OnePlus 10 Pro Review: Works fine, but gets lost in the bunch

OnePlus 10 Pro is the latest born of the Chinese house, arrived in Italy after a lukewarm debut at the height of a difficult period, which materialized with the formalized merger with OPPO. For the moment it is the only flagship of the house and continues with some technical ideas inaugurated last year such as the collaboration with Hasselblad for the camera department, while strenuously trying to preserve some of that personality that had made smartphones popular “flagship killer. “.

OnePlus 10 Pro is a smartphone that I approached, in all frankness, without the usual curious enthusiasm that always accompanied me during the unboxing of the well-kept red never settle packages , because over the years I have followed all the way, from the mythological OnePlus One up to the high standards of OnePlus 9 Pro, and now I can only see how poetry has been lost and the latest one is more than one among many, which we will probably not remember for long.

INDEX

• #DESIGN
• #TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
• # EVERYDAY USE
• #PHOTO COMPARTMENT
• #IN CONCLUSION

DESIGN: AND NOTICE

At first glance OnePlus 10 Pro is an at least interesting smartphone , which tries to stand out from the others with a series of well-thought-out physical characteristics. In particular, the back is characterized by a large photographic module that houses three lenses and a double LED flash, the ceramic “tile” binds seamlessly to the metal side frame, a little in the style of Galaxy S21 Ultra.

The back cover is in satin glass (Gorilla Glass Victus), for both black (Volcanic Black) and green (Emerald Forest) colors the finish is satin and does not treat fingerprints. A nice play of reflections and materials is therefore created between the shiny metal frame, the ceramic bump chamber and the opaque glass back cover.

The second noteworthy aspect is the thickness, reduced to just 8.55 mm which immediately in the hand transmits a nice feeling of refinement, although it exposes some structural stability problems, for which we are not really worried about it considering the use of a smartphone. On the other hand, one feels, and contributes in returning a premium feedback, the vibration, entrusted to a linear motor that moves on the X axis, precise in haptic feedback but powerful when it must be felt in your pocket.

The dimensions are important, the weight barely exceeds 200 grams but it is never excessive since it is well distributed on the body of the device.

The front, on the other hand, has remained the same as last year , with a hole at the top left, fairly thin frames and slightly curved edges. Pleasant overall but now seen and reviewed on many products. Finally, he confirms for the physical slider to set the silent and do not disturb mode, a very convenient element and inexplicably used only by OnePlus.

Great absent the IP68 certification against water and dust . For years OnePlus has sacrificed it to keep the price low (?), In fact the smartphone resists short dives without problems, only it is not certified as such, with all due respect to the grumbling of insiders and fans.

DISPLAY

The screen is a 6.7-inch Samsung Display Fluid AMOLED E4 with QHD resolution, it is a second generation LTPO that reaches 120 Hz. Nothing different from last year, when it was already among the best around, the peak brightness is 1300 nits, the proximity and brightness sensor work well and in the settings it is possible to adjust the chromatic calibration with great precision, even going so far as to customize the tone based on a color vision test.

Among the peculiarities of this display there is a double color calibration made at 100 and 500 nit, when usually smartphones receive only one calibration at medium brightness. This allows you to keep a good display of the image not only at medium lighting but also in dark conditions, with brightness on minimum values.

The refresh rate is well managed and moves from 10 to 120 Hz in an intelligent way, also adapting to the framerate of the multimedia contents displayed.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS: AT THE TOP

The OnePlus 10 Pro data sheet does not betray, showing itself capable of holding up the comparison with far more expensive smartphones without significant flaws (shame about the barometer and audio jack).

