OnePlus 10 Pro Review: Times They Are a-Changin’

OnePlus has gone through numerous alternate since we first met the logo as a plucky upstart all the ones years in the past. Having been in part folded into sister corporate Oppo during the last 18 months or so, the telephones that OnePlus is now liberating exist in an excessively other context to the corporate’s early handsets and the brand new OnePlus 10 Pro embodies this shift completely.

While an preliminary January unlock in China gave us our first style of what a OnePlus flagship in 2022 looks as if, the phone’s more moderen growth into new markets globally actually highlights the iconic affect of the logo’s passionate fandom, whilst reflecting the alternate that the corporate goes via internally, .

With no same old OnePlus 10 (and most effective rumours of a OnePlus 10 Ultra), the 10 Pro is lately the one top-tier OnePlus purpose-built to tackle competitors from Samsung, Apple and past. But does it ship?

Design & construct

• Surprisingly light-weight
• OnePlus’ signature bodily alert slider
• No IP-certified mud or water resistance

For all of the technical prowess, functionality and innovation closing yr’s OnePlus 9 Pro touted, it got here packaged in an uncharacteristically bland design for the logo. This yr, OnePlus’ design group has veered in a wildly other course, with the OnePlus 10 Pro’s shape punctuated through a daring new digicam housing that is not possible to pass over and in contrast to the rest the corporate’s served up to the moment.

In a design that obviously takes inspiration from entries like Samsung’s Galaxy S21 Ultra, the 10 Pro’s digicam components is the very first thing your eyes are attracted to; a sizeable, daring association that curves in from the phone’s edge and extends previous the mid-point of its again, housing 4 broadly spaced out round parts (consisting of 3 digicam sensors and a dual-LED ring-shaped flash).

The sensors (and flash) are set inside an expansive mirror-polished steel encompass that, even though mixing geometrically, provides up a contrasting look that is (most likely deliberately) at odds with the remainder of the phone’s end and coloration palette. It’s a design selection that is helping the OnePlus 10 Pro stand out in opposition to the contest whilst additionally implying the importance of the phone’s upgraded Hasselblad-branded digicam components.

Beyond this remark piece, the 10 Pro serves up a textured glass again that is nice at repelling fingerprints, surrounded through a skinny, colour-matched steel body whose polished end provides a pleasant distinction each in really feel and look.

While Chinese fanatics even have get right of entry to to an ‘Extreme Edition’ that gives an unique Ceramic White end, in different places on the earth you can most likely come upon the 10 Pro in one in all two colourways: Volcanic Black (which looks like a visible nod to the unique OnePlus One’s Sandstone end) or Emerald Forest (inexperienced).

While now not true all over the place, your collection of coloration additionally impacts the RAM and garage choices you’ll be expecting below the hood (e.g. in the United Kingdom, the upper RAM style is solely to be had in Emerald Forest). Something we now have observed from OnePlus ahead of.

The rounded Gorilla Glass 5 again and (reasonably much less) curved edges of the Gorilla Glass Victus entrance make for a comfy hand really feel, in a design that is pleasingly skinny at 8.55mm and deceptively gentle (in spite of technically weighing 200.5g); making an allowance for the sizeable battery onboard.

The glass meets at that aforementioned aluminium body, which includes a USB-C port alongside its backside edge, in addition to an influence key, quantity keys and the corporate’s signature knurled three-stage bodily alert slider; almost unseen outdoor of choose OnePlus’ mid-rangers and flagships and a pleasant further tactile element.

While OnePlus paid for its closing two generations of flagships to go through IP68-certification in opposition to mud and water ingress, the 10 Pro seems to be as despite the fact that it is forgone that exact trying out and as such, does not include the similar lab-tested assurances.

Even, so there are indicators that the phone continues to be constructed to resist the similar demanding situations, with a well-known pink rubber gasket across the SIM tray and (as showed through unbiased teardowns) equivalent therapies across the bodily buttons and different parts.

As such, do not pass throwing your 10 Pro within the sink however know that should you do, it most likely may not lead to immediate loss of life.

Display & audio

• Superb viewing enjoy
• LTPO 2.0 era for higher energy potency
• PIN and development enter awkwardly excessive on display screen

At first look, the exhibit presented up through the 10 Pro turns out just like its predecessor – a 6.7in 120Hz Quad HD+ AMOLED panel with beef up for 10-bit coloration intensity, HDR10+ and a cited 1300nit top brightness, however the ante has, in truth, been upped.

