Pros
- Vivid and vibrant 120Hz QHD+ display
- Fast and reliable performance with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC
- Good camera performance
- Good battery backup
Cons
- Slightly slippery design
- Low light camera performance could have been better
OnePlus has been evolving its smartphone game and has introduced some of the best-in-class value flagships until now. This year the brand has released the OnePlus 11 series comprising the vanilla OnePlus 11 5G and the OnePlus 11R. Both models are catering to premium users, however, the latter is a more affordable option for the masses.
With the OnePlus 11 5G, the company has brought in some new innovations and also revived what was missing from the previous-gen model; the iconic OnePlus alert slider. This year too OnePlus is all aggressive with the pricing and is set to grab a major chunk of the premium user segment.
Features like the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset with ray tracing, a QHD+ AMOLED display, and 100W fast charging starting at Rs. 56,999 makes the game strong for the OnePlus 11 5G. But does this mean it wins the competition and stands out of the league? We got to use the latest OnePlus flagship and here’s what we think:
Also Read: OnePlus 10T Review: Speed Performance And Reliability At Its Best
OnePlus 11 5G Design: Familiar Yet New
The OnePlus 11 5G bears resemblance to the last year’s OnePlus 10T, but the design overhaul is evident with the camera module and the curved panel. The camera island this time is circular instead of the squarish module that the previous-gen model featured. The camera module on the OnePlus 11 5G also has the same steel material blending into the aluminum frame.
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The return of the iconic OnePlus alert slider is a relief for all OnePlus fans. Only the power key is positioned on the right spine alongside the alert slider. The volume rockers are on the left panel, while the USB Type-C port is sandwiched between the SIM tray and the speaker grille at the bottom. The top and the bottom frames are flat, while the side panels are slightly rounded complementing the curved display design.
The overall look and feel of the OnePlus 11 5G is all premium and there is no compromise with the usage comfort. The curved edges and slim form factor improves the grip with single-hand usage. Even with the case, the device doesn’t feel bulky which is impressive.
You would find it easy to operate this phone with a single hand with different tasks. Of course, for extensive gaming, you will need both hands on deck. The Corning Gorilla Glass protection both upfront and the rear adds to the durability. a But overall, the OnePlus offers a fair usage experience.
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OnePlus 11 5G Display Performance: Bright And Vivid
The OnePlus 11 5G bestows a massive 6.7-inch screen which offers impressive specifications. The visual experience is all enhanced with this new OnePlus phone. The panel type used Fluid AMOLED with LTPO technology. The display on the OnePlus 11 5G supports 1440 x 3216 pixels QHD+ resolution and the pixel density is 525 ppi.
This phone is capable of auto-switching between FHD+ and QHD+ resolution. There is a dedicated setting for this which when enabled changes the resolution type depending on the app. There is a dynamic refresh rate of 1- 120Hz, sRGB, Dolby Vision HDR, and 10-bit color depth. Let’s now move to the display performance.
The color production and panel clarity is super refined and we have had the best experience with video playback and gaming. With 1300 nits peak brightness level, the OnePlus 11 5G’s visibility is least hampered outdoors under direct/harsh sunlight. The high QHD+ resolution and the 120Hz refresh rate makes the game strong for OnePlus 11 5G in the display segment.
As mentioned earlier, the panel brings out vivid output which is suitable for both video consumption and gaming. You can expect no frame drops or lags while gaming with the settings tuned to the highest. Color production is crisp and the visual clarity is also top-notch. The blacks are deeper and the screen does justice to the dark scenes in any movie or TV show. The display on the OnePlus 11 5G also has an in-display fingerprint scanner integrated that enhances security. The scanner is quick and efficient with device unlocking.
Personally, I find the panel apt for binge-watching shows and movies via OTT apps including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Videos, and others. Also, the touch response is fluid, hence the feedback with scrolling and gaming is also unbeatable with this phone. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the display game is improved with the OnePlus 11 5G.
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OnePlus 11 5G: Camera Performance
Camera hardware on the OnePlus 11 5G is also evolved. There is a 50MP Sony IMX890 6P main lens with an f/1.8 aperture, OIS, and EIS support. It is combined with a 48MP secondary Sony IMX581 ultra-wide lens with an f/2.2 aperture and 115-degree FoV and a 32MP Sony IMX709 telephoto lens with 2X optical zoom.
Speaking of the camera modes, the OnePlus 11 5G is loaded with Night, Portrait, Movie, Panorama, Slow-motion, Time-Lapse, Xpan, Auto macro, Long-Exposure, AI scene enhancement, and more. The camera also comes with 10but Color and High-Efficiency image support.
If we talk of video recording capabilities, the OnePlus 11 5G’s rear camera can record 8K@34 fps, 4K@30/60 fps, 1080p@30/60 fps, and 720p@30/60 fps videos. The slow-motion video recording support is up to 1080p@240fps, while the time-lapse video recording supported is 4K@30fps.
