A few years ago, I would have recommended OnePlus to anybody looking for an affordable flagship phone, like playing in the 35-40K zone. It was a pricing that attracted the moniker “flagship killer”. It was truly a great experience, be it the display, camera, processor or even the UI, which was free of bloatware. OnePlus decided to shift the goalpost and the pricing increased substantially, taking the phone into premium flagship category to compete with the likes of Samsung and Apple. To keep everyone happy, the company introduced the ‘R’ variant but that was mostly a step down from the flagship zone, line on the 9RT and 10R. But all that changes with OnePlus 11R 5G. It’s the closest we have seen OnePlus take a page out of its original playbook in recent times. It hits the sweet spot in many ways.
Snappy without breaking the wallet
The phone’s biggest feature is its choice of processor — Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. Even though it’s not the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 but that doesn’t matter because the processor is only a few months old and it will serve the user enough speed and snappiness for years to come. Combined with this 8/16GB LPDDR5X RAM and 128/256GB UFS 3.1. Other phones with the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor are costlier than OnePlus 11R. And I mean way costlier. For example, iQOO 9T costs Rs 49,999.
Is it a really good chipset? For everyday performance, you can’t really complain. Moving from app to app is smooth while background apps don’t shut down if the device is pushed to the extreme and the apps load pretty smoothly. When it comes to gaming, you will be able to play most titles, like the resource-hungry Genshin Impact, but the phone may heat up slightly when you are playing in high-performance mode, apart from that, there are no flaws.
You can’t buy a phone only for its processor. The UI is also smooth. The phone runs on Android 13 with OxygenOS 13 and there is no unnecessary bloatware. In terms of upgrades, users get three years of Android updates and four years of security updates. If last year many spoke about Oppo’s influence on the UI, this year those conversations seem so far away since the UI remains clean. The phone comes with 5G capabilities and there is an IR Remote to let you connect a number of devices, like the AC and fans. It’s one of those Xiaomi features that one enjoys.
There is an IR Remote, which is usually seen on Xiaomi phones
To tackle the 5,000mAh battery, there is support for 100W charging and there is a 100W charger in the box
The display is smooth and supports 120Hz refresh rate
Natural colour tones
Smooth processor performance segues into smooth camera chops. The main camera is 50MP (comes with OIS) with Sony IMX890 sensor, which the OnePlus 11 also has. Plus, there is an 8MP ultra-wide and 2MP macro. Hasselblad wasn’t involved in the camera department, so that special colour science is missing and so is Xpan mode. But that doesn’t take away anything from the camera. In fact, most users (unless you are serious about mobile photography) won’t care about the Hasselblad branding. Shots taken in full sunshine are pretty good and so are night shots. The ultra-wide too does a fair job but at night you may compromise on some details. Also, the colours are on the cooler side when compared to the natural tones of the main shooter.
Macro? Like on most Android phones, it doesn’t matter. The 16MP selfie snapper leans towards natural tones, which is something most brands are now aiming at.
As for videos, there is support for 4K@60fps while the output is sharp, full of dynamic range and it’s steady. Sadly, videos are restricted to 1080p on the front camera.
The main camera with 50MP snapper offers a natural tone
Even though Hasselblad branding is missing, the colours are controlled and doesn’t come across garish
Should you buy it?
In way of looks, the phone feels premium because of its semblance to the flagship OnePlus 11. Plus, it has a similar weight and dimensions. The back is Gorilla Glass 5 while the frame is plastic and the Hasselblad branding is not there. One more difference is that the punch hole on the 11R is on the left unlike the OnePlus 11 where it’s on the centre of the screen. And thank goodness for retaining the alert slider.
Other than that there are stereo speakers and excellent haptics to keep the 6.74-inch AMOLED screen company. It’s a 10-bit 120Hz panel that supports HDR10+. Far sharper than FHD, there are beautiful blacks and colours dazzle when you watch videos.
Let’s talk about the 5,000mAh battery. It supports 100W charging and there is a 100W charger in the box. Because of the lower-resolution display compared to OnePlus 11, the battery lasts more than a day, in fact, it can be almost a day and a half. The 100W charger takes the battery from zero to full in about 30 minutes.
Leave aside geeky benchmarks or something like Hasselblad branding. What you get is a reliable phone with many premium flagship features At Rs 39,999 (8GB/128GB), it’s a steal. The phone once again stirs up the budget flagship category. After a long time, here’s a OnePlus phone that can take aim at competition.
At a glance
OnePlus 11 (left) versus OnePlus 11R 5G
Device: OnePlus 11R 5G
Pricing: Rs 39,999 for 8GB/128GB and Rs 44,999 for 16GB/256GB
HIGH NOTES
- Good choice of processor
- Premium design
- Battery easily lasts a day
- Main camera doesn’t falter
- IR remote
MUFFLED NOTE
- No official dust and water resistance certification
- Selfie videos restricted at 1080p