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The best OnePlus phones in 2023: the 6 best ones you can buy

OnePlus 11
OnePlus 11
Best OnePlus phone overall
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OnePlus 10 Pro
OnePlus 10 Pro
Best OnePlus phone runner-up
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OnePlus 10T
OnePlus 10T
Best OnePlus phone for fast charging
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OnePlus Nord CE 2
OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G
Best value OnePlus phone
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OnePlus Nord N30 5G
OnePlus Nord N30 5G
Best OnePlus phone under $300
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OnePlus Nord N300 5G
OnePlus Nord N300 5G
Best OnePlus phone under $250
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The Android smartphone world seems to be dominated by Samsung and Google, but it would be foolish to ignore OnePlus' presence. Since the launch of the OnePlus One in 2014, OnePlus phones have remained a high point for Android smartphones.

Why pick a OnePlus phone over one of the many competitors? OnePlus phones regularly deliver blazing-fast performance, ultrafast charging, dependable battery life, and unique designs. It's a great combination that regularly results in OnePlus devices being some of the best Android phones around.

That's why you should buy a OnePlus phone — but which OnePlus phone is right for you? Keep on reading to see our picks for the best OnePlus phones in 2023.

oneplus 11 review green in hand 2
Joe Maring/Digital Trends

OnePlus 11

Best OnePlus phone overall

Pros
  • Eye-catching design
  • Two-day battery life
  • 25 minute battery charging
  • Characterful camera
  • Long software update commitment
Cons
  • No wireless charging
  • Portrait camera disappoints

Why you should buy this: Dollar for dollar and spec for spec, the OnePlus 11 is the best OnePlus phone you can buy.

Who it’s for: Someone who wants the very best of what OnePlus has to offer in 2023.

Why we picked the OnePlus 11:

The OnePlus 11 is the newest OnePlus phone currently available, but that's not the only reason we picked it as the best OnePlus phone in 2023. We picked the OnePlus 11 because it strikes an outstanding balance of specs, features, design, and price.

Pick up the OnePlus 11, and it's immediately clear that you're dealing with a well-made handset. The stainless steel frame feels great, the Gorilla Glass Victus back is plenty durable, and the bold camera housing is as unique as they come. OnePlus' iconic alert slider is also here, making it a cinch to quickly switch between audible notifications, vibrate, or silent modes.

The 6.7-inch AMOLED display is another highlight, delivering bold and vivid colors. It also has a 120Hz refresh rate to make all of its movement/animations as smooth as can be. That smoothness is further helped by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset at the heart of the OnePlus 11. How fast is it? Apps open immediately, graphically intense games play flawlessly, and up to 16GB of RAM means multitasking is a breeze. The OnePlus 11 delivers all of this performance without heating up and while sipping power at an incredible rate. Even with regular use, the OnePlus 11 easily delivers two days of use per charge.

But are the cameras any good? You bet. A 50MP main camera captures excellent photos with good detail and bold, distinctive colors. It's not the most accurate camera in the world, but the images it produces are lovely to look at. The 48MP ultrawide camera is also a welcome addition, though the 32MP telephoto camera with its 2x optical zoom is significantly behind zoom capabilities on phones like the Pixel 7 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.

And then there are the smaller details. 80-watt wired charging gets you from 0 to 100% battery in roughly 30 minutes, but there's no wireless charging. The OnePlus 11 has an IP rating for dust and water resistance, but it's an IP64 rating instead of the more comprehensive IP68. OxygenOS 13 is the software you get out of the box, with a promise of four major Android updates and five years of security patches.

The cherry on top is the price. You can buy the OnePlus 11 for just $699, making it one of the best smartphone values around — and one of the best phones ... period. If you want a OnePlus phone, this is the one to get.

OnePlus 11
OnePlus 11
Best OnePlus phone overall
Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

OnePlus 10 Pro

Best OnePlus phone runner-up

Pros
  • Attractive and well made
  • Interesting camera features
  • Fast battery charging
  • Bright and colorful AMOLED screen
Cons
  • Unreliable software
  • No water resistance

Why you should buy this: The OnePlus 10 Pro remains a powerful and capable OnePlus smartphone — and it's now cheaper than ever.

