OnePlus 11 Pro fans can claim a Bang & Olufsen speaker for FREE

OnePlus 11 Pro is the latest flagship phone from the fan-favourite brand.

The latest handset replaces the OnePlus 10T at the top of the lineup and arrives with the latest chipset from Qualcomm (so expect the same amount of processing grunt as the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Ultra), an expansive 6.7-inch AMOLED display with 120Hz variable refresh rate, future-proofed Wi-Fi 7 connectivity, 100W fast charging, speedy 5G downloads, an under-screen fingerprint scanner, and a triple-camera engineered with the help of photography brand Hasselblad.

If that sounds like an exhaustive list of features… that’s because it is, especially for a phone that starts from £729.

OnePlus previously had a reputation as a plucky startup that would challenge the biggest smartphone brands with a very competitive shopping list of features at a lower cost. The Shenzhen-based firm nicknamed its first phone as a “flagship killer” to highlight that goal of bringing down the likes of Samsung, Apple, and Google.

However, a decision to formally combine hardware and design resources with fellow Chinese brand Oppo in January 2021, followed by the merger of OnePlus’ lightweight (and much lauded) OxygenOS with the less favourably-reviewed ColorOS from Oppo into a single Android-based platform for both brands, seriously diluted the brand.

According to most fans, these decisions culminated with the OnePlus 10T launch last year, a phone that didn’t ship with an Alert Slider – a trademark feature of its phones since the first handset launched back in April 2014 – and received a pretty lukewarm reception from critics.

From the outset, it’s clear that OnePlus 11 Pro is an attempt to reset.

Like the most fondly-remembered phones from the Shenzhen brand, OnePlus 11 Pro is packed with the top-of-the-line components you’d expect to find on much pricier hardware. It’s also been designed with speed and performance in mind. And it arrives with an affordable price tag compared with its closest rivals, which often sit close to the £1,000-mark.

Speaking at the launch event, co-founder and chief of product at OPPO and OnePlus, Pete Lau said: “We are incredibly excited to introduce OnePlus 11 5G with our community members and partners in New Delhi. With an improved fast and smooth experience, effortless imaging, and modern elegance design, OnePlus 11 5G is definitely a well-rounded flagship that is competitive at its price point.”

OnePlus 11 Pro is fuelled by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 system-on-a-chip from US brand, Qualcomm. This all-new silicon, announced at the end of last year, is widely-expected to power a number of the biggest-selling Android devices of this year, including Samsung, Oppo, and Motorola, to name a few. Coupled with this speedy new chipset, OnePlus 11 Pro relies on UFS 4.0 storage for faster read-write performance, ensuring that everything feels as smooth as possible. Likewise, the Chinese brand has turned to the latest generation of LPDDR5X RAM to further bolster performance.

The entry-level model arrives with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, rising up to a whopping 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage in the maxed-out OnePlus 11 Pro.

According to OnePlus, these cutting-edge components (combined with software optimisations) means OnePlus 11 5G with 16GB RAM can keep as many as 44 applications actively running in the background, reducing the need to kill unused apps to maintain performance, or unwanted forced restarts.

For those who want to use Xbox Game Pass to play PC-quality games-on-the-go, the top-of-the-line RAM should ensure a great experience, the company says.

OnePlus has clearly built its latest flagship phone with future-proofing in mind. As well as relying on the latest generation of memory, storage and silicon, OnePlus has pledged to support the 11 Pro with four major OxygenOS updates – given that it ships with Android 13, that means it should still enjoy all of the new features included with Android 17 – and five years of security updates and patches.

On the front is a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a 2K resolution. This expansive display slightly curves over the edges of the handset, broken only with a small hole-punch for the front-facing camera. The screen boasts a variable refresh rate – from as low as 1Hz up to a buttery 120Hz. This system, dubbed LTPO 3.0, is designed to eke as much battery life from the 5,000mAh cell as possible.

Recharging that enormous battery is handled by 100W SUPERVOOC Endurance Edition. Plugged into the USB-C port, this clever charger can refill the battery from 1-100% battery in just 25-minutes. Unfortunately, there’s no wireless charging included with the 11 Pro, so you won’t be able to use any Qi-compatible pucks you’ve got lying around.

On the topic of missing features, OnePlus 11 Pro is only rated IP64. That means it can withstand some light splashing (maybe a quick call in the rain) but is far from water resistant. If you want to guarantee that your shiny new phone can survive an accidental bath in a spilled drink, a dip in the pool, or (most likely) a plunge into the toilet …then you might be better taking a look at the best Galaxy S23 deals instead.

Finally, the triple-camera on the rear of the OnePlus 11 Pro is fitted with a 50-megapixel main sensor with Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) for sharp, steady shots – even in trying low-light conditions. It’s paired with a 48-megapixel ultra-wide camera with a 115 field-of-view and 32-megapixel sensor for portrait mode shots. OnePlus 11 Pro comes equipped with the latest iteration of TurboRAW HDR, the firm’s own algorithm for High Dynamic Range (HDR), which is designed to help capture scenes with pristine HDR clarity of wide dynamic range.

OnePlus’ multi-year partnership with photography brand Hasselblad continues with the OnePlus 11 Pro. According to the company, Hasselblad engineers helped to calibrate the components to ensure “industry-leading colour science”. The decimated Hasselblad mode in the camera app is designed to take portrait shots that mirror snaps taken with a Hasselblad camera fitted with XCD 30mm and 65mm lenses.

OnePlus 11 Pro arrives with OxygenOS 13, based on Android 13 with a few customisations and tweaks.

In the UK, the OnePlus 11 Pro will be available to buy on shelves in the UK from February 16 at OnePlus.com and Amazon. Pre-orders for the all-new 5G handset are available now.

The device is available in Titan Black (that’s plain ol’ black to you and me) and will cost £729 for 8GB of RAM / 128GB of storage, rising to £799 for 16GB of RAM / 256GB of storage. An Eternal Green colour option will be available with 8GB / 128GB will be sold exclusively via Amazon for £729.

For a limited time, customers who pre-order the OnePlus 11 Pro will receive a free gift, including a custom Bang & Olufsen portable speaker or a pair of OnePlus Buds Pro 2 wireless earbuds (worth £179).