OnePlus 11R hands-on review

introduction

The OnePlus 11R is the latest in the company’s range of flagship phones for the Indian market. These devices essentially try to capture the essence of a flagship device but make some sacrifices to achieve a lower price point.

The OnePlus 11R may look identical to the pricier OnePlus 11 but internally it is nearly identical to the newly launched Realme GT3, which shouldn’t surprise anyone at this point. It’s also identical to the OnePlus Ace 2, which is actually the exact same phone destined for China.

The OnePlus 11R specs at a glance:

• Body: 163.4×74.3×8.7mm, 204g.
• Screen: 6.74″ Fluid AMOLED, 1B color, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1450 nits (peak), 1240x2772px resolution, 20.12:9 aspect ratio, 451ppi.
• chipsets: Qualcomm SM8475 Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (4nm): Octa-core (1×3.19GHz Cortex-X2 & 3×2.75GHz Cortex-A710 & 4×1.80GHz Cortex-A510); Adreno 730.
• Memory: 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 16GB RAM; UFS 3.1.
• Operating system/software: Android 13, Oxygen OS 13.
• Rear camera: Broad (main): 50 MP, f/1.8, 24mm, 1/1.56″, 1.0µm, multidirectional PDAF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 8MP, f/2.2, 120˚, 1/4.0″, 1.12µm; Macros: 2MP, f/2.4.
• Front camera: 16 MP, f/2.4, 24mm (wide), 1/3.09″, 1.0µm.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, Gyro EIS; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
• Drums: 5000mAh; 100W wired.
• Various: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); NFC; Infrared port; stereo speakers.

So what do we get and, more importantly, what do we lose compared to the more expensive OnePlus 11? Lots of things actually, but not to the extent that you would notice. The display is still curved but has a slightly lower resolution, with about 35% fewer pixels. The chipset is last year’s flagship Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 rather than this year’s. The main camera is the same but the ultra wide angle is different and the telephoto has been replaced by a 2MP macro.

But the question remains, how much of this will you actually notice? Well, that’s exactly what we’re about to find out.

Unpacking

The OnePlus 11R comes in standard red OnePlus packaging containing the phone, a 100W SUPERVOOC charger with USB-C connector, and a USB-A to USB-C 2.0 cable that supports proprietary fast charging. The screen protector is pre-applied.

The box also includes a black silicone case that has a rather stiff cover for the USB port, making it a real struggle to plug in a cable every time.