OnePlus 10R overview: A Realme in all however title

OnePlus launched the R sequence of telephones two years in the past to bridge the ever-widening hole between the Nord sequence and its premium telephones. Whereas the R sequence has historically positioned itself as a cut-price flagship, the Shenzhen-based firm’s technique appears to have pivoted this 12 months. This can be a very totally different beast in comparison with the remainder of the lineup, from the internals to the externals. Within the Android Authority OnePlus 10R overview, we see if the telephone manages to retain the spirit of OnePlus, or is one more step within the firm’s journey in direction of commoditized {hardware}.

• OnePlus 10R (8GB/128GB): Rs. 38,999 (~$502)
• OnePlus 10R (12GB/256GB): Rs. 42,999 (~$554)
• OnePlus 10R 150W (12GB/256GB): Rs. 43,999 (~$566)

The OnePlus 10R is the most recent India-exclusive inexpensive flagship smartphone from OnePlus. The sub-flagship goes by the moniker of OnePlus Ace in China. Eager followers of the smartphone trade may also discover that the specs are virtually similar to the Realme GT Neo 3 from its BBK sister model. That shouldn’t come as a shock for the reason that OnePlus 10R is principally only a rebadged Realme GT Neo 3 with Oxygen OS onboard.

The smartphone is an fascinating evolution of the method pioneered by the OnePlus 9R. Whereas the OnePlus 9R and OnePlus 9RT have been fairly clearly a variation on the flagship method, that’s positively not the case right here. Be it the spec sheet, or the visible id, OnePlus seems to be aiming for a unique proposition as an alternative of positioning the 10R as a cut-price flagship different.

Take a look at: The most effective OnePlus telephones

The OnePlus 10R debuts a Mediatek chipset within the worth flagship area and pairs it with competent imaging {hardware}. Desk stakes like sufficient RAM and a excessive refresh fee show additionally discover their means right here.

The actual consideration grabber is, in fact, the ultra-fast charging speeds. OnePlus is providing the telephone in two variants prioritizing charging speeds or battery life. The common variant gives 80W charging speeds and a bigger 5.000mAh battery. Stepping as much as 150W, with the trade-off of a smaller 4,500mAh battery, additionally will increase the asking value.

OnePlus is fielding the telephone in two shade choices: Sierra Black and Forest Inexperienced. It may be bought instantly from OnePlus.com or Amazon India.

OnePlus has opted for a daring visible id with the 10R that makes its presence felt, for higher or worse. The twin-pane design on the rear consisting of an array of strips is actually one thing. The truth that it matches nowhere within the overarching OnePlus resolution language apart, it’ll be turning a whole lot of heads with its distinctive pinstripe look.

The show is one more side of the telephone that stands out. OnePlus telephones have historically had fairly good shows with colours that err extra in direction of accuracy than not. Within the case of the OnePlus 10R, meaning a 6.7-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh fee in addition to help for HDR. It’s not a variable refresh fee show, so that you’ll need to particularly decide between the silky easy expertise provided by the 120Hz refresh fee, or longer battery life.

Strictly talking, the calibration of the display when set to pure is superb. The show does have its caveats although, and that’s extra to do with the way it handles excessive dynamic vary content material. Viewing HDR10+ movies, the telephone will get a light blue solid and a slight shift in white level. I’m nitpicking right here although and, typically talking, the display is superb certainly.

Rounding off the multimedia expertise, the stereo audio system sound quite good. Whereas the speaker within the earphone isn’t fairly as loud because the downward-firing speaker, the overall sound high quality impresses with clear-sounding audio. There’s not a lot bass, however vocal tracks come by way of crystal clear when cranked up loud with discernable stereo separation.

The OnePlus 10R additionally manages excellent efficiency with the shift to a Mediatek Dimensity 8100 Max processor. Particulars are a bit gentle on what the Max variant entails, however patrons can count on efficiency in the identical ballpark as final 12 months’s Snapdragon 888. Excessive-end video games and heavy multitasking aren’t any downside in any respect for the telephone, however the true standout is the cooling resolution.

Set to the unthrottled Efficiency Mode, the OnePlus 10R manages to remain cool to the contact even when put by way of its paces. That sturdy cooling resolution additionally helps the telephone keep unthrottled efficiency for longer durations of time.

Earlier this 12 months, OnePlus promised that it will debut blazing-fast 150W charging on its telephones. Whereas it will have been truthful to imagine that high-speed charging would first make its method to a flagship-tier telephone, it’s right here and is being launched through the OnePlus 10R — at the least in case you purchase the costlier 150W mannequin. The bottom and mid-tier fashions include nonetheless very quick 80W wired charging accompanied by a 5,000mAh battery.

