The latest flagship offering from OnePlus is now available. We were curious when the new OnePlus flagship would be available outside of China after debuting in China a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, the OnePlus 10 Pro is now available outside of China, and we’ve been testing it. It has a larger battery, a new selfie camera, an updated ultrawide camera, and the flagship-grade Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.
On paper, these updates appear to be for a standard OnePlus 10, with more significant upgrades reserved for the “Pro” model. The recent rumor of a OnePlus 10 “Ultra” to be released later this year is beginning to make sense.
We’re hoping for better battery life, and we’re excited to see an updated 32 MP selfie camera module. We’re also looking forward to trying out the new 150-degree ultrawide camera. We’re curious if we’ll see any improvements in the primary camera’s image processing, although the 10 Pro uses the same primary camera as the 9 Pro.
Design and Screen:
While the OnePlus 10 Pro appears to be very similar to the OnePlus 9 Pro on paper, they are worlds apart in terms of appearance. The back of the 9 Pro was glossy and reflective, whereas the back of the 10 Pro was matte and frosted. The camera bump on the 9 Pro was the definition of contained, housing four cameras in a small space. Despite being more than twice the size, the wraparound camera surround of the 10 Pro only fits three cameras and is similar to that of the Galaxy S21 Ultra.
Both the 9 Pro and the 10 Pro are attractive phones, but we prefer the 10 Pro in Volcanic Black. While the Emerald Forest green version is more eye-catching, the massive camera surround looks more dignified when compared to the darker, lower-contrast option.
The front of the phone is made of Gorilla Glass Victus, while the back is made of Gorilla Glass 5, and the frame is made of matte aluminum. The phone feels good in the hand, has a nice weight to it, and while we weren’t crazy about the renders when we first saw them, the 10 Pro has won us over.
On the 10 Pro, OnePlus has kept the buttons and ports consistent. On the bottom, there’s a USB-C port, a notification slider and power button on the right, and a volume rocker on the left. The phone comes with a pre-installed screen protector on the front and a case for added protection. However, just like the Xiaomi 12 Pro, there is no water resistance rating.
The OnePlus 10 Pro’s 6.7-inch QHD+ display features LTPO2 Fluid AMOLED technology, which is about as good.
The 10 Pro can hold an image with a refresh rate as low as 1Hz and fire up to a smooth 120Hz for super-smooth scrolling to save power without sacrificing visual performance. OnePlus’s screen competes unwaveringly with bold colors, smooth motion, and deep, immersive blacks compared to the best on the market, including the iPhone 13 Pro Max and Oppo Find X5 Pro.
Sustainability:
OnePlus rates the battery for at least 1,000 complete charge cycles while maintaining at least 80% of its original capacity. The phone contains no recycled materials, but it is generally repairable, with a replacement battery costing around £20 plus labor. OnePlus has a trade-in program mentioned in the parent company Oppo’s annual sustainability reports.
OxygenOS 12.1:
OnePlus’ OxygenOS has traditionally been one of the best versions of Android on its phones. While this is still broadly true, it is now a tweaked version of ColorOS developed by parent company Oppo, as seen on the Find X5 Pro, with a slightly different look and operation.
It is based on the most recent Android 12 and will receive bi-monthly security updates for four years after release and three major Android version upgrades. That’s reasonable, but it’s a year less support than Samsung or Google, which provide faster monthly security updates.
OxygenOS 12.1 isn’t the same as version 11 from last year, but it’s still a stripped-down and fairly slick affair aimed at western audiences. It has some flaws, such as the overly aggressive closing of background apps intended to save battery but can cause message notifications to be delayed or music to stop playing. “Pinning” apps in the multitasking menu prevents them from being closed.
OnePlus’ software is still one of the best among Chinese smartphone brands, but it isn’t as good as it once was.
Cameras:
The Hasselblad-developed camera on the 10 Pro is similar to last year’s 9 Pro: a primary 48MP, 50MP ultra-wide, and an 8MP 3.3x telephoto on the back, plus a capable 32MP selfie camera on the front.
In general, the primary camera produces perfect images that are well exposed and have good color balance. It struggles in high-contrast scenes but excels in low-light situations. The ultra-wide camera is similarly good, albeit slightly softer on detail and less sensitive in low light. It can take extremely wide or fisheye-style photos, and it also has fun, unique modes.
In comparison to some competitors, the 3.3x telephoto camera has a decent level of magnification and can produce reasonably sharp shots in good lighting. However, it struggles in low-light situations, quickly becoming grainy.
The cameras lack consistency in color and exposure levels, which means switching between them produces very different photos in the same situation. Still, the three cameras are solid overall, even if they can’t compete with the best from Samsung, Google, or Apple.
Battery life:
The OnePlus 10 Pro features a 5000mAh battery, typical for a premium phone of this size. It lost 8% of its charge during my tests while watching Netflix (on the maximum settings, with default brightness) and 6% after half an hour of intense gaming (again, on the highest settings).
This proves that it performs well, and even on days when I used it heavily, I never ran out of battery. You can also reduce parameters like HDR or resolution to save battery.
Battery life is good, but charging is superb. This gadget supports 80W SuperVOOC charging, which will astound you if you are not used to it. There is also the capability for fast 50W wireless charging.
The most remarkable aspect of the OnePlus 10 Pro is how the company managed to cram a 10% larger battery into a body that is roughly the same size as last year’s model. The OnePlus 10 Pro has a massive 5,000mAh battery, up from the 4,500mAh battery on the 9 Pro, elevating the OnePlus flagship to the same battery heights as the S21 Ultra / S22 Ultra models.
That is fantastic news, and our testing has confirmed that this larger battery delivers. Below are the results of our independent battery tests, in which we set each phone to the same brightness level, putting them all on an equal playing field.
Results for the OnePlus 10 Pro: The YouTube test was run with the default settings. The browsing and 3D gaming tests were run in “high performance” mode.
The results, on the other hand, were excellent. The OnePlus 10 Pro performs admirably in all three tests. However, it shines in the YouTube video streaming test, where it easily outlasts the competition with a score of 10 hours and 47 minutes, better than even the iPhone 13 Pro Max, which fell about 20 minutes short. The OnePlus also performed admirably in 3D gaming and not as well inside the web browsing test.
Verdict:
The OnePlus 10 Pro is a viable alternative to a high-end Google or Samsung Android phone.
It provides a potent combination of speed, rapid charging, long battery life, and a large screen in a stylish, svelte package. The new OxygenOS software is generally good, though not as polished as previous versions. You will receive four years of software updates from the date of purchase, a year or longer than the last OnePlus phones but a year or less than Google, Samsung, or Apple.
The camera has been slightly improved overall and is generally very usable, but it remains OnePlus’ weakest link, unable to compete with the best in the business.
The OnePlus 10 Pro is the phone to get if you want a good, premium Android phone that Samsung or Google doesn’t make.
