OnePlus has unveiled an all-new flagship for 2023. Initially it was only available in China, but now the phone has had its global launch, and it will be coming to Europe and the UK.

You might be curious to see how much has changed from the OnePlus 10 Pro, or you could be trying to decide whether you should save money and buy the older model rather than the newer one. If that's the case, we'll explain all the key differences and similarities right here.

Design and build

  • OnePlus 11: 163.1 x 74.1 x 8.53mm - 205g
  • OnePlus 10 Pro: 163 x 73.9 x 8.6mm - 201g
  • Both: Aluminium frame, Gorilla Glass Victus front, Glass back - Black and Green colourways
  • OnePlus 11: IP64 dust and water-resistant
  • OnePlus 10 Pro: IP68 dust and water-resistant

Although the design has clearly changed from the OnePlus 10 Pro to the OnePlus 11, there's still a similarity. Both feature very similar curving on their Gorilla Glass Victus fronts and the aluminium frame also features a very similar shape and design.

Even size and weight are very similar. OnePlus has shaved a fraction of a millimetre off the thickness but added a minuscule amount of height and width. We can't imagine that you'd see the size difference clearly with the naked eye.

It's on the back where the big change has happened. Rather than having a shiny square platform for its camera system, the OnePlus 11 has a large circular unit and it's built on a polished stainless steel platform.

There's a slight difference in the colour and finish too. Although both are available in black or green, the green OnePlus 11 has a glossy surface with a diffusing layer underneath, whereas the OnePlus 10 Pro has a soft, matte frosted effect on the exterior. Both black models have a similar frosted but textured finish.

As far as durability goes, there is a difference in water and dust resistance. The 2022 flagship OnePlus 10 Pro featured IP68 certification meaning it could survive being submerged in water for up to 30 minutes. The OnePlus 11 has only been rated IP64, which means it's only certified against spray/moisture, and not submersion.

Display and software

  • Both: 6.7-inch AMOLED - 1440 x 3216 QHD+ resolution - 525ppi
  • Both: 120Hz adaptive refresh - 1300 nits peak brightness - Dolby Vision support
  • OnePlus 11: OxygenOS 13 in global markets
  • OnePlus 10 Pro: OxygenOS 12 (upgrade to OxygenOS 13 available)

OnePlus has kept to something of a regular theme with its displays in recent years, and we don't expect to see much difference between the 10 Pro and the 11.

Looking at the spec sheets side-by-side there's very little to separate the 6.7-inch AMOLED display on the OnePlus 11 from the 6.7-inch AMOLED on the OnePlus 10 Pro. Having the same size and same resolution means the same maximum sharpness and pixel density.

Both feature the same QuadHD+ 1400 x 3216 resolution, and both have the same brightness levels. You'll get up to 1300 nits peak brightness on both phones and up to 120Hz refresh rates, with the ability to adapt the refresh rate to suit the content, all the way down to 1Hz. The OnePlus does use a newer version of LTPO technology to make this process more efficient and responsive, but that'll be hard to see.

Although the OnePlus 10 Pro launched running OxygenOS 12 based on Android 12, it is upgradeable to the Android 13-based OxygenOS 13 which the OnePlus 11 will launch with in global markets. In China, both phones will run Oppo's ColorOS, which is - of course - built on the same platform as OxygenOS.

Performance and battery

  • OnePlus 11: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
  • OnePlus 10 Pro: Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
  • OnePlus 11: 8GB/128GB - 16GB/256GB - LPDDR5X/UFS4.0
  • OnePlus 10 Pro: 8GB/128GB -12GB/256GB - LPDDR4/UFS3.1
  • OnePlus 11: 5000mAh battery - 100W SuperVOOC wired charging
  • OnePlus 10 Pro: 5000mAh battery - 80W SuperVOOC wired charging - 50W wireless charging

In the classic OnePlus style, it's in performance and speed we see a jump from the OnePlus 10 Pro to OnePlus 11. Storage and RAM variants available usually depend on which region you're buying the phone in, however, in the UK and Europe it'll be similar for both phones.

