Tested: OnePlus 11 | In the big leagues at a good price

OnePlus has not changed its recipe with its latest model, the OnePlus 11, combining the power of high-end models and an unbeatable price. But some sacrifices come with this saving.

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The OnePlus 11 has several hallmarks of the best Android phones, starting with its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform processor, which powers Samsung’s more expensive Galaxy S23 Ultra. And yet, the Chinese manufacturer managed to offer it under the $1000 mark.

We have here in our hands a beautiful phone with a 6.7-inch OLED screen capable of delivering a variable resolution between 1 and 120 Hz and a maximum resolution of 1440 p. The colors are rich, the brightness is satisfactory and the sensitivity of the touch screen, perfect.

Whether for video games like Genshin Impact, watching movies on Netflix or editing and encoding videos, this phone reacts quickly and does not block. Its performance is confirmed by our Geekbench 5 calibration which places it in the front runners.

The 5000 mAh battery offers excellent autonomy, beyond two days in normal use, and it accepts fast charging up to 80 watts – charger supplied, a too rare flower. We went from 0 to 100% charge in 28 minutes, which is a new record in our tests.

The OnePlus 11 is lined on the back with three cameras, the main of which has a 50-megapixel resolution with optical stabilization, coupled with a 48-megapixel ultra-wide-angle offering macro capabilities, as well as a 32-megapixel telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom. The set gave us photos with well chiselled details, with very good management of light and focus. The colors seemed too rich to us, bordering on trickery.

The 16 megapixel front camera offers a very realistic image, very clear even in the background.

As has been standard for years at OnePlus, the phone can be unlocked with the fingerprint reader hidden under the screen. There is also facial recognition. Both respond quickly and, nine times out of ten, without having to take it back.

Unlike Samsung, OnePlus’ software underlay is unobtrusive, there’s some in-house software to handle notifications and a more rounded character choice than in other Android devices. OnePlus also guarantees five years of security updates and four operating system updates.

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The front camera is completely on the left, which gives the impression that you are never looking at your interlocutor.

Rare fact for a phone wanting to rub shoulders with high-end models, there is no magnetic charge.

Water and dust resistance is rated IP64, which is splash proof. It’s better than nothing, but the best phones are now IP68 and can withstand immersion.

The back of the plastic shell negates the chic effect of the beautiful glazed covering of the front.

The 2x zoom is a step down from the 3.3x of the previous model, the OnePlus 10 Pro, and a far cry from the zooms offered by competitors like the Pixel 7 Pro or the Galaxy S23 Ultra.

One buys ?

Without being the most exciting phones or the most loaded with features, the models manufactured by OnePlus are well designed and above all offered at relatively reasonable prices. The OnePlus 11 is not revolutionary and does not introduce any great novelty this year, as the Chinese manufacturer has done many times in recent years. But it still offers one of the best value for money on the market.