A decade of OnePlus: Ranking my favorite OnePlus phones over the last 10 years

Ask any Android fanatic what their favourite producer is, they usually’ll inevitably say OnePlus. The Chinese firm discovered the viewers it needed from the get-go, and its capability to ship flagship {hardware} mixed with best-in-class software program meant it robotically attracted energy customers. While that course has modified lately, OnePlus continues to ship standout gadgets. I distinctly bear in mind being enthusiastic about getting my palms on the OnePlus One again in 2014; it wasn’t as simple as it’s as we speak, as you wanted an invitation to choose up the telephone. But I managed to safe one and purchased the telephone within the U.S. a number of months forward of its launch in India, and used it as my every day driver for effectively over a yr.I began writing about telephones on Android Central shortly after that, and that allowed me to check all of the telephones OnePlus launched in its ten-year historical past. The better part is that I bought to make use of all the model’s limited-edition fashions, so these are the 5 OnePlus telephones I favored essentially the most during the last decade.OnePlus 7 Pro: Truly one among a sort(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)The OnePlus 7 Pro had all of it: a shocking design, insane {hardware}, and a big battery. But what made the machine stand out essentially the most was the motorized digicam module that successfully hid the entrance digicam when not in use. This meant you bought a display screen that did not have any cutouts, and it regarded unbelievable.Even to today, the OnePlus 7 Pro seems futuristic, and the design has aged very effectively — it is a disgrace that producers walked away from retractable cameras altogether. I believe the design seems even higher than the OnePlus 11, and that display screen is only a delight to make use of. The Nebula Blue coloration variant seems beautiful, and after I reviewed the OnePlus 7 Pro again when it got here out in 2019, I stated that the machine was massive and heavy. It does not really feel that means in 2023; fashionable telephones have considerably greater digicam modules and batteries, and the 7 Pro seems svelte by comparability.(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)Although the design remains to be among the many better of any telephone as we speak, the cameras on the OnePlus 7 Pro did not fairly measure as much as what was out there on the time, and subsequent updates have not performed a lot to vary that. You can nonetheless get respectable pictures out of it, nevertheless it is not wherever pretty much as good as fashionable OnePlus telephones on this regard.Honestly, if OnePlus simply launched a model of the 7 Pro with fashionable internals and higher cameras, I believe it would do very well. But the design language has moved on, and it’s simply wishful pondering to think about that we’ll get an up to date variant of the telephone. Of course, there’s additionally the truth that you’ll be able to’t have an IP ranking with a retractable module, and that is a desk stakes function lately.OnePlus 7T: 4G’s final hurrah(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)The OnePlus 7T intently follows on the heels of the 7 Pro as one among my favourite OnePlus telephones. The telephone took the very best bits of the 7 Pro however made them extra accessible; you continue to bought a 90Hz AMOLED panel, however the show itself was flat, and that made it straightforward to carry and use. And that round digicam design on the again is simply pretty much as good as we speak because it was when it launched again in 2019.Because there wasn’t a retractable digicam module, the 7T was 16g lighter than the 7 Pro, and that mixed with the flat show made a large distinction in every day use. I had no scarcity of evaluate models on the time, however I ended up utilizing the 7T effectively into 2020. It additionally had the excellence of being the final of the 4G telephones — all of the gadgets that got here in 2020 had 5G radios that guzzled battery life, so I simply really helpful the 7T to those that did not wish to purchase a 5G telephone.The OnePlus 7T launched with OxygenOS 10 out of the field, and that was the zenith of OnePlus’s software program efforts. OnePlus 11 was a convoluted mess that did not have a coherent design technique, and OnePlus simply determined to make use of ColorOS after that. But with the 7T, you bought the very best that OxygenOS needed to supply, and it was unbelievable to make use of. In my OnePlus 7T evaluate, I stated that it was the final word worth on the time, and I nonetheless see these gadgets within the wild.OnePlus Open: Taking OnePlus to hovering heights(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)The OnePlus Open is the one latest OnePlus machine on this checklist, and that is a testomony to how good the foldable is in every day use. OnePlus nailed the design and {hardware}, and the software program has loads of helpful utilities, and OnePlus sorted out the preliminary points that I bumped into with my evaluate unit.Where the