Who it’s for: If you want a great OnePlus phone at an incredible price.

Why we picked the OnePlus 10 Pro:

At 8.6mm thick and 200 grams, the OnePlus 10 Pro is an easy-to-live-with, pocketable smartphone with dimensions that reflect its superior build quality and materials. It features Gorilla Glass Victus on the screen, paired with Gorilla Glass 5 on the back, and both glass modules are joined via a metal chassis that feels and looks great. The top OnePlus 10 Pro has 12GB RAM and 256GB of storage space alongside a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor. An 8GB RAM, 128GB storage model is also available if you want to save a bit of money.

The OnePlus 10 Pro’s 6.7-inch AMOLED screen has a 3216 x 1440 pixel resolution, a sharp 525 pixel-per-inch density, and a dynamic 120Hz refresh rate. The panel is an LTPO 2.0 AMOLED for a faster refresh, and it looks clear and vivid.

The second generation of Hasselblad Camera for Mobile software accompanies a 48-megapixel main camera, a 50MP wide-angle camera with a 110-degree field of view, and an 8MP telephoto for a 3.3x optical zoom. It also offers a 150-degree wide-angle camera mode. Ultimately, this combination offers strong images, and Hasselblad's expertise can really be felt in some areas of the app. Stills are balanced but still pop. The other lenses are a more mixed bag, with some issues with noise. The OnePlus 10 Pro camera can't compete with the likes of the iPhone 14 Pro, but it is still a lot of fun to shoot with.

The OnePlus 10 Pro’s battery lasts a day-and-a-half with a full charge and moderate use. After just 15 minutes on the fast charger, the battery rebounds to almost 100% from 40%, and OnePlus claims it'll only take 30 minutes for a completely full recharge.

The OnePlus 10 Pro started at $899 when it launched, but has since seen a price drop to $599 — making it an even more attractive proposition. The OnePlus 11 is the better phone overall, but if you want to join the OnePlus life while spending a bit less cash, this is a fantastic way to go.

OnePlus 10 Pro
OnePlus 10 Pro
Best OnePlus phone runner-up
oneplus 10t review back front
Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

OnePlus 10T

Best OnePlus phone for fast charging

Pros
  • Latest Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor
  • 20 minutes to charge the battery
Cons
  • Plastic chassis
  • No alert slider
  • No wireless charging

Why you should buy this: If fast charging is your top need above all else, the OnePlus 10T delivers — and then some.

Who it’s for: If need your OnePlus phone to go from 0 to 100% battery in 20 minutes.

Why we picked the OnePlus 10T:

The OnePlus 10T isn't our favorite OnePlus phone by any metrics, but it is a OnePlus phone with a few special features, which may attract those willing to look past the problems.

The OnePlus 10T was the first OnePlus phone to contain the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, and this superb chip devours any number of games and apps. It'll handle the latest and most demanding games with no problems, and when paired with 16GB of RAM, it makes for an exceptionally powerful smartphone. Sure, it's not a massive upgrade over the 8 Gen 1 in the OnePlus 10 Pro, but it is definitely an upgrade.

The OnePlus 10T is the fastest-charging phone currently available in the U.S. -- by a good margin. Run the 4,800mAh battery completely flat, and the 125W charging will take it back up to full in about 20 minutes. That's about a single episode of The Simpsons, which is just staggering. The battery lasts a decent amount of time, roughly a day-and-a-half with normal use. Gaming does knock the battery down a fair amount though, so keep an eye on that.

The rest of the phone isn't quite so cutting-edge. The body is made from plastic, which isn't really acceptable in a phone that launched with a $649 price. It's a good-looking design, which helps a bit, but it's still not great when the phone feels so cheap. OnePlus has also removed the alert slider in order to make more room inside the phone. The alert slider is one of OnePlus' more unique features, and it looks like it's already coming back with the OnePlus 11.

There's a triple-lens camera on the back, but the 2MP macro lens isn't really worth considering, so really, it's a dual-lens camera. The 50MP main camera is good enough, taking nice pictures on bright, sunny days. Drop the lights, though, and quality suffers. The 8MP wide-angle lens is disappointing, offering washed-out photos. It's the same setup as on the Nord 2T, and what's acceptable in a cheaper phone is less palatable on a more expensive device.