The 10 Pro’s panel in truth stocks extra in commonplace with Realme’s fresh GT 2 Pro flagship, specifically in the usage of LTPO 2.0 exhibit era, which means that the panel’s variable refresh price can in truth abruptly scale proper right down to 1Hz, leading to higher energy potency.

As properly as providing a perfect common viewing enjoy – with satisfying colors, deep blacks and decent out of doors visibility – OnePlus has additionally long past above and past with coloration calibration, making sure the 10 Pro’s panel is designed to turn correct colors at two discreet brightnesses (100nits and 500nits), whilst maximum competitors most effective adhere to calibration at a unmarried brightness degree.

Speaking of brightness, the phone’s AI-supported auto-brightness will also be educated on your particular tastes through adjusting the slider nearer on your most well-liked values; in accordance with components just like the app in use and the time of day. Generally, it adjusts to a comfy price for the state of affairs however I did spend time coaching it to move dimmer in low gentle environments, which it began to snatch all the way through the evaluate length.

There are a bunch of customisation choices tied to the viewing enjoy too, with other coloration house profiles (together with a Pro mode), display screen temperature regulate, herbal tone capability (which adjusts coloration temperature relative to ambient gentle), a watch convenience mode, symbol and video enhancers, and the strategy to alternate each answer and refresh price.

The exhibit defaults to Full HD+ answer however will also be set to Quad HD+ or dynamic, whilst refresh price can both be fastened to 60Hz or set to dynamic mode, with that 120Hz most.

Those acquainted with the OnePlus 9 Pro’s oddly low-slung in-display fingerprint sensor will respect its migration northwards at the 10 Pro; sitting a lot more naturally within the backside 3rd of the exhibit space, taking into consideration extra comfy use.

This optical sensor (in addition to the RGB-based face unencumber) is impressively snappy, on the other hand, through moving the fingerprint reader space up, OnePlus has reputedly needed to transfer the PIN/development enter to the higher part of the exhibit too; making for an ergonomically awkward enjoy.

Numerous different telephones, like Google’s Pixel 6 line, do not appear to be afflicted by this factor, which means PIN enter and fingerprint sensor can occupy the similar space of pixels for higher convenience and comfort.

Dolby Atmos-certified audio system be offering audible stereo separation, however the respective treble/bass bias between the earpiece speaker and the down-firing grille makes for an unbalanced headphone-free sonic enjoy.

OnePlus offered a brand new Radiant Silver colourway of OnePlus Buds Pro along the 10 Pro’s international release, obviously hoping to push potential patrons in opposition to selecting up the brand new Buds as their go-to audio resolution, particularly as there is not any headphone jack on-device and no 3.5mm USB-C adapter in-box to talk of.

Software & options

• Clean person enjoy with nice personalisation
• ColorOS 12.1 in China, OxygenOS 12.1 globally
• 3 years OS updates, 4 years safety updates
• Great haptic comments

OnePlus’ OxygenOS person enjoy has been probably the most corporate’s product’s largest strengths and standout options; an Android pores and skin providing fluidity and ease in some way that actually turns out to resonate with customers.

With this in thoughts, when the corporate urged that OxygenOS can be fusing with Oppo’s ColorOS as a part of its OnePlus 2.0 initiative closing September, fanatics had been understandably uneasy in regards to the transfer.

Community comments, on the other hand, driven OnePlus to stroll again this determination, leading to ColorOS and OxygenOS nonetheless working on a newly-unified codebase (making for an more uncomplicated replace roadmap throughout each platforms), whilst nonetheless conserving each and every’s individuality on their respective emblem’s gadgets.

OxygenOS 12.1 as apparently at the 10 Pro (working atop Android 12) is, as anticipated, blank and characterful.

Whenever a ‘1’ seems within the clock widget, it is rendered within the emblem’s signature pink, you’ve got regulate over fast settings and app icon shapes, the UI coloration palette, the fingerprint sensor animation and extra. You additionally have the opportunity to make use of OnePlus Sans rather than Android’s local Roboto font, which is helping give the person enjoy a refreshingly distinctive feel and appear, system-wide.

Haptics had been stepped forward too, with an x-axis motor that is reportedly 40% more potent than earlier entries, making for extra exact and tactile interplay.

Enduring extras just like the Insight lock display screen and The Shelf (a house on your widgets that helps to keep the house monitors transparent), had been joined through new inclusions like Work Life Balance, letting you filter out notifications in accordance with agenda, app or even account.

