OnePlus is already at work on its next flagship — tentatively called the OnePlus 11 Pro — that is rumored to arrive early next year. But before OnePlus officially starts the teaser game, leakster OnLeaks (in collaboration with SmartPrix) has shared alleged renders of the upcoming phone. From the looks of it, the design is going to stir some debate around aesthetics, and not necessarily the good kind.
But before we delve into the details, here’s some word of caution. These renders are “based on an early prototype of the device.” OnePlus and other smartphone brands are known to design multiple versions of a phone before one of them is locked as the final version. In a nutshell, there’s a chance that the real OnePlus 11 Pro might look a tad different compared to the leaked media.
Hey #FutureSquad! I'm back from the Future with 2023's first major leak!😏
Here comes your very first and very early look at the #OnePlus11Pro through crispy sharp 5K renders!
On behalf of @Smartprix -> https://t.co/0esErP2wRa pic.twitter.com/hE1xrysDcU
— Steve H.McFly (@OnLeaks) September 12, 2022
With that out of the way, let’s talk about the design. OnePlus is preserving the half-wraparound design for the camera island. But instead of simply populating it with three lenses and the LED flash, OnePlus’s designers have built another circular hump inside the camera island. It looks like a mishmash of the OnePlus 10 Pro and Huawei P50 Pro’s design, but the Frankenstein end product looks a lot worse.
The dual-glass sandwich design has a thin metallic frame running in between, with curved glass on either side of it. Over at the front, things look familiar. The screen has a subtle curve and features a circular hole-punch cutout in the upper left corner, serving as a home for the selfie camera. Rumors suggest that Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 will be powering the device, which actually sounds more like an educated guess.
The alert slider returns
But there are a couple of standout elements in the leaked renders. First, the alert slider is back. OnePlus ditched the beloved key on the OnePlus 10T and deservedly got some flak for it. The company later explained that the alert slider was dropped to make space for a large battery and other hardware linked to fast charging as well as a network antenna.
It looks like OnePlus has found a way to accommodate all that while also bringing back the alert slider. It is truly astonishing to see how much difference a year makes in terms of smartphone engineering (or explaining weird product decisions). Either way, a signature element of OnePlus phones that was also functionally convenient is making a comeback, and diehard fans will definitely be pleased to see that.
Hasselblad camera with juicy upgrades
With the OnePlus 11 Pro, the Hasselblad camera branding also returns. To recall, OnePlus dropped the Hasselblad signature for its latest high-end phone, the OnePlus 10T. It appears that dropping the Hasselblad branding was to save money on royalty fees for a less premium phone, the OnePlus 10T. Or, OnePlus simply wants to keep it as an exclusive perk for the top-tier Pro flagships like the OnePlus 10 Pro, and soon, the OnePlus 11 Pro.
Chatter on Chinese microblogging platform Weibo suggests that the OnePlus 11 Pro might well be a rebranded version of the upcoming Oppo Find X6 Pro flagship, which doesn’t sound too far-fetched. The two companies are already close-knit, right down to their R&D and supply chain roots. Plus, the OnePlus 10 Pro shared a lot of its DNA, especially in the camera department, with the Oppo Find X5 Pro.
Rumors suggest that both the Oppo and OnePlus flagship could get a massive 1-inch camera sensor, similar to the Xiaomi 12S Ultra. Additionally, the ultra-wide-angle camera will also rely on an impressive 50-megapixel sensor. Plus, it also appears that the company will finally embrace periscope-style folded lens telephoto hardware with the OnePlus 11 Pro, offering a far better zooming output than the regular 3.3x telephoto snapper on the OnePlus 10 Pro.