This model’s camera features the Hasselblad branding as the previous-gen model. OnePlus touted the imaging prowess of the OnePlus 11 5G during the launch and we were eager to test its capabilities with different scenarios and backgrounds.
That said, the quality of the shots captured by the OnePlus 11 5G is good. Image clarity is not compromised when the background is well-lit. No noise or grains are noticeable with the daylight shots. Color saturation is balanced, nothing is overtly saturated. Enabling the AI scene enhancement does the trick to improve the quality with each click. Details are enhanced with general and close up shots. The Auto
You can also toggle on the Hi-res and Auto HDR modes to capture images with the highest clarity levels. However, you will only be able to capture images in 1x and 0.6 ultra-wide frames with the Hi-res mode on. With this, you can easily crop out unwanted scenes or objects in the background without deteriorating the image quality.
Portrait shots are good and they live up to the expectation. We are sharing some camera samples where you can check the photography quality. As for night photography, the built-in Night mode captures all the details with low-lit backgrounds. However, a bluish tint is visible if the background is completely dark. Use the apt settings and you will hardly see any noise or grains in the background. Below are the night camera sample of the OnePlus 11 5G.
For selfie fans, OnePlus has added a 16MP front camera with an f/2.45 aperture and EIS (Electronic Image Stabilization) support. The selfie snapper does a decent job of capturing self-portraits. The output is optimum for social media uploads.
OnePlus 11 5G: Performance Review
OnePlus has established itself as a flagship killer ever since its debut in the smartphone industry. With the OnePlus 11 5G, the company has definitely set new standards. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 mobile chipset under the hood makes it a performance beast. The latest flagship Qualcomm chipset has Adreno 740 GPU support for graphics. Onboard storage capacity options include 128GB UFS 3.1 and 256GB UFS 4.0 paired with 8GB and 16GB LPDDR5X RAM respectively.
We have received the 16GB+ 256GB variant and have experienced a lag-free performance no matter how extensive a task is thrown at it. OnePlus is one of those few Android flagships that supports hardware-accelerated Ray Tracing. However, there is no mobile game available at this point that supports or is compatible with this feature. But this doesn’t count for any limitations.
Rather, the handset is future-ready with this advanced technology. Besides, OnePlus is already providing up to four year of promised firmware updates to all of its newly launched phones and the OnePlus 11 5G isn’t different. It has the Android 12-based OxygenOS 13.0 UI pre-installed and with the added support, it will be a perfect flagship for at least the next five years. OnePlus has made several improvements to the UI and tried to add a stock Android UI appeal. Less bloatware and pre-installed third-party apps are a respite this time.
The performance delivery is stable and reliable with the top-of-the-line SD 8 Gen 2 chipset. Faster speeds and efficiency are further achieved with the high RAM and storage capacity. The multitasking experience is super smooth with the top-end variant. The same can be expected with the base model too. App loading is instant even if there are several of them are already running in the background. It’s definitely the fastest OnePlus handset released till date. We also performed a couple of benchmark tests including Geekbench 6 where the scorecard is good.
Gaming feedback is also top-notch. The improved haptic feedback complements the lag-free gameplay sessions. You will be able to play demanding games like Asphalt 9 Legend, COD, and others at the highest settings without any frame drops. There is no warm-up of temperature instability issues when you use the OnePlus 11 5G extensively or during gaming. This further improves the overall user experience. To summarize, the OnePlus 11 5G is a no compromise in terms of speed and reliability.
OnePlus 11 5G Review: Battery Backup
The OnePlus 11 5G has been packed with a 5,000 mAh battery unit. This is a 2,500 mAh dual-cell setup that supports 100W SuperVOOC flash charging. Now, this is a downgrade compared to the OnePlus 10T which offers 160W fast charging.
However, the 100W charging support doesn’t disappoint either. The handset can still get a complete refuel (zero to 100 percent) within 30 minutes. The battery drainage rate is not high unless you are using this handset extensively. Otherwise, expect over eight hours of backup with a single charge.
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OnePlus 11 5G Final Verdict: Hit Or Miss?
OnePlus has upgraded its game with the launch of the OnePlus 11 5G and is also returning to the roots of bringing in the best-in-class value flagships. This new-generation OnePlus phone is future-ready and has some of the most advanced features that any phone in this segment offers.
To recap, the OnePlus 11 5G with 8GB RAM is priced at Rs. 56,999, while the top-end model with 16GB RAM is priced at Rs. 60,999. If you are looking for phone that is no compromise in terms of speeds and performance, the OnePlus 11 5G is definitely worth considering. For photography and gaming enthusiasts too, the OnePlus 11 5G is a complete package. This handset is definitely a hit in our opinion.
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