OnePlus has just announced its brand new Android smartphone: the OnePlus 11 5G. The new flagship is available starting at $829 and brings with it a bucket of impressive features. But is it worth it?
Last two weeks, I got the chance to use the OnePlus 11 5G in advance. I took it in tow for a week, alternating with this wondrous Android device, and was positively surprised. Big question, however, is whether you should get your hands on it too.
5 reasons to (not) buy the OnePlus 11 5G
Let me get right to the point: anyone who buys the OnePlus 11 5G is in the right place. For 829 euros, which is crazy cheap for a high-end smartphone these days, the smartphone has plenty to offer.
Still, I can imagine you’re curious about the in’s and out’s. You might even want to know how the Android smartphone holds up against direct competitors. That’s why I’m writing this article.
Below are five reasons why, in my opinion, you should or shouldn’t buy the OnePlus 11 5G. A short concise summary of what the Android smartphone has to offer you and where it, arguably, leaves stitches.
Hope it helps you.
#1 Android smartphone goes like fire
If the OnePlus 11 5G has anything to offer, it is power. The Android smartphone logically runs on the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset and does so paired with 8GB or even 16GB of working memory.
Opt for the second option and you are in a position to run, as many as 44 apps at full speed simultaneously. Never do, of course, but it does show how the Android smartphone cleverly reserves and distributes its working memory.
You can see that in the apps you use, the actions through the menu AND even the display. Because even this 6.7-inch Super Fluid display, with a refresh rate of 120Hz, really goes like fire, thanks to LTPO 3.0.
Oh, and then that display is also the first OnePlus smartphone to have Dolby Vision support. All in all, a tasty package.
#2 OnePlus 11 5G charges blisteringly fast
If OnePlus has proven to be good at anything, it’s battery life. For years, Android smartphones have been praised for their short charge times and long battery life.
The OnePlus 11 5G does this no differently. It’s not good for battery health, but 100W SUPERVOOC does the job. Hang it wired to the charger and you have a smartphone 100 percent charged 25 minutes later.
Then, according to the Day of Use model, you do 24 hours with that full charge. In practice, I think it amounts to an entire day and it will be smart to hang the smartphone, in the morning or evening, on the charger for just under half an hour.
To make this possible, especially at this price, OnePlus has not given the Android smartphone the whole package. Wireless charging is not possible with this model. Although I must confess, given the 100W SUPERVOOC, this would not add anything.
#3 Sorry, but what is this camera system?
No, the camera system of the OnePlus 11 5G is certainly not bad in terms of functionality. With a 50-megapixel main camera, 48-megapixel Ultra-Wide camera AND 32-megapixel portrait telephoto lens, you’re pretty much in the clear, too.
Improvements, compared to the previous model, are mainly in night photography. The Android smartphone needs less light to do its job and even seems to be able to capture portraits even better. Also thanks, of course, to Hasselblad’s additions.
The problem, however, is that this camera system really makes the OnePlus 11 5G an ugly piece of crap. Where I’m a fan of the matte back and screen design, a round camera system anno 2023 is really not done. Not in my opinion.
Obviously it’s all about the functionality of such a system and I’m certainly happy with it, but come on. If this is the best you have in the house, you would have been better off leaving last year’s camera system in place.
#4 OnePlus 11 5G has a slider
Party, because the OnePlus 11 5G has a slider. You know: that handy little button on the side of OnePlus smartphones that lets you turn the sound off, on or on vibrate.
Although the Chinese company actually offers this functionality in almost all of its flagships, it decided that last year’s 10T 5G could do without it. Wrong, because the community made its voice heard.
So feels a little silly to cite this as a positive, because OnePlus should never have taken away the slider in the first place. Anyway, so did happen, which is why it’s good to know that you’re provided with it again this year.
#5 Less good deal than the Pixel 7
Okay, and now for the sensitive bit: pennies! The OnePlus 11 5G will cost you a minimum of 829 euros in the Netherlands. Denying that this is a lot of money I don’t, but relatively speaking it’s quite a good deal.
By comparison, you buy the new Samsung Galaxy S23 starting at 946 euros and the iPhone 14 must cost at least 1016 euros. Pithy amounts that will probably make you as a consumer sick to death.
The OnePlus 11 5G does better in that regard and manages to offer you as a consumer not even that much less. Although it does have to do with Google offering a wonderful alternative with its Pixel 7.
In fact, the entry-level Google smartphone will cost you 649 euros and, as far as we are concerned, is not very much off the OnePlus 11 5G. Which therefore makes it a better deal.
Indeed, the Google Pixel 7 Pro, which does its job significantly better than this model, currently costs you 899 euros. So for an extra 70 euros or so, you really do have a better Android smartphone in your hands.
OnePlus 11 5G: buy it or leave it?
Anyone looking to pick up the OnePlus 11 5G will not regret it anytime soon, as mentioned. The device has an impressive chipset, excellent battery and a mighty display. The camera system may be spiteful, but it also does an excellent job.
As far as I’m concerned, for $829, you really can’t go wrong that quickly when looking at this Android smartphone. Although it never hurts to educate yourself about Google’s devices. Perhaps there is a better deal for you in there somewhere.