OnePlus 10T
OnePlus 10T
Best OnePlus phone for fast charging
oneplus nord 2 ce 5g review camera module in hand
Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G

Best value OnePlus phone

Pros
  • Great, eye-catching design
  • Battery charges in 30 minutes
  • Two days use from the battery
  • Headphone jack on board
  • Dual 5G SIM and microSD card slot
Cons
  • Android 11 isn't the latest version
  • No IP rating
  • Poor single speaker

Why you should buy this: If you love getting great value above all else, the OnePlus Nord 2T 5G is a really solid option.

Who it’s for: Anyone who wants a good OnePlus phone at a great price.

Why we picked the OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G:

The OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G — made entirely of plastic — is nonetheless pretty to look at and light by modern phone standards at a comfortable 173 grams, 73mm width, and 7.8mm thickness. A 6.43-inch AMOLED screen with a 90Hz refresh rate is the face of the Nord CE 2 5G, with Gorilla Glass 5 over the top. The MediaTek Dimensity 900 processor powers the phone, paired with 8GB of RAM and 128GB storage space.

Android 11 with OxygenOS 11 installed on the phone at launch puts it behind competing phones that have already had an update to Android 12. However, the software performance remains snappy, so it's still a strong pick.

You get a 64MP main camera with an f/1.7 aperture and electronic image stabilization (EIS), an 8MP wide-angle camera with a 119-degree field of view, and a 2MP macro camera. The selfie camera is 16MP. It includes a night mode, a macro mode, a full-resolution 64MP mode, and the ability to shoot 4K video at 30 frames per second. There’s an AI Mode that adds scene recognition and boosts visual images as well.

The 4,500mAh capacity battery lasts for two days of hard use before needing a recharge. The 65-watt SuperVOOC fast-charging system propels the battery from under 5% to 100% in under 35 minutes.

OnePlus Nord CE 2
OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G
Best value OnePlus phone
oneplus nord n30 5g review 1
Joe Maring/Digital Trends

OnePlus Nord N30 5G

Best OnePlus phone under $300

Pros
  • Nice in-hand feel
  • Headphone jack and expandable storage
  • 120Hz display looks great
  • Good, reliable performance
  • 50W charger in the box
Cons
  • Bland, smudge-prone design
  • Very poor camera quality
  • Only promised a single OS update

Why you should buy this: It's the best OnePlus phone for under $300.

Who it’s for: Anyone who loves OnePlus' phones but doesn't want to spend a lot of money.

Why we picked the OnePlus Nord N30 5G:

While it has some drawbacks, there's a lot to love about the OnePlus Nord N30 5G, and that makes it a fantastic phone to grab for under $300 if you love OnePlus.

We'll start with the design. While it's on the more boring side where smartphones are concerned, OnePlus has made this rather large phone quite manageable. It's not slippery, the edges offer good grip, and it's well weighted for single-hand use. That's a real achievement when you consider the screen is a rather large 6.72 inches. It also has dual stereo speakers for surprisingly great sound, and it even has a headphone jack and a microSD card slot.

The display isn't just big — it's good too. It has a 120Hz refresh rate, an extremely welcome and surprising addition, and even though it's an LCD panel, it's clear and colorful and looks great. You won't be able to take advantage of all those frames in gaming, but it's no slouch either. The Snapdragon 695 is a solid chip, and while it won't make your phone a gaming monster, it's still able to handle most of the latest games without too many issues or hitches.

The 5,000mAh battery is something of a monster. Expect it to last over a day on a single charge, and when it comes time to charge, the 50W superfast charging will mean you're not having to stay tethered for very long. There's no wireless charging, but that's forgivable on a $300 phone, and especially on one that offers this much.

It's not perfect, though. The camera is easily the worst part of this phone, and it risks seriously dragging the phone down. The camera is so poor that it's actually a reason not to buy this phone. The main 108MP lens sounds good on paper, but it underperforms in real life. Pictures in good lighting are flat and lacking in character, and once lighting becomes more challenging, you'll get a lot of noisy and smudged photos. The two 2MP depth and macro lenses are acceptable, but they don't save this phone's camera from being a real letdown.

