For me, the OnePlus 11 is essentially the most underrated flagship of 2023

This 12 months has been stuffed with loopy good telephones throughout worth ranges, and it’d be simple to get misplaced amongst all of them. Folks choosing up flagships now are spoilt for selection, and it stands to motive that a number of the flashiest telephones may have most of your consideration. So it was for me, getting wooed by the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely and the iPhone 15 Professional Max. However there’s one flagship that didn’t have the topmost place on spec sheets but delivered an undeniably premium flagship expertise. That is the story of the OnePlus 11, a flagship that has flown beneath the radar and is worthy of consideration for a surprisingly nice expertise this 12 months.

The OnePlus 11 adopted a sequence of lackluster efforts from the corporate. Positive, the OnePlus 8, 9, and 10 sequence weren’t horrible, however they lacked the aptitude and attraction of the model’s earlier flagships. A common feeling of staleness had been surrounding OnePlus for a number of years, inflicting my private curiosity in its telephones to dip. On paper, the OnePlus 11 was destined to be one other notch within the sequence, however it unexpectedly modified all of that.

As we mentioned in our evaluate, the OnePlus 11 doesn’t reinvent the OnePlus flagship. It builds on a well-known formulation, however what OnePlus managed to do was tweak the spec sheet to get most issues proper after which worth the telephone competitively. Whereas the OnePlus 11 couldn’t outright beat the topmost spec kings just like the Galaxy S23 Extremely, it merely didn’t have to; it simply needed to supply an amazing expertise at a fraction of the value. It fulfilled that aim when it launched for $699, however for $549 this sale season, the OnePlus 11 turns into a no brainer, even when accounting for the truth that the OnePlus 12 is simply across the nook.

For me, the OnePlus 11 nailed the basic first impression of holding a smartphone. It feels unbelievable within the hand, and the expertise is such a far cry from thick and boxy flagships just like the Galaxy S23 Extremely and the iPhone 15 Professional Max. And should you like utilizing your telephone with a case, the OnePlus 11 solves that, too. The svelte physique provides you loads of room so as to add a superb protecting case with out Hulk-ing the telephone out. Even with a cumbersome case, the OnePlus 11 stays manageable for me.

I feel OnePlus averted pointless bulk by drawing a high quality line between “flagship” and “excessively overkill flagship.” The OnePlus 11 provides top-of-the-line efficiency and a flagship characteristic set however stops wanting loading it up with 100 totally different options that you just’re most likely going to make use of yearly. Because of this, I didn’t need to pay for extras I don’t really want, however I nonetheless get to benefit from the efficiency headroom that comes from a flagship buy. Like me, most customers merely don’t want all these overkill additions, and that’s most likely why there isn’t an Extremely flagship from OnePlus to tickle the bones of spec sheet fans. There aren’t huge numbers right here to throw round only for the sake of it.

What enormously helped the OnePlus 11 get a greater impression than the OnePlus 9 Professional and 10 Professional earlier than it’s the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC. It’s a considerably higher chip than the outgoing Snapdragon 888 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chips in efficiency, effectivity, and warmth administration. Even should you aren’t enthusiastic about chipset specs, the web impact on the consumer expertise is considerably optimistic, to the purpose that I really feel OnePlus undersold the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 within the telephone’s full package deal.

This telephone can also be one of many rarer instances the place OnePlus received the digicam proper. The Hasselblad partnership — and pinching OPPO’s digicam experience — introduced in some good outcomes, and the 11 is the place OnePlus’ digicam efficiency nearly peaked. I’d say absolutely the peak to date is with the OnePlus Open, however that’s an editorial for an additional day.

Sure, it’s nonetheless not good, particularly should you pull out different Professionals, Maxes, and Ultras and pixel peep to search out faults. However snap an image of your child or your canine or each collectively similar to common customers do, and also you’ll find yourself with a smile in your face. That’s what I, and most common customers, use our telephone digicam for, and the corporate has delivered it for us. There aren’t many gimmicks right here, with the digicam setup balancing specs with practicality. The result’s that I’m well-equipped and future-proof with out actually going overboard with 5 totally different sensors and 100 other ways to take a photograph.

One other side of the OnePlus 11 that’s delighted me is battery life and charging. Throughout my use of the telephone, it may comfortably final via the day with out inflicting me battery nervousness. On days once I used the telephone extra closely, a fast 5 or 10 minutes with the 100W charger would spring it again up.

Sure, the OnePlus 11 doesn’t have wi-fi charging, and it’s downright foolish of OnePlus to disregard this characteristic. Regardless that I don’t use a wi-fi charger in my day by day routine, it’s exhausting to argue towards the comfort of 1 after having used it.

I’m pinched more durable by the IP64 certification, which is a stable downgrade for me, because it rains 4 months in a 12 months the place I dwell. I can see why each of those could be dealbreakers for a lot of customers, and it’s smug for OnePlus to fake in any other case. Fortunately, the OnePlus 12 seems to be fixing a few of these.

Talking of the 12, the subsequent OnePlus flagship is across the nook and can hopefully be higher with out going overboard. However for now, the OnePlus 11 is offered at a reduced worth of $549, down from its launch worth of $699. Should you can look previous its lack of wi-fi charging and restricted IP ranking, it’s a improbable purchase. At this worth, the OnePlus 11 is the closest the corporate has come lately to its authentic product philosophy of creating flagship killers.

It’s nearly surreal to see OnePlus come of age with a mature OnePlus 11 flagship. I adore it for the truth that it will get the job accomplished and will get out of my approach as a substitute of creating me obsess over numbers and specs. It’s measured overkill accomplished properly, and to me, that makes it essentially the most underrated flagship of 2023.