• Display: 6.7 “QHD + curved 3D AMOLED LTPO 2.0, 525ppi, 20.1: 9, 5,000,000: 1 contrast, 92.7% screen-to-body, 1-120Hz refresh rate, 1300nit, AOD (1Hz) support , Corning Gorilla Victus, double color calibration
• mobile platform: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
• memory:
  • 8/12GB of LPDDR5 RAM
  • 128/256GB interna UFS 3.1
• connettività: 5G, WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, USB-C 3.1, GPS dual band, Glonass, Beidou, Galileo dual band
• altro: HyperBoost Gaming Engine con GPA Frame Stabilizer e O-Sync, 3D Passive Cooling System, Alert slider
• dual SIM: yes
• Audio: 2x speaker, Dolby Atmos support, 2x mic, noise cancellation support
• OS: OxygenOS 12.1 based on Android 12
• fingerprint sensor: integrated into the display
• cameras:
  • anteriore: 32MP Sony IMX615, f/2,4, EIS, video fino 1080p a 30fps
  • posteriori:
    • 48MP principale, Sony IMX789, 1/1,43″, pixel da 1,12um, f/1,8, OIS, 23mm eq.
    • 50MP ultra wide angle, Samsung ISOCELL JN1, 1 / 2.76 “, 0.64um pixel, f / 2.2, FOV 150 °
    • 8MP tele, f/2,4, OIS, pixel da 1um, 77mm eq., zoom ottico 3,3x
    • dual LED flash, PDAF, video up to 8K at 24fps, Hasselblad Pro mode for 12-bit RAW shooting, Movie mode
• battery: 5.000mAh with SUPERVOOC wired fast charging at 80W, AIRVOOC wireless at 50W (from 1 to 100% in 32 minutes)
• colors: Emerald Forest (12 / 256GB), Volcano Black (8 / 128GB and 12 / 256GB)
• dimensions and weight: 163×73,9×8,55mm for 200,5g

The performances are unmatched, they are excellent from all points of view. The Snapdragon 8 gen 1 is well managed in terms of temperatures, without ever giving up the proverbial reactivity of OnePlus smartphones. It manages to dissipate heat thanks to a large plate very similar (the same?) To that of Realme GT 2 Pro, which we have seen being able to push the SoC to the limit. The passive dissipation system is made with layers of copper, carbon, graphene and a steel vapor chamber.

Gaming is clearly fertile ground , but it is also in daily use that OnePlus 10 Pro is known to be appreciated for its consistency in performance and the general fluidity with which it moves between apps and in the system.

Staying still for a moment in the playful context, I remember a couple of dedicated features GPA Frame Stabilizer deals with dynamically analyzing the frame rate of the game and conveying resources to the GPU and CPU to avoid drastic frame drops, favoring a gradual downgrade. O-Sync, on the other hand, increases the display’s sampling rate when playing, decreasing the response time by up to 30 milliseconds.

AUTONOMY

The autonomy deserves a separate paragraph: inside the body there are 5000 mAh of battery , divided into two modules to maximize charging performance, remarkable numbers considering that the dimensions have not changed compared to the predecessor, which however had a 4500 mAh battery.

After the latest updates OnePlus 10 Pro does not struggle to arrive in the evening even on the most stressful days, on average I managed to cover 7 hours of active display, a remarkable figure compared to the competition on the high end, which, removed iPhone 13 and 13 Pro, has never been able to give me total guarantees.

Recharge from 0 to 100% in just over 30 minutes thanks to the 80 Watt power supply (supplied in the package), excellent also the wireless one which reaches up to 50 Watt (0-100 in 50 min), a nice added value.

EVERYDAY USE: RELIABLE

The real strong point of OnePlus 10 Pro is daily use , which is a large array of behavioral characteristics that have an important impact on daily usability. Over time I found myself in my hands with smartphones with amazing specifications which, however, were lost in relatively marginal aspects and other products, including the OnePlus 10 Pro, which even without flickers, always manage to get by well.

First of all, it has excellent reception and perfectly manages bandwidth aggregation, supports two nano-SIMs, while there is no possibility of using e-SIM ( eddai, ed ). Even the audio on call is able to give satisfaction, it is clear and loud, evicting the two speakers even in speakerphone.

For multimedia playback, OnePlus 10 Pro relies on the two speakers, one of which is unbalanced on the bass and the ear capsule that recreates a stereophonic sound, albeit not exactly balanced. The volume is high, the quality is ok, average without excelling.

The Oxygen OS 12.1 deserves a separate discussion, based on Android 12 which arrives natively on this smartphone and will receive at least 3 major updates and 4 years of support for security patches. Very little remains of the original Oxygen, not so much in terms of functionality that for good or bad have been maintained, but more in the essentiality and simplicity that derived from the Cyanogen MOD on which it was based.

We know that Oxygen OS and Color OS are destined to become one, for the moment we remain in a sort of Frankestein with the heart of the software which is that of OPPO and the corollary OnePlus , with elements such as the historic Shelf screen that is activated with a swipe down from the top right corner, the ZenMode which helps to put down the smartphone for a while during the day or the Work Balance Life function which allows you to set two profiles in which to customize the arrival of notifications. Added to this is also a good tool to further improve the gaming user experience.

