Flipping through pages of a Wired magazine from the 90s, I got a sense that gadgets then were meant for those who understood tech. It was a very in-your-face sense of elitism. Things are a bit different today. Interestingly, the internet has played an important role in making tech mainstream and accessible. I can’t think of whether or not a company like OnePlus would have been able to make a place in the tech world had it introduced its products in the 80s and 90s. Its latest flagship, the OnePlus 11, is closer to its roots but at the same time aligned to be as contemporary as any other modern premium Android phone. It is a treat for OnePlus fans, even though the device does not push the boundaries like the brand used to once. Maybe no brand does that anymore.
Here’s my review of the OnePlus 11.
OnePlus 11 price in India (as reviewed): Rs 56,999 onwards
Keeping up with OnePlus’s standard
The new OnePlus 11 follows the aesthetic the brand is known for, and I am glad that OnePlus isn’t cashing in on clichéd design principles that dominate current-generation smartphones. I received the 16GB/256GB version of the OnePlus 11 for review with a frosted curved glass back protected with Gorilla Glass while there’s even more toughened Gorilla Glass Victus covering the front. The camera module on the back is large; it’s a circular camera unit which has this shiny, chromed element around the housing that is polished stainless steel.
My Titan Black colour variant is more subdued and has a matte finish which isn’t reflective or slippery in the hand. The OnePlus 11 has the looks to give it an identity of its own in a sea of copy-cat smartphones from rival brands. Although looks are subjective, I found the OnePlus 11 has an understated elegance but is instantly recognisable like Fendi’s sought-after Baguette or Chanel’s Classic Flap bag. There’s no official waterproofing, though.
The volume rocker is on the left, and on the right are the main power button and OnePlus’s signature Alert Slider. The three-position slider lets you quickly jump between ring, vibrate and silent modes. The USB-C port is on the bottom edge alongside a speaker grille and a dual 5G Nano-SIM slot.
The phone is big, measuring 163.1 mm × 74.1mm × 8.53 mm and weighing almost 205 grams. Personally, it took me some time to get accustomed to a hefty device like the OnePlus 11 but this should not be an issue.
Display, audio and fingerprint scanner
The 6.7-inch AMOLED screen is gorgeous. The resolution is 3,216 by 1,440 pixels (20.1:9, 525 ppi) and there’s also support for LTPO technology that allows the refresh rate to vary automatically up to 120Hz. The display is bright and colours literally pop. For me, it does make a difference since I do a lot of important stuff on the phone itself including editing copies and keeping a tab on the tech section of indianexpress.com.
Watching movies on the display, and gaming were both noticeably brighter, though I must say these specifications are identical to those found on last year’s OnePlus 10 Pro. The invisible fingerprint scanner hidden beneath the display works quickly and accurately most of the time. But if there’s one complaint, it has to be the lack of the
OnePlus reading mode. I am (still) a huge fan of the dedicated reading mode, although no longer available, it puts the screen into monochrome and makes it ideal for reading e-books.
The dual speakers are amazing, too. Any podcast that I tossed at it sounded crisp, clear and well-balanced without any distortion.
How is the performance on the OnePlus 11?
I tested the top-end model of the OnePlus 11, the one with 16GB RAM and 256GB UFS 4.0 of storage. The latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor is across both models (the base model has 8GB RAM and 128GB UFS 3.1 storage) of the phone available in India. You can’t expand the storage via microSD, though.
Anyway, the performance on my review unit felt zippier thanks to the increased amount of RAM. I was able to shoot and edit high-definition videos on the device itself, write and edit copies on Google Docs, and even assign copies on the go. That made a huge difference in my life, as it made me less dependent on a laptop. Again, my expectations from a phone could be different here, but that’s how I’d like to use a smartphone.
The OnePlus 11’s 5,000mAh battery is also one of the reasons I like this phone. Thanks to the battery and 100W SuperVooc charging, when it’s charged with a OnePlus power adapter, the phone lasted all day for me. It could be a challenge for any phone to last from morning to night with just one charge but OnePlus 11 surprised me. Since I am a heavy phone user, I tend to expect a longer battery life.
How good is the camera?
The first thing I look for in a phone is its cameras, and I have no qualms about accepting it. The back of the OnePlus 11 has three cameras: a 48MP f/2.0 ultra-wide camera, a 50MP f/1.8 wide-angle lens with OIS and a 32MP f/2.0 portrait tele camera. The selfie camera on the front has a 16-megapixel sensor. OnePlus has, once again, closely worked with Hasselblad to fine-tune the cameras.
I have spent a lot of time testing the camera in various conditions and I found the results up to my expectations. In fact, in some scenarios, I found the OnePlus 11 performed better than the iPhone 14, especially with shadows and in complicated low-light conditions. What I learned from testing the OnePlus 11 was that the phone tried to achieve iPhone-like results – more natural, clean and focused with no distractions in the frame. Red will look red, yellow will look yellow and green will look green.
I shot this image (below) of a crow sitting on one of the branches of a tree. I didn’t make changes to the camera settings nor used any special technique to shoot the image. I am pretty sure most of you take the images in automatic mode.
The good thing about the OnePlus 11’s camera is that it’s super responsive, and there’s less chance of you missing out on the moment. I never missed shots in the moments between frames when the phone is processing the images. It’s that instant.
OnePlus 11 is very good at capturing natural spaces. I specifically went to a lake forest park, which has a semi-jungle-like feel to it in the midst of Delhi. I shot these images (below) about an hour before sunset. You can see yourself see how the OnePlus 11’s cameras captured the natural habitat, rusty and earthy tones that are native to Delhi’s forested area.
The phone also does a good job of separating the subject from the blurred background. I see a lot of improvements with the portrait mode. When shooting in low-light conditions, the OnePlus 11 maintains the exact feel of the subject without over-sharpens or losing out on the details. Images speak for themselves – just look at the results below.
Can I recommend the OnePlus 11?
OnePlus has improved many things I didn’t like about its phones over the past few years while keeping the best ones and making almost universally good new tweaks. I don’t see the OnePlus 11 as a step forward from the last year’s flagship but it does seem more polished, especially if someone is new to the OnePlus brand. The OnePlus 11 isn’t the most affordable flagship around, but if you want a premium Android smartphone and can stretch your budget a little, it’s an easy recommendation.
