OnePlus track record aside, the OnePlus 11 series, with the launch of the flagship OnePlus 11 first, followed by the OnePlus 11R, is a mighty impressive product range. The OnePlus 10R was, for better or for worse forgettable. The design was a straight-up copy, and the software was a nightmare. This year OnePlus is back to redeem itself among global users. Let’s take a look at the OnePlus 11R, the budget OnePlus flagship product, second to the OnePlus 11 in command. We shall take a look at the OnePlus 11R, arguably the most refined iteration of any OnePlus product in its history. At INR 39,999/- this phone is a flagship killer, and the one it kills is none other than the OnePlus 11 5G.
Big boy design
The OnePlus 11R looks almost identical to the OnePlus 11, and that in itself is impressive. From afar, it is practically impossible to identify the 11 from its 11R variant. Unlike the OnePlus 11, the 11R features a matte sandstone polycarbonate texture at its rear with glossy plastic sides designed to look impressive and feel lighter. The most impressive part of the design is the inclusion of a neatly curved 6.74-inch S-AMOLED adaptive 120Hz panel with FHD+ resolution. More on that later. Alert slider and IR sensor appeal to an exciting flagship design. Despite being priced in the upper midrange segment, this phone visually appeals as an entry-level flagship device from OnePlus.
Wow, display with powerful stereo sound.
The OnePlus 11R features a brighter 6.74-inch FHD+ adaptive refresh rate (40-120Hz) Super AMOLED HDR 10+ panel with more brightness than the OnePlus 11 5G at 1450nits. It also features 100% DCI-P3 colour reproduction and good sunlight visibility compared to the flagship OnePlus 11. Viewing content and playing multimedia on this phone is nothing short of a flagship experience. This is quite surprising for the price and coupled with the stereo speakers where the earpiece doubles up as a channel for stereo output, the display and sound are top-tier grades to say the least. OnePlus 11R makes no compromises on the display and sound features offering more than one can expect for the price.
Flagship performance
Powered by the updated Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 and up to 16GB LPDDRX5 RAM on fast UFS 128GB or 256GB storage, the OnePlus 11R breezes through day-to-day tasks. Demanding gaming titles are no stress for this SoC. This is much better than the usual Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, which has issues like overheating, throttling and other performance hurdles. The phone stays relatively cooler than most other phones in its category despite hours of gameplay, downloads, video playback and recording. Couple that with an excellent HDR-rich display, and OnePlus has a winner on their side this time around. Consider this the second-best chip after the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 2 featured in the OnePlus 11 5G and other top-tier flagship phones. Something as demanding as Genshin Impact was smooth for hours with graphic settings at high and 60fps. Mesmerising flagship performance at an affordable price. Call and data quality was at par with the flagship devices of the realm despite missing out on Wifi-7, IP ratings and wireless charging capabilities.
Color OS made for OnePlus = Oxygen OS
The OnePlus 11R features Oxygen OS based on Android 13. OnePlus commits to 3-year updates on the 11R compared to 4 years on the OnePlus 11. There are tonnes of customizations for making this phone unique to each user, while many other technical features seem overly simplified! Camera app, for instance, does not allow for any megapixel or resolution customizations, while the IR blaster comes in handy when required. Split screen, flexible windows and smart sidebar allow improved gesture-operated functionality on a large gorgeous display. Quick launch allows quick app access from a long press on the fast in-display fingerprint sensor. The UI is snappy and loaded with themes for fonts, sounds, and many other customizations. App performance is at par with the flagships of this era. Haptic feedback is satisfactory and customisable, while the games app brings consolidated support for all games installed. Performance enhancements include 4D vibrations, smart network switching and enhanced multi-touch response.
A much improved but lackluster camera setup
The primary sensor on the OnePlus 11R is similar to the primary sensor on the OnePlus 11 – 50MP OIS IMX890. Although it misses the Hasselblad text, the performance is identical, thanks to the shared algorithms. Colors, saturation, and details are retained in both day and low light. The hi-Res mode allows for 50MP shots with good detail capture. While the main sensor allows 4K 60fps recording, the 8MP Ultrawide is below average and limited to 1080p 60fps shooting. The 2MP macro sensor is meh, and nothing impressive here. The front 16MP fixed focus camera is decent in the day and low light with AI enhancements and auto HDR on all the camera modes. Overall, the OIS and EIS-enabled primary sensor is worth considering for multiple lighting conditions. This is not a camera-centric phone, but the latest Sony IMX890 sensor is excellent as a primary camera on the OnePlus 11R.
Sprinter running a marathon.
The 5000mAh battery and the efficient yet powerful Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 bring good battery life to the OnePlus 11R. It easily suffices hours of high-fidelity gameplay, content viewing and camera usage. What’s insane is the inclusion of a Supervooc S charger inside the box enabling 100W charge speeds. This is precisely similar to the elder sibling, the OnePlus 11 5G. The OnePlus 11R features a brighter but FHD+ resolution on the SAMOLED panel but an efficient chipset and lesser resolution than the 2K displays of the realm; the OnePlus 11R enjoys good battery life and innate peace of mind with super fast charging speeds.
This is the OnePlus that kills flagships.
OnePlus 11R is the prime example for everyone who missed the OnePlus flagship-killer moniker. Priced at less than INR 40K for the base model and slightly more for the 16GB RAM variant, the OnePlus 11R is a quintessential example of the OnePlus smartphones of the past. The design retains all the flagship features with arguably more durable materials and miles of improvement from its predecessor. If you are someone who wants flagship performance and design but at a sensible price, there is nothing like the OnePlus 11R as of now.
