Over the years, OnePlus has successfully managed to transform from an emerging player into a well-established premium brand. Some are not happy with the company's transformation particularly for introducing too many phones in the market and have lost track of delivering timely software updates. A case in point is the OnePlus 9RT, which received the Android 12 (launched in August 2021), only last week.
However, one thing OnePlus has lived up to the hype is that the company has steadily improved the build quality and remains cut above the two major rival brands Samsung and Apple in terms of offering a faster battery charging experience.
OnePlus has also tried enhancing the photography experience on its phones by collaborating with Hasselblad in OnePlus 9 series (2021). It did not start well, but with follow-up software updates, the company managed to keep its reputation intact.
The company's first premium phone of 2022-- OnePlus 10 Pro comes with a good upgrade over the predecessor. It has a better camera (with Hasselblad system), faster-charging speed and packs a fast and powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor.
It comes in two options-- 8GB RAM + 128GB storage and 12GB RAM + 256GB storage-- for Rs 66,999 and Rs 71,999, respectively.
I have been using the OnePlus 10 Pro for close to two months and here are my thoughts on the premium Android phone.
Design, build quality and display
OnePlus 10 Pro has a new design compared to the predecessor and also, and the big triple camera module along with Hasselband branding makes the phone really stand out among the rival brands.
The camera module, which features 3D nano-microcrystalline-based ceramic blends beautifully with the shell. It is not only visually good but helps in the phone slipping in and out of the phone smoothly. Also, the frosted matte finish of the phone (Volcanic Black model) has its advantages. It does an excellent job of resisting fingerprint smudges and remains stain-free all day.
You will find the trademark alert slider on the top right side of the edge and below, the power button. And on the opposite side, there is a volume rocker. At the top, there is lone mic and at the base, there is a powerful single-grille speaker along with a Type-C port and a mic.
The company offers a silicone case with the retail box, while its two rival players don't even offer charger adaptors with their phones. This initiative ensures the OnePlus 10 Pro last longer with the owner and in a way, helps reduce the negative impact on the environment.
On the front, OnePlus 10 Pro sports a gorgeous 6.7-inch (3216 x 1440 pixels) quad HD+ 3D flexible curved AMOLED (LTPO 2.0) display panel. It supports peak brightness of 1300nits and an adaptive 1Hz-120Hz refresh rate.
I had a delightful time watching movies and YouTube vlogs on the OnePlus 10 Pro. The display manages to reproduce near-accurate colours and also darker black, and grey shades come off natural. Also, the 120Hz refresh rates make browsing and gaming better on the phone.
Also, the eye comfort ensures that there is a reduction in blue light emission on the screen and doesn't strain the eyes at the night.
The display also comes with an in-screen fingerprint sensor. It is ergonomically placed above the base, for the thumb or even fingers to easily reach and unlock the screen. Compared to others in this segment, the false rejection rate is low on the OnePlus 10 Pro.
Photography
OnePlus 10 Pro houses a triple camera module powered by a second-generation Hasselblad photography system— main 48MP (1/1.43-inch Sony IMX789 sensor, f/1.8, OIS: Optical Image Stabilisation)+ 50MP 150-degree ultra-wide (1/2.76-inch Samsung JN1 sensor) + 8MP telephoto sensor (f/2.4 aperture, OIS 3.3x optical zoom) with LED flash.
It takes brilliant photos in the natural sunlight. The subjects particularly flowers, colours are vibrant and detailed in the pictures. The dynamic range in the sample images is decent.
The ultrawide angle mode accommodates more area in the frame. The camera doesn't over-process by bending any structures to squeeze more area into the photo.
The sample shot of the Nandi Hills was taken around late afternoon with Sun in the background. The colours of the hill range remain neutral, close to how we perceive through the eyes.
Even the optical zoom manages to get quality images without any drastic loss of quality. The digital zoom samples begin to accumulate noise once we go past the 10X zoom. But, even with 30X Zoom (maximum), we can identify some structures on the top of the hill.
