OnePlus just wrapped up its first launch event of 2023 where a trio of new devices were announced. The OnePlus 11 5G smartphone was joined by the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 and the OnePlus Pad, the company's first foray into Android tablets.
Preorders are now live for the $699 OnePlus 11 5G and the $179 Buds Pro 2 wireless earbuds, with deliveries arriving Feb. 16.
Over the past few weeks, I've been using the $799 version of the OnePlus 11 5G, putting it through its paces and seeing what OnePlus has to offer this year. And, well, there's a lot to like.
- OnePlus 11 5G with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage ($699 at OnePlus)
- OnePlus 11 5G with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage ($799 at OnePlus)
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Streamlining the OnePlus Lineup
Historically, OnePlus has released two variations of its next-generation smartphone. There’s been a standard model, such as the OnePlus 10, and then a Pro model, such as the OnePlus 10 Pro. Typically, there’s a core of similarities between the two models, with the Pro model offering longer battery life or a better camera.
But with the OnePlus 11, there’s only one model. OnePlus is now mixing high-end features found in the Pro model, at a price point that’s more suitable for the historical base model. It’s a move that I sure appreciate, only because over the past few years it began to feel as if the base model OnePlus phone existed because the company felt as if it had to. The real innovation was happening with the Pro model.
And, so, the OnePlus 11 5G is the only smartphone you’ll see from OnePlus with this name and it doesn’t disappoint when it comes to the design and specifications.
The OnePlus 11 5G has a 6.7-inch 2K AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate that slightly wraps around the vertical edges of the phone’s body. It's a gorgeous display that's bright, is full of vivid colors that looks good enough for daily use, be it binging the web or binging "The Last of Us."
In the top left corner of the screen is a hole punch cutout for the 16-megapixel selfie camera. The positioning of the cutout works in tandem with the software on the OnePlus 11 5G so that most of the time it looks as if the camera is part of the status bar where notifications and other information is displayed. I don't have a personal preference about where the hole punch camera is, but for those who find it distracting to have it in the middle of the screen, having it off to the side will be appreciated.
On the left side of the phone is the volume rocker and the sleep/wake button along with the alert slider is on the right. OnePlus and Apple are two of the only smartphone makers that still offer a physical switch to change a phone’s sound settings and it’s something I hope that OnePlus (and Apple) never gives up. It allows me to quickly silence the phone without having to tap and swipe through the interface. I can reach into my pocket, adjust the slider, and go back to whatever I’m doing, with minimal distractions.
The OnePlus 11 5G comes in eternal green or titan black. I have the black version as a review sample, and it’s, well, black. The back of the phone has a matte finish and texture to it that I think people are either going to love or want to put a case on as soon as they feel it. If I was going to use the OnePlus 11 as my main phone, I’d definitely put a case on it.
There are a total of three cameras on the back of the phone. There’s a 50-megapixel main camera, a 48-megapixel ultra-wide camera, and a 32-megapixel portrait telephoto camera. All of the cameras are Hasselblad color-tuned, thanks to a partnership between OnePlus and Hasselblad. In addition to color tuning, the portrait camera reportedly simulates taking photos on actual Hasselblad hardware.
More specifically, it’s akin to taking photos with a Hasselblad camera equipped with an XCD 30mm and 65mm lenses. I say “reportedly” because I don’t have access to that Hasselblad equipment, and can’t make comparisons of my own.
From a design and core specification standpoint, the OnePlus 11 5G is exactly what you’d expect out of a 2023 smartphone, with one exception. OnePlus still hasn’t integrated wireless charging in its smartphone. Instead, you’ll have to rely on wired charging (which, as I’ll discuss below, is very, very fast). But the lack of wireless charging is one of the low-hanging fruit features that should be used in all higher-end smartphones--especially at $699.
The OnePlus 11 5G Checks Almost All Of the Boxes
The $699 model nets you a phone with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, or you can double both of those for an additional $100, making it $799 all in. That makes its closest competition last year’s Samsung Galaxy S22 with its newly reduced $699 price tag, or for those who want extra storage and memory, the OnePlus 11 5G is the same price as the just announced Samsung Galaxy S23. That’s stiff competition for OnePlus.
The exterior of the OnePlus 11 5G looks great, but what about what’s inside it? Well, almost just as impressive. Powering the OnePlus 11 is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, and in addition to the previously mentioned memory and storage allotments, there’s a 5,000mAh battery.
