OnePlus surprised many of us in 2022 by not releasing a standard version of the OnePlus 10, but jumping straight to the OnePlus 10 Pro. What does this mean for the OnePlus 11?
Rumors have already hinted at a similar setup, with only signs of a phone so far. But this time the naming could be reversed, with no Pro to speak of. Here’s everything we know so far about the OnePlus 11.
When will the OnePlus 11 be released?
OnePlus hasn’t said when the 11 or 11 Pro will arrive. Early 2023 would be a good guess though – OnePlus normally launches flagships every spring, and in fact the OnePlus 10 Pro was revealed as early as January 2022 in China.
We can see it even earlier than that though. The generally reliable digital chat station reports that OnePlus’ next flagship will launch “at the end of the year” (automatic translation from Chinese), and has since suggested that it could even be as early as this November.
If that sounds implausible, remember that the phone is likely to feature the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, which itself is expected to launch this month, a few weeks earlier than normal, to give Chinese phone makers the time to bring their products to market before the Chinese New Year sale season in January.
It’s just China though. If we look at previous global release schedules for numbered OnePlus flagships (not including the “T” models, which will launch later in the year), it works like this:
- OnePlus 10 Pro – March 2022
- OnePlus 9 & 9 Pro – March 2021
- OnePlus 8 & 8 Pro – April 2020
So if OnePlus keeps this new schedule, it would be March 2023 when we see the OnePlus 11 and/or 11 Pro in the world, but we could see it arriving in China as soon as November 2022.
How much will the OnePlus 11 cost?
Since there’s no confirmation from OnePlus on pricing yet, we’ll use the previous models to get ourselves into the picture. Here is the price of the latest flagships:
- OnePlus 10T – $649 / £629 / $699
- OnePlus 10 Pro – $899 / £799 / $899
- OnePlus 9 – $729/£629/$699
- OnePlus 9 Pro – $999 / £829 / $899
- OnePlus 8T – $649 / £549 / $649
If OnePlus is only going with a Pro model for the 11 series, then it’s likely to be close to the price of the current 10 Pro, otherwise we’re hoping to see something a little cheaper, like the OnePlus 10T. That might not quite work out, as the global chip shortage, along with manufacturing and distribution disruptions caused by Covid and Russia’s Ukrainian invasion are all starting to push prices up.
What features and specs will we see in the OnePlus 11?
There have been few concrete leaks about the OnePlus 11 series so far, but details are starting to emerge.
The first thing to note is the name. In 2022, OnePlus launched the 10 Pro sans 10, and all the leaks we’ve seen so far this year point to a repeat, with just one phone sporting Pro-level specs. However, leakers have suggested that this time around the naming will change, with this phone being called the OnePlus 11 despite specs on par with the company’s Pro phones.
OnLeaks is also the source of our best look at the phone, sharing with Gadget Gang what it claims are official OnePlus renders of the phone in its two colors, Forest Emerald and Volcanic Black:
OnLeaks x Gadget Gang
The image reveals a few key details. First, the phone includes both the alert slider and Hasselblad branding found on the 10 Pro, but absent from the fall 10T.
We also see a new camera module, a circular design that still features the wraparound element introduced in the 10 Pro, now in a glossy finish. Three cameras and a flash are included, which should come as no surprise.
Previously, the same leaker revealed a set of its own renders based on an “early prototype”, in partnership with SmartPrix, which give us some additional angles on the device.
A November 2022 leak from Digital Chat Station claims that the OnePlus 11 will be ceramic rather than glass or metal. We’ve seen this before on phones like the Oppo Find X5 Pro and imagined it would be more common now. It still allows wireless charging, but gives the phones a solid, premium feel and perhaps less prone to shattering everywhere when dropped.
OnLeaks has since teamed up with another site, 91Mobiles, to share more concrete specifications as well. The key thing is that the phone will use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, which has always seemed like a safe bet – it’s expected to be Qualcomm’s next flagship chipset and will power most high-end Android phones in the first half of 2023.
It also predicts the return of the 6.7-inch 120Hz QHD+ AMOLED display, an increase to up to 16GB of RAM, and a big 5,000mAh battery with 100W fast charging — curiously slower than the speeds of 150W from the OnePlus 10T. That 100W speed has been confirmed by the phone’s listing on China’s 3C certification, so it seems well established.
As for the camera, OnLeaks predicts that the hole-punch selfie camera will be 16Mp, while the three rear lenses will consist of a 50Mp main camera, a 48Mp ultrawide and a 32Mp 2x telephoto camera.
This has since been corroborated by leaker Digital Chat Station, who expanded on this prediction to spec the sensors: a 50Mp Sony IMX890 main camera, a 48Mp Sony IMX851 ultrawide and a 32Mp IMX709 2x telephoto camera. He also added that the exact same setup could be seen in the foldable Oppo Find N2, although the Find N2 could benefit from the addition of optical image stabilization (OIS) which might not be on the OnePlus. .
Whether we see the 11, 11 Pro or both, we’re looking forward to what the next generation might bring. Until then, you can browse our roundups of the best smartphones and the best OnePlus smartphones to see what you can buy today.
