OnePlus made a name for itself by delivering flagship level specifications at mid range prices, earning the nickname flagship killer. However, as the brand matured, its phones gradually moved into premium territory, challenging industry giants like Samsung and Apple. Now, with the release of the OnePlus 11, the company aims to strike the perfect balance once again. Promising top tier performance, a striking design, Hasselblad powered cameras, and a price that undercuts most rivals, the OnePlus 11 seems to have recaptured the spirit that made the brand famous. But does it live up to the hype? Is it truly a smart buy in today’s competitive market, or has it become just another high end contender?
After spending several weeks putting the OnePlus 11 through its paces testing everything from its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 performance to its battery life, camera capabilities, and OxygenOS software experience we’re ready to give you the full picture. Whether you’re considering an upgrade or simply curious about where OnePlus stands in 2024, this hands on review and buying guide will help you decide if the OnePlus 11 is the right choice for you.
OnePlus 11 design and build quality
The moment you lay eyes on the OnePlus 11, it’s clear that this is a premium device crafted with attention to detail. Built with Gorilla Glass Victus protecting the front and Gorilla Glass 5 shielding the back, the phone offers excellent durability against drops and scratches. Sandwiched between is a strong aluminum frame that not only enhances structural integrity but also adds a luxurious touch when held in hand.
Measuring 163.1 x 74.1 x 8.5 mm and weighing 205 grams, the OnePlus 11 strikes an impressive balance between sturdiness and comfort. It feels solid without being unwieldy, and thanks to the slightly curved edges of the display and the subtle matte texture on the back, it offers a reassuring, comfortable grip even during long usage sessions. Fingerprint smudges are minimal, particularly on the Titan Black and Eternal Green variants, both of which look sophisticated and elegant without being too flashy.
A major design highlight is the circular camera module, boldly placed on the back and blending smoothly into the side frame. It’s an eye catching feature that is distinctive but not overly aggressive, giving the OnePlus 11 its own identity amidst a sea of rectangular camera bumps.
Though the device comes with an IP64 certification, meaning it’s dust tight and can resist water splashes, it falls short of full waterproofing like some competitors offering IP68 ratings. Nevertheless, it should comfortably survive light rain, splashes, or accidental spills, making it sufficiently durable for everyday life. Overall, OnePlus has crafted a smartphone that looks and feels truly flagship, maintaining a minimalist yet bold design language that will appeal to both style conscious and practical users.
Display performance of the OnePlus 11
The display of the OnePlus 11 is nothing short of stunning, firmly establishing it as a top contender among flagship smartphones. It features a large 6.7-inch AMOLED panel built with the latest LTPO 3.0 technology, offering both beauty and efficiency. With a crisp 3216 x 1440 (QHD+) resolution, visuals are sharp and detailed, whether you’re watching videos, browsing photos, or playing high end mobile games.
One of the standout features is the adaptive 1Hz to 120Hz refresh rate, which intelligently adjusts depending on the content displayed. This means you get buttery smooth scrolling when needed and ultra efficient battery savings when viewing static content like text or photos. The AMOLED panel ensures rich, vibrant colors and truly deep blacks, creating a highly immersive visual experience. Color accuracy is excellent out of the box, and users can fine tune the display profile based on personal preference through the settings.
In terms of brightness, the OnePlus 11 excels with a typical brightness of 1,300 nits and can peak at an impressive 1,800 nits when needed. Outdoor visibility, even under direct sunlight, is excellent, making it easy to read emails, view maps, or stream videos on the go without constantly seeking shade.
The device also supports HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, ensuring that streaming content on platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and YouTube looks spectacular. Highlights pop, shadow details remain intact, and overall dynamic range is among the best we’ve seen in this price range.
Whether you’re gaming competitively, binge watching your favorite shows, or simply scrolling through social media, the OnePlus 11 delivers an ultra-premium viewing experience that rivals, and in some cases surpasses, more expensive smartphones.