The battery life on the OnePlus 11 5G has been great. I’ve been able to consistently get through a full day of heavy use, using apps like Slack, Megalodon, Facebook, Instagram, Chrome, Blue Bubbles and Reddit, with an occasional gaming session in Asphalt 9.
But where the battery tech in the OnePlus 11 5G really shines is with how fast it can charge using the included wall adapter and USB-A to USB-C cable. The included adapter puts out 80W of power that triggers the SUPERVOOC fast charging capabilities of the OnePlus 11.
That’s a lot of marketing speak that translates into charging a completely empty battery in just over 30 minutes. OnePlus claims it can be done in 27 minutes, but in my testing, the phone’s battery went from 0 to 100% in 34 minutes. That’s insane, and a number I can’t even be mad at even though it didn’t match OnePlus’ own tests.
After just 15 minutes, the battery was at 62 percent, which is more than enough to help get through the rest of a long day if you need to top off and don’t have a long time, you’re undoubtedly covered.
The downside here, of course, is that you have to carry the OnePlus wall adapter with you to take advantage of the faster charging speeds. But that’s a minor inconvenience.
In our battery test--which consists of playing a 4K video on loop, with the display brightness set to 50 percent--the OnePlus 11 5G powered through 20 hours and 44 minutes before powering down.
As far as performance is concerned, I didn’t experience any hiccups with the OnePlus 11. I was able to multitask and quickly switch between apps, using the floating window feature or split screen to keep tabs on my inbox alongside my Reddit feed, without any issues.
I raced around in Asphalt 9 and appreciated how good the phone’s speakers sounded in combination with the bright colors and excellent graphics pumped out by the AMOLED display.
To compare the performance of the OnePlus 11 5G against other smartphones, I ran Geekbench 5 and 3D Mark’s Wild Life test. Each test was run four times, and then the scores were averaged. For the Geekbench 5 test, the OnePlus 11 averaged a single-core score of 1,067 and a multi-core score of 4,830. Scores for the Wild Life test averaged 3,647 for the overall test and 21.9 frames per second for the FPS Test.
In comparison, the Galaxy S23 Ultra which uses the same processor (although it’s been customized by Qualcomm specifically for Galaxy phones) scored 1,531 and 5,050 for Geekbench 5’s single and multi-core tests, respectively. As for the 3D Mark test, the S23 Ultra scored 3,746 overall and 22.4 average frames per second.
Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro Max scored 1,856 and 5,375 in the single and multi-core Geekbench 5 tests, respectively.
So, while the S23 Ultra and OnePlus 11 5G use the same core processor, whatever Qualcomm and Samsung have done to optimize it for Galaxy phones has added a pretty significant boost in performance, at least as far as benchmarks are concerned. And even with those optimizations, Apple’s own processor is still ahead of the pack.
As for the camera and picture quality on the OnePlus 11 5G--it’s good, not great. That’s not necessarily a bad thing by any means. I found the photos I captured with the OnePlus 11 to have some issues at times with overexposure and dull colors in comparison to photos captured with the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra or the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Admittedly, I’m nitpicking the difference in photo quality. The pictures I’ve made with the OnePlus 11 have been more than good enough for what the majority of us use our smartphone cameras for, and that’s more than good enough.
I do want to say that taking portrait photos with the OnePlus 11 is impressive. The software does a great job of differentiating the background from the subject, and provides a heavy-handed bokeh (blurry background) to make the person really stand out. The portrait photos appeared to be on par with what I'd expect from the newest iPhone or Samsung Galaxy phone, which is a huge compliment.
Is the OnePlus 11 5G Worth It?
The OnePlus 11 5G is a good, and in some ways, great phone. Its fast charging is something that other smartphone vendors should strive for. Seriously. Its performance and camera quality is nothing to disparage, as well. However, there are the quality of life features, such as the lack of wireless charging, combined with its price being the same as or just below Samsung Galaxy phones that offer nearly all of the same features and then some, make it a tough sell.
If you’ve grown tired of Samsung’s product offering, and Google’s Pixel line isn’t appearing to you, then the $699 OnePlus 11 5G is an alternative choice that’ll surely make you happy.
Otherwise, the Galaxy S23 for $100 more than the OnePlus 11 5G gives you a well-rounded experience with extra features and one of the best camera setups.
- OnePlus 11 5G with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage ($699 at OnePlus)
- OnePlus 11 5G with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage ($799 at OnePlus)
Prices are accurate and items in stock at time of publishing.
