OnePlus 11 5G: Long-term review

OnePlus with huge fanfare hosted a grand Cloud 11 event to launch a host of devices including the company's first-ever OnePlus Pad tablet. But, to me, OnePlus 11 was the star among the lot.

. The company has incorporated a ton of improvements in the latest OnePlus 11 5G over the predecessor. I have been using it as a secondary phone for more than two months, and here are my thoughts on the premium phone.

. Design, build quality, and display The company has done a fantastic job with the new OnePlus 11 series. It has incorporated a new refreshing design, which was lacking in the predecessor. The big circular camera capsule housing three sensors with LED flash is unique and also performs too (more details in the photography section). The rest of the body is smooth and has a sparkling visual effect, particularly in the Titan Black variant.

. It does an amazing job of repelling fingerprint smudges on the back. You can carry the phone without any cover and not worry about any sweaty stains as such. Also, Gorilla Glass 5 cover on the back, the device is well protected from scratches due to articles like keys and a pen in the pocket.

. But still, I recommend using the black case that comes with the retail box. It can help the device from getting any physical damage during accidental falls. Yes, it has a sturdy aluminium mid-rail around the edge, but dents and scratches due to fall, do take away the shine of a premium phone.

. OnePlus also offers the Eternal Green model too and it looks great. Recently, the company launched a special edition Marble Odyssey and each unit is different from the other.

. Read more | Key aspect of OnePlus 11 Marble Odyssey

. OnePlus 11 5G sports a super quality 6.7-inch Quad HD+ (3216 x 1440p) 2.75D flexible curved LPTO (v3.0)AMOLED screen.

. Like the back panel, the front display is well protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus shield. Add to that, the company has pre-fitted another layer of plastic-based cover and does a good job of protecting the display.

. The device's display supports variable refresh rate (1Hz-120Hz), HDR 10+, and Dolby Vision. It can also offer peak brightness of up to 1,300 nits and this is handy when reading messages or browsing the internet outdoors. I am happy to report that I never had to squint my eyes to view any content screen. Actually, I had a great time watching vlogs on YouTube. The colours, particularly in the nature documentary are so vibrant and rich on the OnePlus 11 and make you consume more content on it.

. As far as the in-screen fingerprint is concerned, it does work as advertised, but again like any optical scanner, the fingers have to be clean and dry to ensure faster screen unlocking.

. Performance OnePlus 11 5G is powered by Qualcomm’s 4nm class Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 with Adreno 740 GPU, 12GB/16GB LPDDR5X RAM with 256GB/512GB storage (UFS 4.0), and comes integrated with 5G modem.

. The phone is a smooth performer and does everything without breaking a sweat. Be recording 8K videos or playing any graphics-heavy game like Asphalt 9: Legends, the OnePlus 11 5G aces all tasks with ease.

. The Android 13-based OxygenOS is clean and as always, really easy to navigate through the settings.

. The company has confirmed to offer four years of Android OS updates and another year of security software support. This is a good move by OnePlus to ensure the device serves the customer for a long and also builds loyalty towards the company.

. It has a 5,000mAh battery and the device is optimised to consistently deliver a full day's battery life. I have to note that the phone manages to have a good amount of juice still left in the tank before I could retire to bed. When using other phones, I usually leave the phone charging overnight. But, with the OnePlus 11 5G, I keep it beside my bed and only charge in the morning. The company offers a 100W SuperVOOC charger with the retail box.

. It will fully charge the device in around 30 minutes. This is such a big value addition to the user experience and one of the perks of owning the OnePlus 11 5G.

. By the way, OnePlus 11 supports 5G services offered by both Reliance Jio and Airtel in India.

. Photography It boasts Hasselblad system-based triple-camera module-- main 50MP (with Sony IMX890 sensor, f/1.8, OIS: Optical Image Stabilisation) + 48MP ultra-wide camera (Sony IMX581 sensor, f/2.2, 3.5cm macro) + 32MP RGBW telephoto lens (with 2x optical zoom, Sony IMX709 sensor) with dual-LED flash on the back.

. It takes brilliant photos in the daylight. The colours are near-natural; they are neither too warm nor dull. There is a definite improvement over the predecessor and the photo quality is absolutely gorgeous.

. The macro shots captured on the OnePlus 11 5G are worthy wallpaper photos. It manages to pull in all minute details of the subject, particularly the flowers really well onto the frame.

. The ultra-wide angle photos too, are really good on par with any top-end phones (above Rs 50,000 price range).

. I am pretty impressed with the portrait mode too. I will be honest here; I initially had some trouble locking in on the subject, but within a few minutes, I managed to get the hang of it and go some top-notch quality pictures. The camera does an amazing job of creating depth of field around the subject with the natural blurred bokeh effect of the background.

. As with the Night mode, OnePlus 11 5G again triumphs in ensuring light from the street lamp is really well balanced and doesn't blow out the landscape with too much white light. It takes in the right mix of surrounding light and also ensures darkness of the night is proportionately presented, closer to reality. Some premium phones are known to overprocess the photos turning a night photo into a snap taken in the evening with a bright blue sky.

. The phone can record up to 8Kat 24fps (frames per scheme), 4K at 30/60fps, and 1080p at 30/60/240fps with Auto HDR. With the gyro-EIS(Electronic Image Stabilisation), it does a fine job of stable high-resolution videos. 8K quality videos are good, but it will eat up to storage real soon.

. On the front, it houses 16MP(f/2.4) with full HD video recording capability. The selfie images, particularly in portrait mode, some really good, and worthy of using DP on social media platforms.

. It also does amazing with the HD video call, the face looks so clear during the chat, but it depends on the internet connection.

. Final thoughts OnePlus 10T, which was launched in late 2022, lacked an X-factor to stand out among rivals. It had a boring design and even the internal hardware too was a moderate upgrade over the predecessor (OnePlus 10 Pro).

. Now, with the new 2023-series OnePlus 11 5G, the company has made a lot of improvements in key areas. It is a refreshingly impressive premium phone. It has a gorgeous and unique design that instantly garners attention when used in the public space. The build quality is exceptionally good and the display too, I had a really good time watching HD content on OTT platforms.

. OnePlus has even done well with the camera hardware for OnePlus 11. It takes brilliant photos in all light conditions.

. And, most importantly, the device excels in delivering smooth performance and the battery life is excellent too. It can last more than a day under normal usage. Even if you are an extreme user and stream a lot of multimedia content through cellular data, you won't feel battery life anxiety, as the device comes with a superfast 100W charger.