OnePlus has officially returned to the single flagship strategy: there is only OnePlus 11 in this round. Sure, the non-Pro OnePlus 10 never materialized, but dropping “pro” from the 11-series flagship’s name makes it official. Well, is this the only flagship you want, or has the company missed the mark?
Before putting it to a vote, let’s take a closer look at how the number 11 compares to the OnePlus 10 Pro and 9 Pro. We’ll start with the similarities. The display is still a 6.7-inch AMOLED panel with QHD+ resolution and a refresh rate of 1-120Hz, although this time it uses a new LTPO3 panel (versus LTPO2). How much difference that makes, we won’t know until we get a review unit.
There’s no mention of a 10-bit panel or Gorilla Glass, but those could just be things that OnePlus hasn’t listed correctly. No IP ratings yet, we will update you as soon as we know more.
Next, the updates. There’s the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, of course, which is a vast improvement over the original 8 Gen 1 and previous 888. And this time it’s paired with faster UFS 4.0 and LPDDR5X. Also, the base configuration now available is 12/256GB, up from 8/128GB.
Cameras are hard to qualify. OnePlus has replaced the 48MP 1/1.43″ IMX789 with a 50MP 1/1.56″ 890 sensor. Again, this is something that needs a major overhaul. The ultrawide camera is a bit of a disappointment as it has lost the impressive 150° lens and instead has an average 115° lens.
Details of OnePlus 11
Telephoto is also a tough choice. The lens has a shorter focal length (48mm) and offers only 2x magnification, compared to 3.3x (77mm). However, behind it is a fairly large 1/1.56-inch 32MP sensor (compared to a smaller 8MP sensor), so it should offer high-quality zoom in the 2x to 4x range. all the Hasselblad goodies are still on board, assisted by a 13-channel multispectral sensor.
The battery has the same capacity as the 10 Pro, 5,000mAh, and is 500mAh larger than the battery in the 9 Pro. Wired charging has gone up a notch to 100W (up from 80W and 65W in previous models), but wireless charging has been phased out for a few reasons. We know some of you don’t use it (because of efficiency and heat issues or just don’t find it much cheaper), but it’s a downgrade all the same.
And while we’re here, OnePlus has done away with the USB 3.1 port that was capable of playing video and replaced it with a basic USB 2.0 port. The company never developed a desktop mode, so video output has had limited usefulness, but flagships should gain features, not lose them.
Anyway, the last thing to mention is the price: we only have the one for China, so let’s take a look at the relative values. The OnePlus 11 starts at CNY 4,000 for a 12/256GB unit. It’s much cheaper than the OnePlus 10 Pro, which started at CNY 4,700 for an 8/128GB unit. The corresponding 12/256GB configuration was even more expensive. When the 10 Pro went global, the base 8/128GB drive cost $900/€900/₹70,000, so the 11 should be less.
The aggressive pricing appears to undercut some current and future Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 premium phones. Let’s look at some of them.
There is the vivo X90 Pro+ at CNY 6,500 for a 12/256GB phone. All that extra cash gets you a potentially better LTPO4 display of similar size and resolution, a 1″ main sensor, a 3.5x periscope (with a 64MP sensor), a 50MP 2x second tele module, and a ultra not-so-wide 114° wide camera.The battery is slightly smaller at 4,700mAh, but it has 50W wireless charging in addition to 80W wired charging.
The iQOO 11 Pro is a bit cheaper at CNY 5,500 for a 12/256GB phone. Like the X90, this one has a 6.78-inch LTPO4 display, though this has been bumped up to 144Hz. The rest of the phone is quite similar to OnePlus, except for the telephoto lens, a basic 13MP 2x module. The 4,700mAh battery is blazingly fast, though, topping out at 200W on a cable and capable of 50W wireless charging.
vivo X90 Pro+ • vivo iQOO 11 Pro • Xiaomi 13 Pro • Xiaomi Redmi K60 Pro
The Xiaomi 13 Pro – CNY 5,800 for a 12/256GB unit – also packs a 1” main sensor and, while there is no periscope here, it has a 50MP 3.2x camera, as well as an ultra-wide angle 50MP at 115°. The display is a 6.73-inch QHD+ 120Hz LTPO panel, the 4,820mAh battery does 120W wired and 50W wireless charging.
The cheapest option is the Redmi K60 Pro, a 12/256GB phone will cost you 3,900 CNY, just under the price of the OnePlus 11. Even though it’s a Redmi, this one has a QHD+ 120Hz display (not LTPO, but it’s a 12-bit panel) and also has 30W wireless charging, not to mention 120W wired charging for the 5,000mAh battery. Camera-wise it’s less impressive than the OnePlus: the 54MP 1/1.49″ main camera with OIS is flanked by a basic 8MP 118° ultra-wide-angle and no telephoto.
A couple of other notable phones are the Motorola Moto X40 and the nubia Z50. The Moto X40 (12/256GB) matches OnePlus at CNY 4,000. It has a 6.7-inch non-LTPO OLED display – only FHD+ resolution but 165Hz refresh rate. The 50MP 1/1.55″ main camera with OIS is comparable, as is the 50MP 117° ultra-wide angle. The 12MP 2x telephoto module is pretty straightforward. Finally, the 4,600mAh battery supports charging wired 125W and wireless 15W.
The Red Magic 8 Pro is more expensive in the 12/256GB configuration, CNY 4,800. It has a 6.8-inch display with a resolution just above FHD+ and a 120Hz refresh rate. This is a gaming phone, so instead of spending the money on fancy cameras, it brings active cooling for the 8th Gen Snapdragon instead 2 battery (with RGB lighting) and a large 6,000mAh battery with 80W wired-only charging.
Motorola Moto X40 • ZTE nubia Red Magic 8 Pro
Right now, the OnePlus 11 is one of the cheapest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 flagships you can buy in China. Perhaps this will also remain true on the global market. It doesn’t quite have the best specs, but some aggressive slashing and pricing is what made OnePlus so popular in the first place.
Time to vote: if you’re looking for a flagship, is the OnePlus 11 what you’re looking for or do you think there are better options? If you’re having trouble with the poll below, you can also cast your vote here.
PS. The global launch of the OnePlus 11 is scheduled for February 7, so it should arrive before Samsung’s S-series flagships.
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