OnePlus 11: What we want to see
The OnePlus 11 will be the next big flagship from the popular Chinese phone company OnePlus, and because we were such big fans of the OnePlus 10 Pro from 2022, we’re already looking to the future and speculating about what the next version will bring with it.
This will likely be the first OnePlus phone of 2023, although in the meantime we may see more entries for the company’s Nord line. It’s also probably one of the best Android phones of the year judging by the last few entries in the family, although we’ll have to wait and see.
We haven’t heard many rumors about the OnePlus 11 so far, but we’re starting to hear some rumours. Below are all the leaks and rumours. Below that we’ve written a wish list of what we expect from these phones.
In a nutshell
- What is it? The 2023 entry in OnePlus’ flagship line
- when is it out Probably in the first months of 2023
- How much will it cost? Probably just under $899 / £799 (about AU$1,400)
OnePlus 11 price and availability
According to precedent, we’ll likely see the debut of the OnePlus 11 family in the early months of the year – perhaps tiered by region, as was the case with the OnePlus 10 Pro, but hopefully at a major launch event, as was the case with the company’s Case was earlier phones.
It’s harder to judge the price, though, and that’s because there wasn’t a “standard” OnePlus 10 with a premium, but not super-premium, price tag.
So we have a good guess at the price of the OnePlus 11 – it’ll likely cost around $899 / £799 (roughly AU$1,400), that’s how much its predecessor set you back. Rumor has it that while the Pro name will be dropped, this will actually be the Pro-level handset (staying further down the line).
We also got the OnePlus 10T in 2022, which started at $649 / £629 (about AU$940), but it’s not yet clear whether or not a OnePlus 11T will follow.
OnePlus 11 leaks and rumors
First of all, it’s worth noting that there may only be one OnePlus 11 model, and according to a leak it could be called the OnePlus 11 – but has the kind of specs you’d expect from a OnePlus 11 Pro.
However, other early leaks are specific to the OnePlus 11 Pro, so the naming remains uncertain, but it looks likely we’re getting a professional model, regardless of whether it has Pro in the name or not. Whether there will also be a lower-spec model is less clear, but doesn’t look very likely.
In any case, leaker @OnLeaks has shared in collaboration with what appears to be an official render of the OnePlus 11 GadgetGang (opens in new tab).
You can see this image above, and it shows a new – more circular – camera block design. You can also see that there is Hasselblad branding and three sensors. Other touches include an alert slider, glossy camera block finish, and a choice of Forest Emerald or Volcanic Black color.
The renders match the glimpse of the OnePlus 11 we got in an official teaser video from OnePlus itself.
Previously, @OnLeaks shared unofficial renders SmartPrix (opens in new tab), and they show almost the same design, but you can see the front side here as well. OnLeaks also claims that the phone will apparently use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, which is something we fully expected anyway.
Since then, the same leaker has shared more complete OnePlus 11 Pro specs, saying the phone will have a 6.7-inch QHD+ 120Hz AMOLED screen, up to 16GB RAM, up to 256GB storage, a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset and a 5,000mAh battery with 100W charging.
It is also said to have a 16-megapixel front camera and a triple-lens rear camera with a 50-megapixel main sensor, a 48-megapixel ultra-wide and a 32-megapixel telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom.
More recently, another leak has mentioned 16GB of RAM again, adding that the OnePlus 11 will also have a ceramic finish, as well as upgraded UFS 4.0 storage – significantly faster than the UFS 3.1 tech found in the best phones of the year 2022 will be used.
The OnePlus 11 is also likely to be supported for a long time to come, as OnePlus has announced that “select devices launching in 2023 and beyond” will receive four major Android updates and five years of security patches. While the OnePlus 11 doesn’t have a name, it’s an obvious candidate for one.
OnePlus 11: What we want to see
Having tested the OnePlus 10 Pro and other phones from the company, as well as the broader Android world, here are some changes the OnePlus 11 is expected to bring.
1. A non-Pro version
Is the OnePlus 10 Pro really “Pro” if there’s no standard version? No, not really, we’d say – but for some reason, OnePlus’ only flagship phone from 2022 had that suffix.
Since there’s only one phone in the family, OnePlus can only release one handset at a given price point. That means people looking for a cheaper alternative or a super premium version have nothing to buy.
We’d like the OnePlus 11 to come with at least two family members and maybe a third – be it a Lite, Ultra or Pro Plus version.
2. A less complicated start
When phone makers launch their devices with a lot of pomp and fanfare, it can really build excitement for the phone… but the exact opposite happened with the OnePlus 10 Pro.
The device was originally launched in January, but that was only intended for the Chinese market – it launched for the global market at MWC 2022 in February and then had another reveal event in April, which actually followed a release for certain markets followed.
This is very confusing for the average buyer and meant that the OnePlus 10 Pro was old news by the time it was actually available for purchase. We’d like this whole procedure to be more condensed in 2023 so we don’t wait months to buy the OnePlus 11.
3. Load balance
The OnePlus 10 Pro features a nice 80W fast charge that ensures the device can go from 0% to 100% in the same time it takes you to watch an episode of your favorite sitcom….
…that is, unless you live in the US. The OnePlus 10 Pro only does 65W there, which is still fast, but definitely not 80W fast.
We want charging speeds to be the same for the OnePlus 11 so people in the US don’t end up with an inferior phone.
4. A better zoom camera
The OnePlus 10 Pro isn’t the best phone for zoom photography – although its 3.3x telephoto lens lets you zoom further than some similarly priced competitors, we like to see “Pro” devices that get you 5 or even 10 -fold further away (although perhaps the latter is more of an ‘Ultra’ feature).
What’s not great is the 8-megapixel sensor that comes with this lens – not only is that a little low-res for a smartphone camera, but it also reduces the ability to digitally zoom beyond the optical limit.
We’d like to see more focus on zoom photography in the OnePlus 11 to give photographers the opportunity to shine.
5. A smaller alternative
The OnePlus 10 Pro is a big phone, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing given you’ve got plenty of screen real estate – but it does make the device difficult to hold for those with smaller hands.
If the OnePlus 11 comes with multiple versions, as we’ve already wished, we’d like one to be smaller to cater to people who don’t want a huge monster.
We’ve seen Xiaomi take that step with the Xiaomi 12 and offer a smaller handset than before, and Samsung has been doing it for a while too. Then OnePlus will hopefully follow suit.
https://www.techradar.com/news/oneplus-11 OnePlus 11: What we want to see