Open actually excels is the dimensions; due to a big outer display screen and a shorter design, it’s excellent to carry and use. While you lose out on just a little vertical actual property, that is not actually a difficulty, and I a lot desire the broader cowl display screen to the tall-and-narrow abomination that’s on the Galaxy Z Fold 5.OnePlus additionally outfitted the foldable with probably the greatest digicam packages within the phase, and it takes unbelievable images and movies in nearly any situation. And with the identical long-term replace assure as Samsung, the telephone will keep related so much longer. Honestly, that is my favourite foldable of 2023, and the truth that it is out there globally offers it a definite edge in opposition to its Chinese rivals Xiaomi and Honor.OnePlus 6T: Ushering in a brand new period of design(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)I wasn’t an enormous fan of the OnePlus 6T when it launched because it did not have a 3.5mm jack. That stated, the OnePlus 6 and 6T should be among the many best-looking OnePlus telephones ever made. These telephones launched the metal-and-glass design aesthetic that is persevering with to today, and the 6T specifically had a stunning design due to an in-screen fingerprint sensor.There’s additionally the colour, and the Thunder Purple variant of the OnePlus 6T simply hit all the appropriate notes. And on that word, I’ve to say the Lava Red model of the common OnePlus 6; that also continues to be the very best coloration choice OnePlus launched on a tool to this point — the Solar Red OnePlus 11R will get very shut, nevertheless it does not fairly handle the identical impact.Yes, the waterdrop cutout seems large subsequent to current-gen telephones, however the 6T itself is considerably smaller, thinner, and lighter than the likes of the OnePlus 11, and it simply feels nice to carry and use. The tiny digicam module with simply two sensors additionally seems quaint — you aren’t getting that anymore.When I revisited the OnePlus 6 and 6T in 2020, I stated that they aged very effectively, and numerous that was right down to the design and {hardware}. Like all different OnePlus telephones, the 6T delivered terrific {hardware} and AMOLED panel, however the greatest problem was the digicam — it simply wasn’t on par with the likes of the Mi 8.OnePlus 3T: OnePlus goes mainstream(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)Sure, the OnePlus One and OnePlus 2 had been pivotal in placing the model on the map, and pretty much as good because the {hardware} was, the design wasn’t very refined. That modified with the introduction of the OnePlus 3 and 3T again in 2016. These telephones featured a steel again that was beautiful, they usually enabled OnePlus to focus on mainstream consumers — that is when the model began gaining actual momentum.Of course, the {hardware} additionally performed a giant function in that, however the all-metal design allowed these gadgets to go up in opposition to the very best that Samsung and Xiaomi needed to supply on the time. The OnePlus 3T had its foibles; the display screen was susceptible to breaking should you checked out it incorrect, there was no MicroSD slot, and the digicam was strictly common. Nevertheless, the mixture of low worth and stellar {hardware} ensured the OnePlus 3T bought extremely effectively globally.Honorable point out: Limited version telephones(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)To me, OnePlus is at its finest when launching customized editions of its telephones. And there was no scarcity of that during the last 10 years; it kicked off with the OnePlus 5T Star Wars version, a tie-in to Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The telephone had a shocking white coloration variant that resembled the sandstone end of the OnePlus One, and it had loads of customized backgrounds and purple accents all through.The OnePlus 6 Marvel Avengers version was equally fascinating, and whereas it did not have the identical consideration to element, OnePlus bundled numerous equipment within the field. But my favourite needs to be the OnePlus 7T Pro McLaren version; as a decades-long F1 fan, it was enthralling to see a OnePlus telephone with McLaren livery, and whereas it might have performed extra with the design — I needed a telephone decked out in McLaren’s distinctive orange coloration — it was a terrific collaboration however. I’m nonetheless miffed that I wasn’t capable of go to Woking.While OnePlus is not collaborating with different manufacturers over restricted version gadgets lately, it nonetheless makes customized variants of its telephones; the OnePlus 11 Marble Odyssey model is beautiful, as is the OnePlus 11R Solar Red.It looks like simply yesterday that OnePlus burst onto the scene. The producer did a terrific job endearing itself to energy customers, and whereas it misplaced its means during the last two years, it has regained a few of its earlier ardour in 2023. It’s going to be a busy begin for the model subsequent yr with the introduction of the OnePlus 12, and I can not wait to see what the following decade brings.