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As with Samsung phones, it’s worth digging through the settings and features, because the mad scientists at OnePlus and its community have been building out Oxygen OS for years. Though the main interface has been streamlined and simplified, there are some cool things hidden behind the scenes. In the end, I’d rather have fast charging than wireless charging, if I had to choose. As an avid photographer, I’d rather charge my dead phone for a half hour then go shoot the rest of the day. I have wireless charging in my house and car, but I don’t use it often because I don’t leave my phone sitting in one place. In any case, the OnePlus 11 never disappointed, in terms of performance. I didn’t quite realize how powerful this phone is until I tried playing 8K video on my laptop. My Microsoft Surface Laptop Go, admittedly underpowered, couldn’t smoothly play the videos my phone let me scrub through with ease. You won’t be disappointed with this phone’s performance in any way.
One feature I especially enjoyed was the ability to use the selfie camera for video while screen recording. This let me take videos of gameplay action with a reaction shot inserted in the corner. I could play my son on Marvel Snap, then send him a video of me reacting gleefully as I pounded his puny cards into the void, HULK SMASH!OnePlus says the phone can charge to 50% in 10 minutes, and a full 100% in only 25 minutes. That didn’t pan out in my tests. In 10 minutes I reached between 40-45% charge every time. I was sometimes fully charged in just under 30 minutes, but never 25. When it works, though, it takes better photos than the competition. My food looked more appetizing and less artificial through the OnePlus 11 lens than it did when shot with my iPhone 14 Pro. I couldn’t see every hair on my puppy’s fur, but I caught the warmth of her brindle color and her coat reflected light in ways that were more natural than I’ve seen from other camera phones. I’ve got a sad theory about why T-Mobile isn’t selling this phone directly, Stateside. The OnePlus 10 Pro was rated IP68 for water resistance, but only on T-Mobile. There were whispers that the phone was fully water resistant everywhere, but that only T-Mobile would pay for the certification. The bad news is that you bought this phone so that you could join the OnePlus party (or stay in the party), and you’re going to tax the battery hard. There are gaming controls to optimize battery, but also gaming controls to max out performance and drain the battery faster.
Needless to say, I dropped the phone occasionally, and it slipped off my desk a few times. Buy a case for this phone – you’ll thank me later. That said, there’s one huge design flaw that may keep me from telling anyone to buy it. That said, there were big problems. Whenever I zoomed in to an unusual length, the software would muddy the image, and details started to look like an impressionist painting. The longest-distance zoom does an amazing job with optical image stabilization, so it was easy to line up my shot. Unfortunately, that shot looked horrible, with few usable details by which to identify the subjects far away. Those competitors also have smaller, 6.1-inch displays. The OnePlus 11 gives you more screen (and more pixels) for your money, but if you want a smaller display you’ll need to look elsewhere. The OnePlus 11 charges so fast that the 110 Volt outlets in the US can’t handle the proper electrical push required, so chargers are a bit slower here, but still faster than any Samsung, Google, or Apple phone you can buy.The OnePlus 11 is a phone for buyers who want high performance without paying too much. There are sacrifices to be made, but folks looking for a unique device will find it in the OnePlus 11. The phone has standout cameras and performance, and you simply get more smartphone for your money when you buy the OnePlus 11. Staying in charge for longer is effortless with smart battery technology to prevent dead battery cells. I played Marvel Snap on this phone and my iPhone 14 Pro and there was no contest between the two. The OnePlus 11 handled all of the flying particles and waves, all of the motion effects, and all of the subtleties of the graphics with ease. When that happens, the OnePlus 11 has fast charging. Very, very fast charging. Faster than whatever phone you own, as long as your phone isn’t also a OnePlus, or another Chinese brand willing to push the envelope on fast charging. The battery on the OnePlus 11 is an interesting story, with many twists and turns, but a happy ending. The good news is that the battery lasts all day, if you don’t party too hard with all of the super performance settings, high resolution cameras, and sweet, smooth gaming action.
I had no trouble with gameplay, and the best framerate I could manage playing Call of Duty Mobile was 90fps in the game’s Ultra frame rate mode. With the full graphics panel set to maximum, I got a smooth 60fps every match. I’ll be frank, I got the OnePlus long before Samsung sent review units for the Galaxy S23, so I haven’t had a chance to test the two side-by-side. I could compare them with benchmarks, but we noticed some weird benchmark behavior from the OnePlus. I have been reviewing phones since 2006, before the first iPhone. I was an established critic and prolific reviewer when Samsung recruited me in 2011 to review top secret devices and competitor phones internally. I then led the product review program until I left in 2017. I have worked with reviewers honing techniques across publications including TechRadar, Consumer Reports, Digital Trends, and CNET. If you like the idea of getting a flagship smartphone for even less money, the Google Pixel 7 is the only phone that has the OnePlus 11 beat. It doesn't have the big screen (or battery), and it relies on AI for its camera powers. It still saves you more, takes great photos, and looks cool.This screen really pops. It’s big, bright and colorful, and it looks fantastic for playing games or viewing photos. The fast refresh rate benefits greatly from the amazing Snapdragon performance. Side-by-side, I’d rather be playing games and watching movies on my OnePlus 11 than my iPhone 14 Pro. It’s hard to decide which competitors deserve the direct price comparison. The OnePlus 11 is the best OnePlus phone you can buy this year, but it costs less than an iPhone 14 or a Galaxy S23, let alone the various ‘Pro’ and ‘Ultra’ models Apple and Samsung offer. The OnePlus 11 simply screams with performance. The fast processor paired with the high-refresh screen make for an amazing experience playing the newest games, editing photos, or even just using the interface.
My DSLR still does a much better job, and OnePlus will only go so far as to call this DSLR-like image quality. In fact, there are a lot of phones that can do more, since the OnePlus range is quite limited.It’s not the brightest screen you can buy, but it makes up for that in contrast and dazzling color. OnePlus also supports both Dolby Vision and HDR10+ standards for dynamic range. The iPhone 14 has the same color accuracy support, but can’t match the refresh rate, and doesn’t look quite as vibrant. The OnePlus 11 is rated IP64, which means it can keep out fine dust particles and larger solids, but for water and liquid, it can only handle a direct spray. You can’t dunk it in water, you can’t take it into the bathtub, and you can’t drop it in the toilet. If you take it to the beach, it'll be fine on the sand, but stay away from the waves or the water slide.
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