but it doesn't need to be. In the context of its pricing, it's a well-rounded phone with little to complain about. A better variable refresh rate handling would be nice as this current implementation produces issues with some apps, and we would love to see OnePlus finally catch up with the competition in terms of zoom level - 2x doesn't cut it on a flagship in 2023. But that handicap is true for Oppo's flagships, too, so it doesn't come as a surprise.

Finally, the software changes will surely be polarizing. The new OxygenOS 13 has nothing in common with the older versions, and OnePlus clearly isn't sticking to its promise about keeping true to its roots in this regard. While we like ColorOS in general, we would have liked at least some of OxygenOS' native features retained. Right now, there's little to no reason to opt for OnePlus' smartphones because Oppo and Realme phones are already running the exactly the same software. OyxgenOS is what defined OnePlus for all those years.

Nonetheless, if you don't care about the current state of OxygenOS or you are completely new to OnePlus' ecosystem, we see no reason not to get the OnePlus 11. It's a solid all-rounder that would ultimately become even more desirable with time as the price settles in.

Pros

• Distinctive design with great ergonomics (feels thin and light in hand).
• Superb 120Hz LTPO3 AMOLED display with granular HRR control and great color accuracy.
• Excellent battery life.
• 100W SuperVOOC charging speeds are almost unrivaled.
• Excellent sustained performance and thermals.
• Good overall camera experience day and night.

Cons

• OxygenOS is just ColorOS at this point, and fans will miss some OnePlus features.
• Display has issues with the HDR and adaptive refresh rate.
• No wireless charging this year (10 Pro had it).