The OnePlus 11 performance and hardware
Under the hood, the OnePlus 11 is nothing short of a performance powerhouse. It is equipped with the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, a chipset built on a 4nm process that offers notable improvements in speed, efficiency, and thermal performance compared to its predecessors. Paired with either 8GB or 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and super-fast UFS 4.0 storage options ranging from 128GB to a massive 512GB, the OnePlus 11 is built to tackle anything with ease.
Everyday tasks feel instantaneous. Opening apps, browsing the web, switching between social media feeds, or editing photos happens without even a hint of delay. The OnePlus 11 shines even brighter when it comes to multitasking. Running several heavy apps simultaneously feels effortless, with smooth transitions and no noticeable slowdowns, even when pushed hard.
Gamers will find a lot to love here too. Demanding titles like Genshin Impact, PUBG Mobile, and Call of Duty: Mobile run at maximum graphics settings without a hitch, delivering stable frame rates and immersive experiences. Benchmark results back this up impressively, with scores around 1,900 for single core and 5,050 for multi core on Geekbench 6, and about 3,700 points in 3DMark WildLife Extreme. These figures place the OnePlus 11 right among the top performers in the smartphone world today.
Supporting all this power is a highly effective thermal management system. Thanks to the new Cryo velocity Vapor Chamber cooling, the device remains surprisingly cool during extended gaming sessions and heavy multitasking. Thermal throttling is minimal, ensuring sustained performance even under intense load. Whether you’re a power user, gamer, or multitasker, the OnePlus 11 delivers an experience that is both consistently fast and reliable.
The OnePlus 11 camera system
OnePlus has taken a significant leap forward in photography with the OnePlus 11, partnering once again with Hasselblad to refine color accuracy and image processing. This collaboration truly shines across the phone’s versatile camera setup, designed to cater to both casual shooters and photography enthusiasts.
The main sensor is a 50 MP Sony IMX890 with an f/1.8 aperture and optical image stabilization (OIS), delivering crisp, vibrant images even in challenging lighting conditions. Paired with a 48MP ultra-wide Sony IMX581 lens offering a 115 degree field of view, and a 32MP Sony IMX709 telephoto lens supporting 2x optical zoom, the OnePlus 11 covers nearly every shooting scenario. Selfies are handled by a solid 16MP front camera, ideal for social media ready shots.
Daylight photography is where the OnePlus 11 truly excels. Photos are sharp, color-rich, and finely balanced without the artificial oversaturation that plagues many competitors. Dynamic range is wide, retaining details in both highlights and shadows, creating natural yet vivid images.
In low-light conditions, the phone’s Nightscape mode works impressively, enhancing brightness while preserving fine details and minimizing noise. The Auto Nightscape feature intelligently detects dim environments and activates itself without requiring manual input, making nighttime photography seamless.
The Portrait Mode, particularly using the dedicated 2x telephoto lens, produces DSLR-like bokeh with outstanding subject separation and realistic background blur. Skin tones look natural, and edge detection is highly accurate.
On the video front, the OnePlus 11 supports 8K recording at 24fps and 4K at 60fps, delivering cinematic-quality footage. The Super Steady mode ensures smooth action shots, perfect for dynamic vlogs or outdoor adventures.
Overall, the OnePlus 11 offers the best camera system the company has ever produced, finally positioning OnePlus as a serious contender in the flagship camera race.
OnePlus 11 battery life and charging
The OnePlus 11 continues the brand’s tradition of delivering impressive battery performance, packing a robust 5,000mAh battery that easily powers the device through a full day of heavy use. With moderate usage mixing web browsing, video streaming, social media, and occasional gaming the phone often stretches to a day and a half without needing a recharge. This endurance makes it an excellent choice for users who are always on the move and don’t want to worry about carrying a charger everywhere they go.
Where the OnePlus 11 really stands out is in its charging technology. It supports 100W SuperVOOC wired charging, which is among the fastest currently available in a mainstream smartphone. In real world usage, the results are genuinely impressive: 0% to 100% charge takes just about 25 minutes, while a quick 10 minute charge can restore around 50% of the battery. This kind of speed dramatically reduces downtime and is a true game changer for busy lifestyles.