(*10*)

The one caveat to the enjoy presented up through The Shelf is that it is only available by means of a swipe down from the highest proper nook of the display screen, a space I’m used to interacting with with a purpose to get right of entry to the notifications and fast settings coloration. Its unique house – to the aspect of the principle house display screen – used to be deserted in 2020, however in case you are like me this small tweak comes with a larger studying curve than anticipated.

The OnePlus 10 Pro additionally advantages from the similar dedication to instrument updates that the corporate made in mid-2021, which means 3 years of OS updates and 4 years of safety patches. By no method industry-leading however most likely sufficient to closing maximum customers via to their subsequent improve.

Specs & functionality

• 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset
• Up to 12GB RAM (LPDDR5)
• Up to 512GB garage (UFS 3.1)
• Optional high-performance mode, RAM Boost and HyperBoost Gaming Engine

OnePlus flagships all the time goal to provide the most productive {hardware} within the trade and the OnePlus 10 Pro isn’t any exception, with the phone powered through the newest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset and carrying a baseline 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM (with a most 12GB RAM additionally to be had), paired to both 128GB or 256GB of rapid UFS 3.1 garage globally and as much as 512GB at the China-exclusive Extreme Edition.

The 10 Pro is, as anticipated, a perfect real-world performer, with OxygenOS and that 120Hz refresh price operating in live performance to provide up a easy, snappy, responsive person enjoy, in addition to rapid app load instances.

Artificial benchmarks spotlight the relative consistency in CPU functionality observed time once more when evaluating the 8 Gen 1 to closing yr’s Snapdragon 888, whilst GPU functionality pulls forward; most effective actually falling at the back of the AMD RDNA 2-capable GPU inside of Samsung’s Exynos 2200 (powering this yr’s Galaxy S22 collection, in choose markets).

If you feel that functionality continues to be one way or the other missing, OnePlus has additionally carried out a devoted high-performance mode (hidden away within the complicated battery settings menu) that gives much more grunt on the expense of battery existence (I most effective used this all the way through benchmarking to reach the easiest ratings the phone used to be able to), whilst a RAM Boost function could also be on-hand to leverage the phone’s rapid garage as further digital reminiscence, designed to lend a hand with multitasking and the like.

The phone treated tough video games very easily, supported through a ‘three-D passive cooling components’ that ended in negligible warmth build-up, even after prolonged periods. The caveat to the gaming enjoy is that – in a similar way to the Realme GT 2 Pro – even video games which are identified to beef up 120fps gameplay remained capped at 60fps at the OnePlus 10 Pro, even if manually deciding on upper refresh charges and enabling High Performance Mode within the battery settings.

There’s additionally a Pro Gaming launcher that gives an in-game overlay to regulate such things as notifications and brightness independently of the phone’s wider settings, in addition to taking into consideration real-time functionality tracking of RAM, GPU load or even components temperature. Select video games additionally beef up real-time sport filters that adjust the sport’s visible output for cultured or practical benefit (relying at the sport).

OnePlus has showed that the 10 Pro will have the benefit of Oppo’s HyperBoost Gaming Engine (that includes a branded toolset, consisting of the GPA Frame Stabiliser, O-Sync and GPU Load Control) set to be issued in a approaching replace that can hit gadgets someday after the phone’s international release.

Battery existence & charging

• Sizeable 5000mAh battery paired with 80W stressed out charging
• Warp Charge changed through Oppo SuperVOOC charging
• Full fee in below 35 mins
• Superb longevity

At first blush, it could appear that there is been no visual development to the short charging when evaluating the OnePlus 10 Pro to closing yr’s 9 Pro.

Both telephones achieve roughly 95% fee in simply half-hour, which is an entirely spectacular feat in its personal proper, however when it comes to OnePlus’ newest flagship, the corporate has in truth bumped battery capability up from 4500mAh to 5000mAh too, making that constant recharge price extra of an fulfillment.

To facilitate this, the OnePlus 10 Pro suits Oppo’s newest Find X5 Pro through pairing its 5000mAh mobile to quicker 80W rapid charging (up from 65W at the 9 Pro), leading to over 50% fee in simply quarter-hour and a complete fee in lower than 35.

OnePlus fanatics may understand that within the transfer to a brand new incorporated 80W energy adapter, Warp Charge has been scrapped rather than Oppo’s SuperVOOC tech. You nonetheless get an iconic OnePlus pink charging cable however it is reverted again to USB-A on one finish, a peculiar aspect impact of mix and matching charging requirements and applied sciences between the manufacturers.