Overall we can say that nothing is missing and indeed, with the fusion together with the ColorOS the care for the graphic aspect and the animations has been further improved, now a little more showy and satisfying than the lightning ones we were used to with the Oxygen.

PHOTO COMPARTMENT: NO MIRACLES

The photographic sector of OnePlus 10 Pro has been slightly impoverished compared to its predecessor , in particular a monochrome camera has been lost and the ultrawide has changed sensor by adopting a smaller one, combined with a lens with a FOV of 150 degrees.

The main sensor is the excellent IMX789 with dimensions of 1 / 1.43 inches , with a resolution of 48 MP, it is a good quality package, capable of generally returning well detailed and clean photos. The software, however, seems to have worsened by further emphasizing a magenta shade on the shadows and a little noise as soon as the light is not optimal, on the other hand it is slightly less contrasted.

Let me say that it is a bit of a shame that despite the collaboration with Hasselblad in a year they have not yet managed to find the right place, even if they start from an excellent technical base. I had seen great potential on the OnePlus 9 Pro, but here I was disappointed.

Nothing particular to report on the 3.3 telephoto lens, the resolution is low but the quality is in line with the main competitors, who do not combine much on the telephoto lens.

The ultrawide instead adopts the Samsung ISOCELL JN1 , a sensor that we often find on low-end smartphones as the main camera. The quality is mediocre but at least you can shoot with FOV of 150 degrees for a fun fisheye effect. We saw it at work on the Realme GT2 Pro but I got the impression that it had a slightly better performance there. The problems are typical of an ultra wide angle, poor sharpness and chromatic aberrations at the edges.

Selfies are pretty good, 32 MP, as long as there is good light, but the image is never spotless from noise, especially in the background. It usually happens when the software steps in by adding sharpness without an adequate denoiser.

The videos go up to 8K resolution at 24 fps, or 4K up to 120 fps (without digital stabilization), have a really high quality, in a much better proportion than the photos. I liked the colors, the exposure management and the focus, always precise.

On the other hand, the videos made with the front cam are bad, it seems that digital stabilization is not active, probably due to a bug.

IN CONCLUSION

OnePlus 10 Pro is offered starting from 919 Euros in the 8/128 GB version and 999 Euros in the 12/256 GB variant . Prices identical to last year (and the previous year), therefore we must acknowledge OP’s merit for not having raised the price lists further, as everyone is doing in 2022.

We must not make the mistake of comparing this device to “ultra” products, such as S22 Ultra, Xiaomi 12 Pro, OPPO Find X5 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro, which cost more and offer more, but to the high-end, in which it finds some direct competitors with whom he manages to compete with having a lot to say.

As a good high-end smartphone, it offers a solid user experience, without shining for any particular aspect, but it is complete and without those smudges (IP68 aside) on which everyone eventually falls. The main alternatives are therefore:

• Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus: costs at least 100 Euros more, is waterproof, has better software, but has something less on the battery and charging side, with some problems with the performance of the GPU
• OPPO Find X5: same price but a previous generation processor and lower screen, better cameras and more compact size
• Xiaomi 12: it costs 100 euros less with the same memory, it does not have a telephoto lens but it has a macro, for the rest they are the same, dimensions apart.
• Google Pixel 6 Pro: it’s a tough nut to crack for everyone now that it’s been updated properly, hard to find but it’s all round complete
• Realme GT 2 Pro: much less refined in design but significantly lower price compared to almost the same hardware
• Motorola Edge 30 Pro: same as above, slightly weaker on the photo compartment but allows you to save a lot

To these are clearly added the top of the range of last year now dropped in price, OPPO Find X3 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus and the usual iPhones, in short, the competition is not lacking, times have changed and OnePlus will have to do something more to be able to stay afloat, at least if prices remain around 1000 euros.

OnePlus 10 Pro 5G 12GB RAM 256GB Smartphone with 2nd generation Hasselblad Camera for smartphones – 2 years warranty – Emerald Forest

999 € 

Performance and temperatures Autonomy and fast charging Display expertly managed

Cameras that can be upgraded . IP certification missing. Stereo sound a bit weak

VOTE: 8.5