One notable omission is the lack of wireless charging, a feature that’s become standard in many flagship phones. While this might be a disappointment for some users, the ultra fast wired charging more than compensates for it in daily life. You can plug in your phone for a few minutes in the morning or before heading out and still enjoy hours of use without worry.
Overall, the OnePlus 11’s battery life and charging capabilities are among the best in its class, providing both longevity and convenience for power users.
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Software Experience
The OnePlus 11 runs OxygenOS 13 on top of Android 13, offering one of the cleanest and most enjoyable Android experiences available today. OxygenOS has long been praised for its speed, simplicity, and thoughtful customizations, and the OnePlus 11 continues that tradition with even greater polish.
Out of the box, the phone comes with minimal bloatware, allowing users to enjoy a streamlined setup without having to spend time uninstalling unnecessary apps. Personalization is a core strength users can easily customize their device with different themes, gestures, icon packs, and always-on display styles, ensuring that the experience feels uniquely theirs.
Animations and transitions are incredibly smooth, giving the interface a snappy, refined feel that rivals even Google’s Pixel software. OxygenOS 13 also introduces useful features like Zen Mode, which encourages digital wellbeing by helping users unplug, and the Smart Launcher, which improves productivity with intelligent app management and enhanced folders.
Perhaps the biggest win for users is OnePlus’ commitment to long term support. The company has promised four years of major Android updates and five years of security patches, bringing it in line with Samsung’s leading update policy. This makes the OnePlus 11 not just a smart purchase for today, but a device you can rely on well into the future.
In short, the software experience on the OnePlus 11 strikes the perfect balance between customization, performance, and reliability, making it an absolute joy to use day in and day out.
The OnePlus 11 connectivity and other features
The OnePlus 11 ensures you’re fully equipped with the latest connectivity standards, offering a truly future-ready experience. It supports full-band 5G, delivering excellent speeds and strong signal reception across major carriers, making it perfect for fast downloads, streaming, and gaming on the go.
For Wi-Fi, the OnePlus 11 introduces Wi-Fi 7 support, offering blazing-fast wireless performance and better efficiency in crowded networks, a big plus for future proofing your device. Bluetooth 5.3 brings improved range, faster pairing, and greater stability for wireless accessories like earbuds and smartwatches.
The inclusion of USB 3.1 Gen 1 ensures faster wired data transfers, perfect for quickly moving large files between your phone and laptop. Audio quality also gets a boost, with dual stereo speakers tuned with Dolby Atmos for rich, immersive sound whether you’re gaming, watching movies, or listening to music.
Security is swift and reliable with the in display fingerprint scanner and Face Unlock, both of which unlock the device quickly and securely.
In short, there are no compromises here the OnePlus 11 includes every major connectivity and convenience feature you’d expect from a 2024 flagship, making it an all around powerhouse for modern smartphone users.
Pricing and Value for Money
The OnePlus 11 starts at $699 in the USA for the 8GB, 128GB variant, offering tremendous value compared to other flagship phones. Considering the top tier Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, a stunning AMOLED display, fast charging, and a premium build, it undercuts many true flagships by $200\u2013300. You’re essentially getting a feature packed smartphone that rivals devices costing over $1,000, but at a much more accessible price. For users seeking flagship performance without the flagship price tag, the OnePlus 11 stands out as one of the smartest buys in 2024.
Is the OnePlus 11 Worth It?
| Pros | Cons |
| Stunning AMOLED display Outstanding performance Excellent main and portrait cameras Insanely fast charging Long-term software support | No wireless charging Only IP64, not full waterproofing |
Final Verdict
The OnePlus 11 brings back everything that made OnePlus a fan favorite: top end hardware, blazing-fast performance, refined software, and pricing that feels genuinely fair. It proves that you don’t need to spend over $1,000 to get a flagship level experience. With its premium build, stunning display, powerful cameras, and long term software support, it stands as one of the smartest Android buys of 2024. For anyone seeking a no nonsense, high performing smartphone without the premium price tag of Samsung or Apple, the OnePlus 11 is easily one of the best choices on the market.