Hopefully, Oppo will catch as much as OnePlus quickly sufficient and get started liberating VOOC chargers which are USB-C to USB-C.

To spherical out the charging enjoy, the phone additionally helps 50W wi-fi charging (and opposite wi-fi charging) matching the Xiaomi 12 Pro, that is additionally been rebranded to fall consistent with Oppo’s AirVOOC charging same old. While this wasn’t examined because the appropriate wi-fi charger is offered one by one, OnePlus quotes a complete fee in 47 mins.

As for precise longevity, the bump to a 5000mAh battery has paid off in spades. Even when the exhibit is ready to its most refresh price and determination, it provides up an afternoon and a part os use very easily and can facilitate two days of use within the palms of informal customers; shelling out an excellent PCMark Work 3.0 battery check rating of eleven hours 20 mins, along real-world screen-on time of 9 hours.

Cameras

• 48Mp primary + 50Mp ultrawide + 8Mp telephoto w/ 3.3x zoom
• Specialised 52Mp Sony IMX789 number one sensor
• Among the primary telephones with 150° ultrawide
• Significant digicam inconsistencies

Despite the bombastic new digicam housing, the {hardware} at play is in truth nearly just like that of the 9 Pro, albeit with one key exception.

The phone leads with the similar optically-stabilised Sony IMX789 number one sensor (which is unique to OnePlus, Oppo and the like), that includes what’s technically a 52Mp practical space, however comes tied to an extraordinary 16:11 facet ratio.

The result’s that typical 4:3 stills are captured at 48Mp (with pixel-binning bringing them right down to 12Mp through default), on the other hand, extra of the sensor stays to be had for video seize than would generally be the case.

The OIS-laden 8Mp telephoto could also be lifted from closing yr’s 9 Pro, with the similar 3.3x magnification, however issues take a flip the place the ultrawide is worried, with a brand new 50Mp Samsung ISOCELL JN1 sensor that – as first observed at the Realme GT 2 Pro – provides a super-wide 150° box of view.

Ultrawide photographs are generally captured at round 110° however via two further devoted taking pictures modes, the 10 Pro can snap stills on the complete 150° with strangely little distortion, in addition to that includes an absolutely round fish-eye mode; taking into consideration extra inventive photographic choices.

A better have a look at that rear digicam association additionally finds a Hasselblad emblem and an unassuming set of letters and numbers in ‘P2D 50T’ which, in line with the corporate, interprets as follows: P = ‘Phone’, 2D = ‘Second-generation Hasselblad digicam for cellular’ and 50T = ’50-megapixel triple-lens rear digicam setup’.

It’s a beautiful contrived strategy to get other people speaking in regards to the Hasselblad partnership however among fanatics and tech fans, it kind of feels to have labored.

The Hasselblad partnership struck closing yr between the digicam maker and OnePlus for US$150m manifests in a lot of techniques at the 10 Pro, even though how tangible the advantages are to the phone’s photographic functions actually falls to non-public desire.

Beyond the signature orange shutter button, the phone includes a characterful XPan digicam mode (which captures within the ancient structure’s extraordinary panoramic 65:24 facet ratio), whilst a trio of ‘Master Styles’ (named ‘Serenity’, ‘Radiance’ and ‘Emerald’) function bespoke filters tuned through Hasselblad Ambassador Yin Chao and Hasselblad Masters winners Ben Thomas and David Peskens, respectively.

As for extra concrete technical enhancements, the facility to shoot stills in RAW (and movies in LOG) has been prolonged with RAW+, which pairs a RAW symbol with OnePlus’ post-processing; granting you the facility to proportion instantaneously or fine-tune the uncompressed symbol knowledge, with out high quality loss. You additionally have the opportunity to seize with 10-bit coloration intensity (up from 8-bit on most current telephones).

Practically talking, output from the OnePlus 10 Pro’s digicam components makes for an strange combine. It’s probably the most extra assured cameras we now have observed in a OnePlus flagship in a couple of years however it suffers from extraordinary quirks, principally round coloration science and publicity.

Shots taken at the number one snapper generally be offering up satisfying colors (with a hotter bias than maximum) and are wholly suited for going immediately onto social media, with the pro options that OnePlus is touting, on the other hand, you’ll be expecting a greater photographic baseline from the 10 Pro’s digicam.

Even in well-lit situations, the 10 Pro’s digicam tends to underexpose, suggesting restricted dynamic vary in comparison to its flagship competitors, or on the very least the will for extra tuning through OnePlus’ digicam engineers.

