OnePlus were best known for creating midrange phones with high-end features. However, recently their flagship devices have been pushing boundaries and rivalling leading brands like Samsung and Apple.
Last year saw the release of the performance-focused 10T and 10 Pro. This year OnePlus released its 11th generation smartphone, even though it has dropped the Pro from its name, make no mistake this is defiantly a flagship device.
But is it worth it, does it offer any significant upgrades from last year, but still impressive specs?
I’m always impressed with the design of OnePlus devices and the 11 is no exception. It’s available in only two colours the glossy Eternal Green and Titan Black which sports a textured matte back, both look amazing but I preferred black as it felt easier to grip and shows fewer fingerprints.
At 163.1mm x 74.1mm and 8.5mm thick the OnePlus 11 feels big but is a pretty standard size for a flagship. It feels comfortable in the hand, weighing 204g, and also bucks the current trend of chunky phones with its sleek, curved metal frame, which is also protected by Gorilla Glass 5 and Victus although not the latest Victus 2. It's IP64 rated completely protecting the 11 from dust and able to withstand submersion in water for up to 10 mins.
Fans will be happy at the return of the alert slider which was noticeably absent on the 10T, it offers 3 modes Silent, vibrate and Ring mode which is very convenient and easy to use.
DON'T MISS:Clever iPhone hack let's you know who's calling while phone is still in your pocket
Parents believe their kids know more than them about technology by 12 years old
Many iPhone users have no clue there's a hidden pinball game they are missing out on
The camera unit has been redesigned with a new circular camera module that makes the 11 look more like a pro camera with its chromed finish using medical-grade surgical steel.
While it looks great, I preferred the tight square design from the 10 series as the new camera still wraps around the side which breaks the circle for me.
Featuring a luscious 6.7-inch Super Fluid AMOLED screen with a resolution of 3116 x 1440 and 525 PPI. Unsurprisingly this looks bright, sharp and crystal clear for viewing photos, gaming and watching films.
The screen is bright without being too overblown at 1300nits making it easy to see outdoors in sunny conditions. Colours are vibrant without being oversaturated, the contrast was strong but not the most punchy I've used but it supports HDRR10+ so no details will be lost in shadow or overblown.
By using LTPO 3.0 the refresh rate can drop rapidly allowing it to shift between 1Hz and 120Hz, which will keep your scrolling, games and films looking smooth but also preserve battery life at other times.
Specifications
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 – 4 nm Octa-core
Screen: 6.7-Inch
RAM: 12/16 GB
Storage: 256 / 512 GB
Using the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 gen 2 processor, I was shocked to see a dramatic increase in performance compared to last year’s impressive gen 1 and 1+.
The new CPU delivers up to 35% higher performance with up to 40% better power efficiency, and you can feel that boost with more demanding tasks like video work and high-end gaming.
On Geekbench the OnePlus 11 scored 1151 for single-core performance, 4671 for Multi-core a noticeable upgrade from the 10T’s 1020 Single Core and 3485 Multicore scores. While on 3D Mark’s Wildlife Extreme, it scored 3664, scoring higher than not only the 10T but also the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
The OnePlus 11 is more of a gaming beast than ever before. The Adreno 740 offers better performance but most notable of all is the inclusion of Hardware-Accelerated Ray tracing.
Ray Tracing is a technology on high-performance PCs and consoles that renders realistic light effects and reflections in real-time, adding an incredible level of realism. It’s remarkable to see incorporated into a chip so small but it’ll be some time before we see most mobile games use this feature.
I was able to crank up the demanding Genshin Impact up to max settings 60s fps and it ran like a dream with no noticeable stutters, also impressively the device's heat management maintains a cool temperature in the hand despite prolonged playtime.
Games like COD Mobile, Apex Legends, Minecraft and any retro games stood absolutely no chance of diminishing performance, making this a fantastic device for mobile gamers.
There are two RAM options 8GB and 16GB both use the latest LPDDR5X which is unsurprisingly not only more powerful but also more energy efficient putting less strain on the battery.
Like the previous models, the RAM Expansion feature allows you to use storage space to expand your RAM by 4,8 or 12GB which could potentially give you 28GB further adding to the speed.
