OnePlus 11 long-term review

Conclusion

The OnePlus 11 is an amazingly well put together package that feels like it's coming from a very mature company that knows exactly what it's doing. There are no missteps here, not even small ones. Everything just works very well, all the time, in all regards.

But it's not record-breaking in any way, and maybe it really shouldn't be, considering that it launched at a lower price than its direct competitors. It's one of those phones that doesn't get in your face about this or that feature, while perfectly serving your every need, every day, every time.

It's a joy to use but not in a 'jump up with joy every time you pick it up' sort of way, instead in a more subtle, subdued, but reassuring way. It's always there for you, never disappointing, but never really having you scream "wow!" at it multiple times a day either. It's the epitome of a very good product that does what it needs to and nothing more, and if you can live with that, it will be great for you.

The screen is incredibly well color tuned and great quality, with a very variable refresh rate system. It's bright enough to use outdoors but not quite bright enough to withstand the sun directly hitting it, which is the only time when you might have an issue (though one that can be fixed by squinting or moving into the shade). The fingerprint sensor is very good, but not the best, and the exact same can be said about the speakers. Build quality is amazing, of course, but handling suffers a bit from how matte the back is, which makes it very slippery - a case is recommended for your peace of mind, but unfortunately you won't find one in the box anymore.

Performance is as good as can be in this day and age (before the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 launches), and smoothness is almost on par with the new king - Xiaomi's 13 Pro - but not quite fully there. Still, it's a tad smoother than last year's OnePlus flagships, for what it's worth, and no other device from any other Android maker comes close to these two. Battery life is very good, without being record-breaking in our experience, while charging is incredibly fast.

The software is very well polished and while it has its quirks, overall it works flawlessly, even though its looks aren't going to impress you in day to day life. But maybe the point is for it not to? And just be in the background, letting the apps you use shine? Software support is almost on par with the best out there, and the camera system is very competent and of a very high-end level, perhaps only one step behind the best ones on the market at the moment.

By now we assume you can pretty clearly see the picture we're painting. The OnePlus 11 is very good, just don't expect it to excel at any specific thing and you're set. Compared to the Xiaomi 13 Pro that we've recently reviewed long-term, it has a much better chance of selling well simply based on how it pairs all that with its price.

It's still cheaper in most markets than Samsung's Galaxy S23+, which is the model that's closest in market positioning from the Korean company's roster, and aside from wireless charging, slightly better water resistance, and 1x more zoom from the telephoto camera, we don't know what else you would be missing.

Not just that, but you're getting a lot of stuff here that the Samsung can't deliver - a higher-res screen, a bigger battery, and much faster charging, for example. So if you're in the market for an Android smartphone at around the OnePlus 11's price point, we think you should definitely at least shortlist it, if not go right ahead and buy one.