OnePlus is back, and how! After a few years of generic releases and fan outcry that the company has lost its "Flagship Killer" instinct and started making increasingly common phones.

And it didn't help that OnePlus' smartphone release strategy has, in. the past couple of years, been confusing, to say the least. From releasing just one smartphone a year to two, the company, in 2022, released several, some within weeks of each other, as I noted in this piece. The prices too went up gradually, nearly touching or crossing the Rs 80,000 mark at one point, while the phones looked increasingly generic. Not a good look for a flagship killer.

OnePlus' last flagship, the 10T, released to mixed reviews, ranging from critical to middling and the company clearly went back to the drawing board because the OnePlus 11 5G is a return to form. The smartphone is classic OnePlus — the most powerful processor, up to 16 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage, a stunning screen and really good cameras.

So, yeah. OnePlus is back in the flagship-killing business.

For the price you pay, depending on the configuration of your choice — the maximum being Rs 61,999 — you get a phenomenal phone. The battery lasts ages, there's nary a performance hiccup and, to quote Apple, "it just works". That's not to say the OnePlus 11 is not without its shortcomings, but not one of them is a dealbreaker.

You have the option of setting the refresh rate at either 60 Hz or 120 Hz, but I would strongly suggest you lock it at 120 Hz because it is absolutely worth it. The smartphone performs like a beast and the ergonomics are brilliant. It's slim, with a brushed glass back, polished aluminium side rails and a really futuristic rear camera array with the Hasselblad branding.

It does get slippery, like a slim slab of soap, but that's exactly why OnePlus very thoughtfully — as it always does — includes a slim-fitting silicone case in the box.

Also Read: OnePlus 11 first impressions: Is the Flagship Killer back?

Battery life

And speaking of the box, in it comes the phenomenal 100W SuperVOOC charger that can — and this is not hyperbole — charge this phone from 0 to 100 percent in under 29 minutes.

As you can see from the image on the left above, with heavy usage — gaming, videos, texting and emails all day — the phone lasted just over 14-and-a-half hours on a single charge and, as seen on the timer on the right, charged to 100 percent in a shade under 28-and-a-half minutes.

Now, look. full disclosure: I am not the biggest fan of fast charging as I believe it degrades your battery life very quickly, but I cannot deny the sheer convenience of charging a 5,000 mAh battery in under 30 minutes.

Cameras

For the most part, the cameras take pretty good photos. As I understand it, Hasselblad lent its colour science to OnePlus for its smartphones and it really shows in some cases. Here are a few samples taken using the OnePlus 11's 50MP main camera, the 48MP ultrawide lens and the 32MP telephoto shooter.

The camera performs pretty well in good lighting conditions, but in the final photo, taken after dusk, it struggled to reproduce a lot of the detail.

That said, it is a pretty good smartphone camera setup for your regular photography needs.

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The nitpicks

I do have to pick some nits, but not many. The way OnePlus implemented its notifications is downright baffling. Unlike in other Android phones, you cannot pull down individual notifications and interact with them — you need to pull the entire notification grouping down and tap on individual notifications.

Also, and this is most definitely a bug, on several occasions, the notification shade disappeared when I pulled it down, leaving just the text against the background, which is to say I couldn't read a thing.

That's it for the problems I faced while testing the device. Seriously.

In conclusion

The OnePlus 11 5G marks a return to form for one of the most popular smartphone companies in the world and, should it continue with its strategy of releasing flagship-spec phones at a reasonable price, it will in no time reclaim its title of the Flagship Killer. For about Rs 62,000, you're getting a phone that gives much pricier rivals a run for their money, and you, value for yours. If you do end up buying the OnePlus 11 5G, you will not be disappointed.

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