OnePlus takes on the heavyweight flagships with a packed feature set
With flagship specification, build quality and features, and a price that undercuts the likes of Samsung and Apple, it is easy to see the appeal of the OnePlus 11. If you are after a 6.7in smartphone with a cutting-edge processor, you will be hard pressed to beat it on the spec-per-pound metric.
The OnePlus 11 5G’s £729 price tag gets you 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, but you could also opt for a 16GB of RAM and 256GB storage model for a total price of £799. The closest Android competitor at this price point is the Samsung Galaxy S23 (£849), which packs a smaller, lower-res screen. The iPhone 14 is the closest iOS competitor at £849, but that too features a lower resolution, lower refresh rate and smaller screen, although specification doesn’t tell the whole story.
Bit of an eyesore
While the OnePlus’s textured rear glass looks slick and adds much-needed grip to this fairly hefty handheld, the ludicrously large circular camera cluster is nothing short of an eyesore. OnePlus has attempted to integrate the metal housing into the frame of the phone in a fluid design reminiscent of the Samsung Galaxy S21, but it unfortunately doesn’t detract from the clunky bulging optic module that takes up around a quarter of the phone’s rear.
The 6.7in display curves very slightly over the edge for a minimalist, thin-bezel design. There is a single hole-punch camera tucked into the top left of the display, keeping content mostly free of obstructions.
The handset’s metal and glass construction feels solid and adequately weighty without verging on cumbersome. Overall, the OnePlus feels suitably luxe for the price, with a pleasant blend of high-end materials.
The OnePlus 11 5G packs in practically all of the top-end Android smartphone features you would expect. We have mentioned the expansive 6.7in screen, but it has also got a QuadHD+ resolution (1440 x 3216) with a pixel density of 525ppi. It reaches a claimed peak brightness of 1300 nits (practically on par with the iPhone 14), and a 120Hz refresh rate for smooth scrolling and gameplay. The display also supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+ HDR formats, which is a really nice touch when you consider that Samsung only includes HDR10+ on its more expensive Galaxy S23.
The phone even extends its impressive feature set into the audio department with support for Dolby Atmos on the device’s “Dual Reality” stereo speaker arrangement, as well as through headphones. You won’t find a headphone jack, as you won’t with pr