The portrait mode does a decent job not just with the human face, but also with flowers. The edge detection is great and the camera is able to bring a natural bokeh effect in the background.
In the Night Sight mode, the images are good. As you can see in the sample pictures, the street lights are captured well and also they don't blow out as I have seen on other phones. The brightness is controlled and also the colours of sodium vapour lamp lights in the background and the LED street light have noticeable distinction and look natural.
The 4K video quality is pretty good too and in terms of stability wise, it is on par with most of the rival brands, but not with Apple iPhone 13 series.
On the front, it houses 32MP (Sony IMX615 sensor, f/2.4) snapper for selfies. The picture quality is decent and users can play with the photo-enhancing tools and filters. Yes, like the Chinese peers, OnePlus also offers superficial tools to adjust skin texture, cheeks, eye size, nose, chin, and head size and even does touch up to improve the skin colour tone too. They did a decent job removing acne scars on my face.
It should be noted OnePlus release multiple updates with improvements to the camera and they did really enhance the photography experience for the better and this is appreciated.
Performance
Under the hood, it houses a 4nm class Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, 8GB/12GB RAM LPDDR5, 128/256GB (UFS 3.1) storage and Android 12-based OxygeOS 12 and a 5,000mAh battery with 80W fast charging.
OnePlus 10 Pro is a smooth performer. It didn't show any sign of lag-ness during the entire review period. Be it 4K recording or playing high-end power-hogging games such as Asphalt 9: Legends, the phone was able to work finely and though, it did get a bit warm, it never go beyond my comfort level.
Also, the OxygenOS 12 is clean and there are no duplicate utility apps such as third-party browsers, photo-editing apps and other unwanted things that eat up the storage and this ensures, more space for owners to install more apps they like and also be create more memories of the loved ones with photos and videos.
OnePlus 10 Pro houses a 5,000mAh battery and it consistently offered more than a day under normal usage. I am not an extreme user in terms of gaming and binge-watching, but for the sake of the testing, I go overboard during the weekends. I explored agricultural fields in my in-law's place to get photos, test out video stability, 4K recording and also binge-watch multimedia content on OTT apps for at least two hours and an hour of gaming. The phone was able to easily last a full day with a little around 25 per cent battery level. On weekdays, I usually watch food vlogs during two and half of my commute (home to office and vice versa) and the rest of the day, browsing on social media platforms, catching up on the latest trending news on the web and responding to emails. In this scenario, the phone usually used to last one and half days.
And with an 80W charger, it takes a little over 45 minutes to fully charge from zero to 100 per cent. And within 25 minutes of charging, it can charge up really fast to 60 per cent capacity.
Final thoughts
Having used OnePlus 10 Pro as a secondary device for more than two months, it lives up to the true premium flagship phone 'tag'. It checks all the basics features-- display, build quality, excellent battery life and SuperVooC fast charging is such a value edition.
And, Hasselblad's collaboration with the camera system, has definitely made the new OnePlus 10 Pro better than the predecessor. Also, photo quality is on par with any of the premium phones in most aspects including low-light conditions.
There is one major reason, you should consider buying the OnePlus 10 Pro is that this might be the last premium OnePlus to feature the alert slider, as the company has decided to do away with the trademark feature in the upcoming OnePlus 10T.
OnePlus says it wants to bring new features to the 10T and also keep the structural profile slim.
Though the alert slider comes off as a minor feature for some, it is a very useful button and also, a unique attribute that makes the OnePlus brand stand out among Android phones. Users can change the ring to vibration or to silent modes with a simple swipe gesture and many love this attribute of OnePlus phones.
Overall, the OnePlus 10 Pro is a reliable premium phone and also, a good collectors' phone, for being the last of the company's phones to feature a signature alert slider. Unless, OnePlus, brings it back with a special edition phone in the future as Apple does with the iPhone SE series with TouchID sensor.
Pros
Premium build quality
Good performer
worthy camera hardware
Excellent battery and remarkable fast charging capability
Cons
No IP water-and-dust resistant rating
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