OnePlus has already launched two of the best flagship 5G phones in India with the best specs on paper, fortunately, we got to test and use regularly both of these phones.
However, personally, I loved both of them and can recommend anyone comfortably, but as the OnePlus 5G Upgrade Days kick in the OnePlus 11R 5G can be bought for as low as ₹35,499, yes with bank offers and exchange that price is really tempting! So, while we already have discussed in detail the phone in our first impressions article, this will be a short review to show how good a value for money the phone is.
OnePlus 11R Specifications
- 6.74-inch 120 Hz Super Fluid AMOLED display with 2772 X 1240 pixels resolution and HDR10+ support
- Snapdragon® 8+ Gen 1 Mobile Platform
- OxygenOS with Android™ 13
- 8GB/16GB LPDDR5X RAM/ 128GB/256GB UFS 3.1 storage
- 5,000 mAh battery with 100W SUPERVOOC
- 50MP Sony IMX890 primary sensor + 8MP Ultra-Wide sensor + 2MP Macro lens, 16MP front camera
- 5G support, WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, Dual Stereo Speakers
Top 5 reasons to buy this new OnePlus 11R 5G
Having used the phone extensively, and also using the OnePlus 11 5G as well, here’s what I felt and why this 11R is a good buy, especially for its price:
Curved High-Quality AMOLED Display
The best thing I liked when I first saw this OnePlus 11R even at the launch event, the display is almost identical to the flagship OnePlus 11, and you get the same curved AMOLED panel that gives a sense of premiumness. Both almost look and feel identical while this 11R has a punch-hole at the centre, the regular 11 has a punch-hole at the left-hand side.
The curved 6.7-inch QHD 120Hz screen with a resolution of 2772*1240 and a 450 PPI pixel density, is no doubt a flagship quality display, I personally loved watching movies, YouTube or even day-to-day tasks is soo smooth. If you haven’t used a flagship AMOLED display yet, I definitely would recommend you to visit a OnePlus store and see the display in action, you’ll fall in love honestly!
Tech like HDR 10+ certification, and SGS Low Blue Light Ex, also cover 100% DCI P3 color gamut, having a rich contrast makes everyday usage smooth AF. Overall, the display is a big factor if you want to buy this OnePlus 11R 5G, comfortably has one of the best displays in this price range.
Performance
While a lot of people are sceptical about the OnePlus 11R 5G’s Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, I personally loved using the device with this chipset more than ever! This is a very underrated chipset because not only it’s cheaper than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 but also has a higher clock speed and has been made on the same TSMC’s 4nm process.
With the shared design, OnePlus 11 series also has the same 3D Cooling System with a crypto-velocity vapour chamber implemented to keep this 11R cool even during the most intense gaming sessions. Personally, the gaming performance or performance difference in general against the OnePlus 11 5G is negligible and for a phone which can effectively be got at ₹35,499, I would happily accept it.
In this article, you can check out the scores in various benchmarks there and personally, the gaming experience is also very similar to the regular OnePlus 11 5G, so skipping on that too. Overall, if you ask me about the daily usage experience, this is very similar to the expensive brother and for a user at ₹35k, you cannot ask for more.
Good Camera
While I really disliked the camera on the OnePlus 10R, this OnePlus 11R did excel in my needs surprisingly, thanks to a new 50MP Sony IMX890 primary sensor, the same present on the flagship OnePlus 11 as well. However, the ultra-wide camera is only 8MP and you have a useless 2MP Macro lens, with the recent update OnePlus has tried to improve some issues I faced earlier.
The primary camera supports OIS, you have a 120-degree ultra-wide camera, and the camera improvements are noticeable when compared to last-gen. Here are some of the samples we have taken in various lighting conditions for your reference:
In broad daylight, as you see, this OnePlus 11R surprisingly performs well and the primary sensor helps you to take crisp images, thanks to Image Clarity Engine 2.0, the colors produced are quite good. Compared to the OnePlus 11, there’s a very minimal difference I would say and that is actually a compliment for this camera. However, the ultra-wide is not flagship-level but good enough for most needs, and that macro is again not very useful.
When it comes to portrait mode, OnePlus 11R 5G is a marvel like its brother, in almost all environments, you are sure to get exceptional bokeh, and skin tones thanks to the exceptional image processing. I am sure that you can capture social media-worthy portraits and even when I compared it to my iPhone 13, they were quite close.
During night/low light, I took a lot of shots and each of them turned out to be quite good with less noise, rich details, and good color reproduction, overall all the pics turned out to be great!
The OnePlus 11R’s primary sensor is almost equivalent to the OnePlus 11 5G’s and the camera performance difference is sometimes negligible, which again at this price point nice, not good for zoom or macros, but if you don’t need those anyways, the new OnePlus 11R 5G is more than capable for daily camera hunger.
In low light, you can again capture good portrait shots, even better than the normal shots and personally, there’s not much I can complain about here as well.
From food photography to selfies, the OnePlus 11R 5G as you see won’t fail you and in this review, you get a detailed camera experience as well to help you take an unbiased opinion. As I said before, the weak point of the camera will be during zoom/macro and extremely low-light conditions but overall, for an average user, the camera is reliable and if used properly should be fine for daily usage.
Latest Connectivity and UI/OS
With the latest connectivity options like WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, IR blaster, NFC support, and a wide range of 5G bands support in India, you are secure in terms of future usage. The Alert Slider also makes this OnePlus 11R 5G an affordable flagship in its true sense and it comes with the latest OxygenOS based on Android 13 with some ColorOS integrations.
The best part about this 5G smartphone is its support for 3 years of Android updates and 4 years of Security, making this to be future-proof.
Battery life and Charging
While many do not take battery life or charging seriously, however, OnePlus has really worked this time to make this even more usable. This phone comes with a huge 5,000 mAh battery that has been split into two 2,500 mAh units to help faster charging and reduces overheating along with other battery issues.
The OnePlus 11R has the same 100W SUPERVOOC charging support as its brother, which ensures fast charging within 30 minutes and to improve charge efficiency OnePlus has sued the SUPERVOOC S Battery Management Chipset. Also, the same Battery Health Engine which is present in the OnePlus 11 ensures that your OnePlus 11R is secured to have a better battery in the long-run thanks to Smart Battery Health Algorithm and Battery Healing Technology.
Verdict
Now, should you buy this OnePlus 11R 5G affordable flagship smartphone in India? Well, considering its effective price is just ₹35,499 or even its ₹36-37k price effectively, I feel this is good pricing for the specs you are being offered. With a slightly premium design and insane similarities with its expensive brother OnePlus 11 5G, this 11R has its own identity.
People can relate to the OnePlus premiumness which they promised once at similar pricing and with the most good-to-have features on a flagship this is a highly recommended option. The value-for-money quotient is high for this new India-only OnePlus 11R and if you have been waiting for a 5G phone, now that 5G is rolling rapidly in India, buying this phone absolutely makes sense!
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