In what I consider to be one of OnePlus’ most important smartphone releases in awhile is the OnePlus 11. They stated they aren’t going for “Pro” models or dual releases but just focusing on one device that will supply you with just about a bit of everything. It’s a bold move but is this one OnePlus phone good enough?
Sleek Styling
OnePlus has managed to stick with two color choices the past few releases in either Black or Green. For the OnePlus 11 we are getting Titan Black and the eye-catching Eternal Green. Its reflective backing is utilizing Corning Gorilla Glass and it feels smooth edge to edge. It comes in about 205g and has a curved unibody on the front and back while making it nice to hold in the hand even though it can be slippery at times.
It has volume controls on the left, power button on the right and oh yes the Alert Slider has returned after its brief omission from the OnePlus 10T. You don’t realize how much you miss it till you start using it again. USB-C is the bottom alongside one of the dual speakers you are getting on this device.
OnePlus 11 comes with a SUPERVOOC 80W wall charger and USB-C Cable.
Pure Power
Never skimming on their processing power is OnePlus. The OnePlus 11 is packing a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, Adreno 740 GPU, 5,000mAh battery, and RAM/Storage configurations of 8GB+128GB or 16GGB+256GB. Its massive battery supports 80W SUPERVOOC fast charging getting you back to 100% in about 27mins time. But with this astonishing feat comes a sacrifice as the device doesn’t support wireless charging. Honestly if I had to choose between the two, I’ll take super-fast charging any day.
Gaming on this phone is a breeze. I have done everything from playing my simple daily titles like Candy Crush Soda Friends and Words with Friends 2 to more intense ones like Call of Duty: Mobile, Genshin Impact, and of course Fortnite. I didn’t come across any lags, crashes or any overheating. This can be due in part to the Cryo-velocity VC Cooling which dissipates heat. I like that OnePlus takes its mobile gaming audience seriously. Features like its HyperBoost Gaming Engine makes sure you are getting the most out the OnePlus 11. Xbox Game Pass has been steady with me playing games such as Forza Horizon 5 on the go.
Display with Dolby Vision
For your viewing pleasure the OnePlus 11 has a 6.7” 120Hz Super Fluid AMOLED Display with LTPO 3.0 and 3216×1440, 525ppi. Screen looks like the 10 Pro but has support for Dolby Vision HDR giving you some detailed and vivid colors depending on your content. One app I found supporting this was Netflix.
Thanks to its 120Hz display you can zip through windows with ease and not feel any sort of visual lag. Speaking of visuals if you don’t care about preserving battery life you can dial up options like image sharpening, video color enhancing, and even brighten up HDR. I have kept everything on, and the battery has held up well. You also get HDR10+ support on this device too. This screen also holds up nicely outdoors even in the most sunny of areas.
OxygenOS 13
One of my favorite UIs continues to be OxygenOS. It’s never boring, and you can gear it to your liking thanks to its many features. OxygenOS 13 is no different providing you with highlights such as Smart Launcher. It reminds me of the stackable widgets in iOS, but they have folders that be expanded. It’s a relatively clean look across the board. Its great if you like to rely on gestures too. I did happen to find navigating gestures to be a bit annoying this time though having to swipe various times on the OnePlus 11. Also swiping with default keyboard app Gboard it would sometimes stop working and I have to either go out of a app or even rotate my phone back and forth for it to kick back in. It’s been slightly better since the latest OS update but wonky occasionally.
3rd Times the Charm with Triple Cameras
Going into its 3rd year is OnePlus’ partnership with Hasselblad. Since they been working together the quality has increased flagship by flagship and the OnePlus 11 looks like it has reached that point of being a really great camera. Its lenses are comprised of 50MP(Main), 48MP(Ultrawide), and 32MP(Telephoto). Colors are accurate and punchy but not too oversaturated. You get a nice detail of the subject you are shooting. Tap and shoot is fast with the shutter and I didn’t find myself having to adjust for any overexposure or focusing like I did prior models. It even held up nice in low-light areas for the most part surprisingly. Also, the AI did a decent job of figuring out what I was snapping and adjusting accordingly.
As far as taking selfies you get a 16MP camera that was okay for the shots I took. I must dial down the exposure at times especially in outdoor daylight conditions. You can shoot up to 8K 24/60fps or 4K 30/60fps with AI (30fps) only.
Usage
We got the OnePlus 11 I believe a few weeks before release date and I been using it as my daily driver ever since for over a month. I was impressed with the photos to the point I didn’t have to grab my Pixel 7 Pro which I always love to use for snapping shots. Ultra-Fast charging is a dream on this device and even if I’m not using the included charger I’m still getting a nice recharge. The battery life held up steadily over the course of the day too. I could have tons of apps open without fail and the device would keep it pushing. I wanted to wait for the first public update to come out to make sure apps worked fully like Netflix which kicked into Dolby Vision HDR the day of the announcement and other apps just felt better afterwards.
Verdict
I think the OnePlus 11 has a ton going for it especially at its price point. You get a nice array of features especially at its starting cost of $699.99. It has a pleasant design, wonderful camera, and battery that can take you through the day. Also, no smartphones in the U.S. are touching its ability to get to 100% battery in just 27mins. If you don’t find wireless charging a necessity you might be happy with this one.
You can check our quick unboxing of the OnePlus 11 on YouTube Shorts, Instagram, and TikTok.
