The OnePlus 11 5G had my curiosity, but now it has my attention

To no one’s surprise, OnePlus’ next phone is called the OnePlus 11 5G. Last week, OnePlus started taking pre-orders for the new phone in Chinaand will be available there on Monday, January 9. the phone will launch globally on February 7 and it’s still pretty big from last year OnePlus 10 Pro. It also comes on the heels of the OnePlus 10T that left a bad taste in our mouths due to its questionable commitments and a confusing value proposition.

Lucky for us, OnePlus provided a look at 11 back in december. And now, the new phone is in full screen on the OnePlus China website. After devouring it with the help of Google Translate, I remember a line said by Leonardo DiCaprio’s character in the movie Django Unchained.

“Gentlemen, you had my curiosity. But now you have my attention.”

I already had high hopes for the 11 because it would be the third-generation phone to launch during OnePlus’ partnership with iconic camera company Hasselblad. Until now, Hasselblad’s influence has been largely behind the scenes with camera adjustment and nifty software features like the Xpan panoramic style. The OnePlus 11 could be the first time we’re seeing actual new camera hardware as a result of the partnership.

I should also point out that details and nuances can get lost in translation, so keep that in mind as you read on.

The OnePlus 11 looks fantastic

The 11’s design picks up where the 10 Pro left off. Translated, the site claims that the OnePlus 11’s look was inspired by a “black hole in science fiction.” But instead of a square camera bump found on the 10 Pro, the 11 is circular at the top with tapered sides that flow to the edge of the phone. It is reminiscent of a brooch on a leather briefcase. When the phone is held horizontally, the shape of the camera bump almost resembles the silhouette of Darth Vader’s helmet.

The site shows the phone in two colors. There’s a matte green color, which isn’t quite British racing green, and a textured black finish, which the translated text says is “silk glass.” I take this to mean that the finish appears textured but to the touch it is just flat glass.

There aren’t many photos of the front, but it does have a screen with cascading edges that flow from the right and left sides of the phone. The front camera is housed in a hole-punch cutout on the upper left side.

An alert slider can be seen in a product video on the site that also shows striking stylized close-ups of the OnePlus 11. OnePlus previously confirmed that the button would return after its absence on the OnePlus 10T. The 11 joins the Nubia Red Magic 8, which has a similar hardware slider to put the phone into gaming mode.

The OnePlus 11 has the latest Android hardware

The phone has a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a variable refresh rate that tops out at 120Hz. The display is LTPO 3. Last year’s 10 Pro had an LTPO 2 display. LTPO stands for Low Temperature Polycrystalline Oxide , which allows displays to have a high refresh rate without draining the battery. According to the translated text, LTPO 3 is smoother and even more energy efficient. One graph claims that the screen can drop at 1 Hz, which is the same refresh rate as iPhone 14 Pro uses for its always-on display.

Inside, the 11 runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip which, according to a OnePlus press release, has 35% faster CPU performance and 25% faster GPU. The 11 is one of the first phones with the new Qualcomm chip. The 11 also comes with 16GB of RAM and either 256GB or 512GB of storage.

Everything is powered by dual 2500mAh batteries that support 100W fast charging. Last year’s 10 Pro had the same dual battery setup and supported 80W fast charging, except for the US models which had a 65W fast charging limit. The OnePlus 10T supports 150W charging worldwide and 125W in the US. For perspective, the iPhone 14 Pro supports 20W fast charging. OnePlus says that the batteries in the 11 can be charged from empty to 100% in 25 minutes.

The cameras are the same but different.

The OnePlus 11 has a 50-megapixel main and 48-megapixel ultra-wide camera system that is similar to the 10 Pro. It also has a telephoto camera with a 32-megapixel sensor and 2x optical zoom compared to the 8-sensor. megapixels and 3.3x optical zoom of the 10 Pro.

Sony made all of the image sensors, including the one in the new telephoto camera. But you have to wonder if OnePlus and Hasselblad chose the 32-megapixel sensor and short-telephoto combination because it produces better photos than the 10 Pro’s telephoto. If that’s the case, it’s the first time we’ve seen a camera hardware design emerge. from the OnePlus and Hasselblad partnership.

The translated text suggests that the new telephoto camera can take photos with more accurate colors. The OnePlus China site says that portrait mode photos have better simulated bokeh that mimics the look of images taken with Hasselblad’s XCD medium format lenses.

Sample photos of all 11 look good, with balanced colors and highlights that blend with skin tones. We should take these photos with a big grain of salt because almost every phone manufacturer’s website flaunts stunning photos taken with their phones – oh, marketing! Unfortunately, there’s no mention of whether these photo enhancements will apply to video recording.

Is there a OnePlus 11 Pro?

From everything I read on the website, the OnePlus 11 is the best specced OnePlus phone ever made. It appears to be this year’s “pro” model despite lacking the nomenclature. Its 6.7-inch screen is the same size as the 10 Pro. In fact, OnePlus China president Li Jie said there is no “pro” version of the OnePlus 11 in response to a question on the social network. Chinese Weibo.

That would mark a continued departure from OnePlus’ previous product strategy. Until recently, OnePlus had released three models of its flagship phones, a regular version, a “pro” version, and later in the year a T model. For example, in 2020 there was the OnePlus 8, 8 Pro, and 8T. The professional models usually have larger screens with a higher resolution and a third rear camera with a telephoto lens compared to the regular version.

Last year, the company released just a OnePlus 10 Pro without a standard model.

What’s next for the OnePlus 11?

The new phone launches in China on Monday, January 9. OnePlus will have a global launch event in India on Tuesday, February 7, where it will also show off the OnePlus Buds Pro 2. I am really looking forward to testing the phone. by myself, especially that new telephoto camera.