The minimum RAM is 8GB, just like the entry-level OnePlus 10 Pro, and the lowest storage has stayed at 128GB. The higher model has had its RAM increased, however, with 16GB RAM alongside 256GB storage.

While memory size hasn't changed much, OnePlus has used faster RAM and faster storage. That should mean even faster performance, especially when you consider the jump from Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 to Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. All-in-all, it should be a speedier, more efficient, and more powerful smartphone.

As for battery capacity, at 5000mAh, the two feature the same-sized battery. Yet again - to help with fast charging - it's split into two 2500mAh cells.

There is a bump in charging speed though. Where the OnePlus 10 Pro had 80W SuperVOOC charging, the OnePlus 11 has 100W, meaning you can half-fill the battery in 10 minutes and fully charge it in 25 minutes. That's a 7-minute improvement on the full 1-100 per cent charge time.

OnePlus 10 Pro does have one advantage: wireless charging. It's equipped with OnePlus and Oppo's proprietary 50W wireless charging, meaning speedy wireless charging if you have the right charger.

Cameras

  • OnePlus 11: 50MP f/1.8 main - 48MP f/2.2 ultrawide - 32MP f/2.0 telephoto 2x zoom
  • OnePlus 10 Pro: 48MP f/1.8 main - 50MP f/2.2 ultrawide - 8MP f/2.4 telephoto 3.3x zoom
  • Both: 8K/24fps video
  • OnePlus 11: 4K/60fps
  • OnePlus 10 Pro: 4K/120fps
  • OnePlus 11: 16MP selfie camera
  • OnePlus 10 Pro: 32MP selfie camera

OnePlus has improved the camera system for the OnePlus 11, at least in terms of the quality of sensors on the back. The 50-megapixel primary sensor is larger than its predecessor's 48-megapixel sensor and sits alongside a new 48-megapixel ultrawide 115-degree camera and a 2x zoom/portrait sensor with a 32-megapixel sensor.

OnePlus 10 Pro comes with a 48-megapixel primary, 50-megapixel ultrawide and a lower resolution 8-megapixel telephoto 3.3x zoom. This zoom lens offers a longer focal length than the zoom on the OnePlus 11, but the end results weren't all that high quality in our testing. Detail and colour struggled.

It's hard to say how this new sensor makeup and processing from the Snapdragon platform will change things, but we suspect what will make the biggest difference to the experience is the telephoto or "portrait" lens. It not only has a much higher resolution sensor but also has a wider aperture which should lead to a better depth effect and low-light performance.

OnePlus claims that each of these sensors and cameras is to a "flagship" level, so we should hopefully see a more consistent level of performance across all three cameras, rather than having one camera that's clearly better than the other two like we had with the OnePlus 10 Pro. OnePlus has also added a "13-channel multispectral sensor", to widen the capture of colours available to make them more accurate in the end product.

Both make use of Hasselblad's colour science for processing images, and the camera apps come with preloaded Hasselblad-developed settings and photo modes like XPAN Mode for ultra-narrow panoramic shots and Spot Blur for simulating the bokeh effect of its XCD lenses.

Price

One are we've seen a considerable improvement is in starting price point. Where the previous model was £799 for its entry-level model, the new OnePlus 11 will start at just £729, making it a chunk more affordable.

Conclusion

There are a couple of key improvements we think could enhance the experience of going from the OnePlus 10 Pro to the OnePlus 11, and those are camera and speed. The higher quality 2x zoom - or "portrait" - camera should offer a better experience than the lower resolution 8-megapixel sensor on the previous model. Plus, with additional performance, you'll get a bit more from the OnePlus 11 for less than the last model.

The OnePlus 10 Pro still has an edge in a couple of areas too, like the fact it has wireless charging support where the OnePlus 11 doesn't. It also has IP68 water and dust resistance in some markets, OnePlus 11 doesn't.

With that said, the two phones still have a lot of similarities, and if you're trying to decide whether to buy the older or newer model, we think you'll still be getting a great phone for the money with the OnePlus 10 Pro, especially now that it's discounted to a lower price.