We’ve bought the faster-charging model with us. Over repeated assessments, it took anyplace from 20 to 22 minutes to prime up the telephone utterly. The variance in charging speeds can, in fact, be attributed to exterior elements like ambient temperature. Even on the outer limits, the OnePlus 10R costs ludicrously quick. Battery optimization can be excellent as soon as Android’s Adaptive Battery tuning kicks in. On most days, I may get by way of a whole workday with out worrying about battery life. A five-minute top-off later, the telephone would have sufficient juice to get me by way of the evening. For those who, like me, are all the time round a charging socket, it is sensible to splurge for quicker charging regardless of the smaller battery.

As we’ve established, the OnePlus 10R is a dramatic departure from the whole thing of the present OnePlus smartphone lineup. From the flat sides to flat show, and the supplies used, there’s treasured little right here that reminds you of the full-blooded OnePlus 10 Professional. Whereas it’s a bit uncommon for OnePlus to introduce a recent id in the midst of a smartphone cycle, what’s significantly odd is the drastic drop in high quality. Be it the standard of plastics, or the glass on the rear, the telephone merely doesn’t really feel premium to the contact. That is significantly noticeable within the plastic digital camera module that draws fingerprints for days and appears like a smudge fest minutes after taking the telephone out of the field.

That drop in high quality can be mirrored within the lacking alert slider, one thing we’d beforehand solely seen faraway from OnePlus’s most cost-effective Nord telephones. The elimination of the slider isn’t only a {hardware} omission, it’s a assertion that the brand new OnePlus isn’t afraid to interrupt from custom. Sadly, what’s, prima facie, a easy cost-cutting measure, finally ends up being one more nail within the coffin of the model’s uniqueness.

And that’s earlier than we get to the software program. The OnePlus 10R is powered by Oxygen OS 12.1, which is a mish-mash of components cribbed from Oxygen OS and Oppo’s Colour OS. Components just like the icons and notification toggle, for instance, lack consistency, and there’s odd textual content scaling at play that may make sure components seem simply too massive.

At the least you get two years of main software program updates and three years of safety patches, giving OnePlus loads of time to get Oxygen OS proper with future iterations. Although even this replace assure lags behind the likes of Samsung, Apple, and even Xiaomi’s fundamental flagships.

That theme of inconsistency slips over into imaging, which ought to maybe come as no shock for a OnePlus telephone. This begins with the telephone’s proclivity to shift the white stability in direction of heat tones. Whereas it’s a shade profile that I don’t personally thoughts, it simply isn’t very correct. The age-old OnePlus downside of crushed shadows is one more concern. That stated, the 50MP major sensor can pull out a good quantity of element and performs adequately in dimly lit conditions.

The identical can’t be stated for the ultrawide shooter. The 8MP digital camera’s limitations are instantly obvious, with heavy noise discount being the norm to masks the restricted particulars.

Issues hit all-time low with regards to the macro digital camera. The 2MP macro sensors generally seen doing the rounds are typically fairly unhealthy, however the one on the OnePlus 10R hits a brand new low. Between the intense distortion, poor colours, and pitiful element, I wouldn’t even trouble attempting to make use of it.

The theme continues over to the selfie digital camera, which is gentle on element and goes heavy on noise discount algorithms. The dynamic vary is especially poor, and picture high quality goes south quickly as ambient gentle dips.

Video high quality is satisfactory however suffers from the identical optimization points that plague the cameras. White stability and crushed shadows specifically are one thing that the OnePlus 10R struggles with.

Take a look at full decision OnePlus 10R digital camera samples at our Google Drive hyperlink.

The OnePlus 10R is an oddly positioned gadget. It’s not a foul smartphone per se, however the lackluster imaging and less-than-premium supplies let it down. Furthermore, it’s a clear downgrade over the OnePlus 9RT (Rs. 42,999), which continues to be obtainable for the same value. Then there’s the inconsistent software program to contemplate. It’s onerous to get previous the clashing components strewn throughout the interface and the lack of some much-loved options, just like the hidden apps function within the app drawer.

The Xiaomi 11T Professional (Rs.39,999) is probably probably the most direct competitor to the OnePlus 10R. Xiaomi’s premium mid-ranger wins out on the imaging entrance due to its well-calibrated 108MP sensor in addition to a stellar telemacro system. Moreover, it strikes the appropriate stability between battery life and charging speeds by together with 120W help with a 5,000mAh cell.

Associated: The most effective Android smartphones in India you will get

You may additionally take a look at the iPhone SE (2022) ($429) if you wish to take a stroll in Apple’s walled backyard. Whereas the telephone actually gained’t be successful any design comparisons, it delivers blistering efficiency, longevity, and the overall excellence of iOS.

Regardless of its shortcomings, the OnePlus 10R does match a distinct segment. For one, the dual-panel look is actually a head-turner. After which there’s the blazing-fast 150W charging. Positive, the Realme GT 3 Neo does it too at a lower cost, however it comes at the price of an abundance of bloatware onboard. The OnePlus 10R could possibly be a great match for customers who need absolutely the bleeding fringe of charging tech and aggressive efficiency, however don’t need to pay flagship costs. I’m simply unsure there are sufficient of these patrons that can be capable of overlook the constraints right here utterly.