Allowing you to have up to around 44 apps running in the background and switching back and forth as well as better performance in multitasking, editing, browsing your image gallery and gaming.
There are two storage options 128GB and 256GB utilizing the latest UFS 4.0 which is much faster than last year’s UFS 3.1 models, but there’s no expandable memory via micro SD which always disappoints me, but is the standard for modern devices.
This upgraded hardware works beautifully together to create an even more fluid and seamless experience than ever before, nothing I threw at it could slow down apps opening quickly, game load times were reduced, batch photos exported rapidly and large video files transferred like they were clips.
OnePlus has redesigned its camera module and has continued its partnership with famed professional camera manufacturer Hasselblad.
There are three cameras on the rear, the main Sony 50MP, IMX890 sensor as well as a 48MP ultra-wide, IMX581 sensor, offering 115 degrees for capturing those group shots and landscapes and a 32MP, IMX709 2X portrait sensor instead of using a telephoto zoom camera.
I would have preferred a longer Telephoto option as I would have found that more useful on the go however the portrait images look really strong in this mode and do really feel close to DSLR quality.
There isn't as dramatic jump in quality when shifting cameras as in the past but the main camera still offers the best quality.
There is also a front-facing hole punch camera to the left side instead on in the middle to ensure it doesn’t get in the way of your screen
Even booting up the camera is noticeably faster but I put that down to the new CPU. Optical image stabilization does a great job prevent blurring shots when I was indoors or in lower light.
Night shots were truly phenomenal, the OnePlus 11 was able to take some fantastic pics with minimal lighting conditions with minimal noise while retaining details and looking true to life.
For video capture the 11 supports up to huge 8K at 24 fps, 4k 60 and 30 fps and 1080 at both 60 and 30 fps giving you some options for tailoring the quality to right the situation.
While the OnePlus 11 uses a 5000mAH battery just like the 10 Pro, the multiple advancements in energy efficiency allowed by the new hardware push that cell further than before.
Unlike some other manufacturers, the OnePlus 11 comes provided with a fast charger. On the downside, however, it doesn't include wireless charging. While its exclusion wasn't a dealbreaker for me some may be annoyed.
Battery life on the 11 was remarkable, easily lasting me a day and a half despite my gaming and benchmarks as well as watching Netflix and Youtube. The battery longevity is also impressive as OnePlus claim it is tested to last up to 4 years before any degradation.
The 100W SUPERVOOC fast charging capability took me to 70% in 15 mins and to 100% in just over 25 mins which was great to top it up just before I go out or get it to full capacity in no time. The phone has a built-in battery health engine to monitor the battery’s functionality as well as alert you to any issues.
You can get your hands on the OnePlus 11 from February 7 and it will set you back £729 for the standard edition, while the 16GB, 256GB model will cost £799. Both are respectable prices for a flagship android phone especially with such high specs, putting it in the same range as The Google Pixel 7 Pro, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 and the iPhone 14 and the HONOR Magic 4 Pro.
OxygenOS 13, based on Android 13 is included, I’ve always liked how clean it is with just a couple of genuinely useful built-in tools like Zen Mode which limits notifications and disable all apps other than the camera, but doesn’t stop you from receiving calls or making emergency calls.
Another great app is OnePlus Games, which acts as a hub to keep all your titles, recording, screenshots and statistics in one place, it also launches games with a dedicated gaming mode that boosts gaming performance and blocks other apps and notifications
OnePlus claims the 11 will keep its blistering fast performance long term by supporting it with 4 years of Android updates.
OnePlus 11 VERDICT 5/5
Despite the recent release of the 10 Pro and 10T the OnePlus 11 still manages to provide some remarkable improvements to both battery life and performance.
OnePlus’s investment in hardware pays off yet again with not only the amazing new CPU but the upgraded RAM and storage producing a powerful, incredibly fast and more energy-efficient flagship that will dominate many others on the market.
For standard use, the OnePlus 11 feels a little overkill, I'm not sure it offers enough to tempt most everyday 10Pro or 10T owners but if you want games to look their best and run flawlessly or if you need your mobile to be an editing powerhouse the OnePlus 11 really offers some stunning gains.
The OnePlus 11 is available for preorder today and goes on sale from Thursday 16 February at 9am on the OnePlus website and on Amazon.co.uk.