Post-processing additionally ends up in high quality element breaking down below scrutiny, whilst inconsistencies with that new 50Mp ultrawide compared to the principle and telephoto snappers spotlight an excellent higher dynamic vary distinction in excessive distinction situations (have a look at the cactus pictures for a just right instance).

Selfies too are inconsistent, with that acquainted under-exposure and an actual fight with correct pores and skin tones, one thing portrait mode the use of the principle digicam handles some distance higher. The entrance 32Mp snapper turns out to seize the blues of my blouse with out factor, edge detection is just right and bokeh seems to be relatively herbal, however my herbal pores and skin tone and the pink brick of the constructions within the background seem vastly desaturated.

The silver lining is that just about all the 10 Pro’s digicam problems will also be addressed via instrument updates, it is only a disgrace the phone has made it to marketplace with the digicam within the state that it’s.

Price & availability

The OnePlus 10 Pro made it to marketplace in past due January in China however the phone loved its true international unlock on 31 March, with pre-orders in markets together with the United States in position forward of unlock.

As of  5 April, the phone is now to be had throughout the United Kingdom, Europe and India, with the phone coming to the United States on 14 April, carrying a beginning worth of £799/US$899/€899/INR₹66,999 for the bottom 8GB RAM/128GB SKU.

As touched on previous, the Extreme Edition with 512GB of garage stays a China-exclusive in the interim, whilst some markets pair to be had reminiscence and garage configurations to precise colourways (this appears to be the case in Europe however now not India, as an example).

Pricing puts it with regards to Samsung’s base Galaxy S22 (which begins at £769/$799), whilst the enjoy the 10 Pro provides is extra corresponding to the S22+ and splits the variation between the Realme GT 2 Pro and Oppo Find X5 Pro on the subject of options, design and value.

The same old iPhone 13 and Xiaomi 12 additionally have not been lengthy at the scene however each are available reasonably below the OnePlus 10 Pro’s pricing, whilst nonetheless providing stellar flagship reviews.

You can pick out the OnePlus 10 Pro up from OnePlus.com (US, UK, Europe, India) at once in addition to outlets together with Amazon (US, UK, DE, ES, FR), John Lewis (UK), Best Buy (US) and carriers, comparable to Three (UK).

Verdict

Despite the most obvious affect Oppo’s presence has had over the OnePlus 10 Pro’s construction, the phone keeps its individuality; feeling other sufficient from bedfellows just like the Find X5 Pro and Realme’s GT 2 Pro. Where Oppo has exerted its affect, on the other hand, the adjustments are extra peculiar than definitively just right or unhealthy.

The OnePlus 10 Pro provides up probably the most highest presentations available on the market presently, delivers nice top-tier functionality, remarkable battery existence, a slick person enjoy and a standout albeit quite divisive design.

The phone’s largest weak point is, as ever, its digicam, which like such a lot of OnePlus flagships ahead of it, will most likely require a lot of post-launch patches to convey it consistent with competition.

With its strengths in thoughts, see the way it stacks up in opposition to our rundown of the present highest telephones available on the market, in addition to the most productive Android telephones in particular, telephones providing the most productive battery existence and spot the place it slots in amidst the most productive OnePlus telephones too.

Specs

OnePlus 10 Pro: Specs

• 6.7in 20:9 WQHD+ LTPO 2.0 1Hz to 120Hz AMOLED exhibit
• Corning Gorilla Glass Victus
• 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset
• three-D cooling construction
• 8GB or 12GB LPDDR5 RAM
• 128GB, 256GB or 512GB UFS 3.1 garage
• Watch-grade three-D nanocrystalline ceramic lens duvet
• 48Mp primary f/1.8 Sony IMX789 sensor w/ OIS
• 50Mp ultrawide f/2.2 Samsung ISOCELL JN1 w/ 150° FoV
• 8Mp telephoto f/2.4 w/ OIS
• 32Mp front-facing f/2.4 Sony IMX615 sensor w/ 80.6° FoV
• Android 12 w/ OxygenOS 12.1
• Stereo audio system w/ Dolby Atmos
• USB-C (USB 3.1)
• 5G
• Dual SIM
• Bluetooth 5.2
• WiFi 6
• NFC
• 5000mAh battery
• 80W SuperVOOC stressed out charging
• 50W AirVOOC wi-fi charging
• Reverse wi-fi charging
• 163mm x 73.9mm x 8.55mm
• 200.5 grams
• Colours: Volcanic Black, Emerald Forest ,Ceramic White