OnePlus recently launched its new flagship smartphone yesterday at the Cloud 11 event and we were there to experience the OnePlus 11 for a brief moment. As it turned out, this OnePlus 11 5G is premium in a lot of aspects and has been improved a lot since the last flagships.

OnePlus 11 hands-on - Should you pre-order it now?

OnePlus 11 5G

Camera: 50MP Main Camera with Sony IMX890 (OIS supported), 48MP Ultrawide Camera with Sony IMX581 (FOV: 115 degree) and 32MP Telephoto lens with Sony IMX709 (2X Optical Zoom); 16MP Front (Selfie) Camera with EIS support
Camera Modes: Photo, Video, Night, PRO, PANO, Portrait, TIME-LAPSE, SLO-MO, Text scanner, Movie, Long Exposure, Dual-view video, TILT-SHIFT, XPAN, Scan, STICKER, and AI ID photo
Display: 6.7 Inches; 120 Hz AMOLED QHD Display with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus; Resolution: 3216 X 1440 pixels; HDR 10+, sRGB, 10-bit Color Depth, PWM + DC dimming
Operating System: OxygenOS based on Android 13
Processor: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform
8GB LPDDR5X RAM, 128GB UFS3.1 Storage
Battery & Charging: 5000 mAh with 100W SUPERVOOC
In-Display Fingerprint Sensor

Looks

Yes, OnePlus has retained its signature look and that metallic design with smooth corners makes it gripper than before. I’ve used the OnePlus 10 Pro for almost a year and for me the change is very acceptable because OnePlus has brought its key design elements back while keeping things very simple.

Not too heavy, but both Eternal Green and Titan Black are interesting the former color is the favourite for most I would say. The new green color has been implemented in a lot more OnePlus devices this year, so, anyone who goes for this can pair the upcoming OnePlus devices as well.

It’s very comfortable to hold, the OnePlus 11 is simple, and subtle, has good weight balance, overall aesthetics are great, and lastly, it’s always good to have the iconic Alert Slider on it.

Performance

OnePlus has always been giving the fastest Android flagship smartphones over years now and they have taken this simply to next-level this time with OnePlus 11. This smartphone is again powered by the powerful & efficient Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 that should provide a significant performance bump with OxygenOS paired.

With up to 16GB LPDDR5X memory and 256GB UFS 4.0 storage, you get the best performance you can ever demand of. Thanks to upgraded cooling, the heating issues seem to be resolved over the last year and OnePlus has assured up to 4 years of good user experience with the hardware you are getting now.

Display

In terms of display, almost everything remains the same as the OnePlus 10 Pro but this time the QHD+ display is a Super Fluid AMOLED one with LTPO 3.0 for better fluidity. So, anyone looking for the best display with high brightness can look for this without having spent over Rs.1lakh or $1000 as such.

Another good thing this time about the display is that it’s officially rated with Gorilla® Glass Victus which should be more durable compared to the 10 Pro of last year. Also, the display supports Dolby Vision which should further enhance the content consumption in popular apps like Netflix which offer rich video output.

Camera & Software

OnePlus is said to have upgraded its camera system thanks to the new 50MP Sony IMX890 sensor with OIS, a 48MP Sony IMX581 ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 32MP Sony IMX709 RGBW 2x telephoto camera. All of the camera systems seem to be upgraded to provide a better camera experience with the new Hasselblad Portrait Mode and 3rd Gen Hasselblad camera, we just got demo units at the event, so cannot judge improvements unless review units come to our testing!

OxygenOS is here to live as per OnePlus’s co-founder Pete Lau but always being merged with Oppo remains a threat, however, 4 years of software updates and 5 years of security upgrades give a feeling of peace at the back of your mind.

Battery & Charging

The OnePlus 11 this time lacks flagship wireless charging and doesn’t come with IP68 water resistance but OnePlus has kept the same battery capacity to 5,000 mAh, the improvement in efficiency should help give much better battery life against the OnePlus 10 Pro.

Though most people are happily charging their phones within half an hour, OnePlus has kept its promise of fast charging but implemented SUPERVOOC 100W charging and has its proprietary battery health engine which will enable the battery to last longer while still charging it within half an hour.

Audio & Connectivity

OnePlus has again worked on the audio part of this OnePlus 11, now you have Dual “Reality” Speakers which have been improved over last-gen. Tuned by Dolby for a perfect Dolby Atmos experience with Dolby Vision, this should be promising for audiophiles out there who love hearing to music all day long.

In terms of connectivity, OnePlus 11 is the first WiFi 7 smartphone in India and also it supports a plethora of 5G bands in India: N1, N3, N5, N7, N8, N20, N28A, N38, N40, N41, N66, N77, N78, most popular bands are covered and if you are Jio user, you don’t have to worry because OnePlus seems to have tied up with Jio True5G for a better experience.

Should You Pre-order?

OnePlus 11 is no doubt another flagship smartphone, not the most affordable I would say, but, delivers a 2023 flagship performance, and features and it’s worth the price. Now, should you pre-order it? Well, if you are an old OnePlus customer, say OnePlus 6 or 7 users, you can upgrade because OnePlus is even giving Rs.6k extra exchange bonus for them.

Also, one who was always passionate about OnePlus phones in the flagship range but isn’t willing to spend crazy numbers on iPhone 14 Pros or Galaxy Ultras can go for this. However, the camera will be a decisive factor which we need to test ourselves, so, if you are a camera addict wait for some time but most performance lovers should go for this new OnePlus 11 5G.

Pre-order the OnePlus 11 from Amazon India: https://amzn.to/3jIHCPc or OnePlus site: https://fas.st/M88Bf