This is very much the best $300 OnePlus phone you can buy, but it comes with serious caveats where the camera is concerned. But if a good camera isn't a big factor for you, then consider those caveats pushed aside. With good performance, a strong battery, and a 120Hz display, the OnePlus Nord N30 5G is the best $300 smartphone from OnePlus.

OnePlus Nord N30 5G
OnePlus Nord N30 5G
Best OnePlus phone under $300
oneplus nord n300 5g review with box
Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends

OnePlus Nord N300 5G

Best OnePlus phone under $250

Pros
  • Sleek and lightweight design
  • 90Hz refresh rate on a large 6.56-inch display
  • Nice tactile haptics
  • Great selfie camera
  • Expandable storage via microSD
  • 5,000mAh battery with 33W fast charging
Cons
  • Lower-res screen resolution
  • 2MP depth camera doesn't add much
  • Won't get updates after Android 13
  • Only available on T-Mobile

Why you should buy this: You want a OnePlus phone, but have a really tight budget. If that's the case, the Nord N300 5G is what you should look at.

Who it’s for: Someone who wants a OnePlus phone for less than $250.

Why we picked the OnePlus Nord N300 5G:

OnePlus' naming convention may have gone slightly off the rails, but don't let a confusing name stop you from buying a great value smartphone. The OnePlus Nord N300 5G is a good phone with a lot to offer, especially at this price. While it has some downsides, it's still worth a look when shopping in the $200 range.

As you might expect for this price, the Nord N300 is made from plastic. It's a nice feeling plastic, though, with a texture that makes it nice to hold. It has a slight shimmer, too, which means it looks at bit like aluminum from a distance. The display is a 6.56-inch IPS LCD screen that tops out at 1612 x 720 pixels. That's quite low for a display this size, but it also comes with a 90Hz refresh rate, which is a solid addition at this price, especially when you consider the iPhone 14 still only has a 60Hz refresh rate.

Performance is solid, but don't expect to play demanding games without a little bit of struggle. The N300 handled Genshin Impact and Diablo Immortal, but we did need to tone down the graphical options in order to run them smoothly. A slight annoyance is that while the phone comes with Android 13 — the latest Android update — it won't be progressing past that. That's a disappointment, as it severely impacts the phone's potential lifespan.

The OnePlus Nord N300 technically has a dual-lens system on the back, but the additional 2MP lens isn't really up to much. It's basically just there to assist with depth and focus and is more-or-less a throwback to the original dual-lens camera systems a few years ago. Instead, the meat is in the main 48MP lens. In use, it's fine. It struggles to match real-life colors and impact, and obviously it's no match for the best camera phones out there, but for a budget camera phone, the N300 does just fine.

But what you lose on the swings, you gain on the roundabouts: The OnePlus Nord N300 has a great battery. The 5,000mAh cell managed two days between charges (though heavy use might impact this, especially with gaming), and it comes with a 33W fast charging cable and charger in the box. So it should last a good time between charges, and doesn't take a long time to refill at all. That's a pretty good slam dunk, in our estimations.

The OnePlus Nord N300 5G is currently only available in the U.S., and only through T-Mobile and Metro. However, the cost of just $228 makes it a tasty morsel indeed, as long as you can live with the downsides of a rubbish display resolution and so-so camera.

OnePlus Nord N300 5G
OnePlus Nord N300 5G
Best OnePlus phone under $250

Editors' Recommendations

Jackie Dove
Contributor

Jackie is an obsessive, insomniac tech writer and editor in northern California. A wildlife advocate, cat fan, and photo app fanatic, her specialties include cross-platform hardware and software, art, design, photography, video, and a wide range of creative and productivity apps and systems. Formerly senior editor at Macworld and creativity editor at The Next Web, Jackie now writes for a variety of consumer tech publications.

Mark Jansen

Mark Jansen is an avid follower of everything that beeps, bloops, or makes pretty lights. He has a degree in Ancient & Medieval History, which obviously makes him a shoo-in to write about technology for a living. He currently contributes to the Mobile section on Digital Trends, with a particular emphasis and expertise on exploring the weirder side of smartphones, from tiny rugged phones to massive gaming phones. You'll most often find him seeking out leaks and rumors on upcoming devices, and playing with a variety of new apps for both Android and iOS.

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