Image: OnePlus

Mobility must-reads

My go-to telephones over the previous 5 or so years have been the Pixel line. Simply put, I actually benefit from the pure Android expertise and the top-of-the-line digital camera. Outside of these two options, the Pixel line has been fairly the hit-and-miss expertise. Take, for example, the pathetic battery life discovered within the Pixel 4 or the underperforming Pixel 5. The Pixel 6 Pro fastened a lot of the points that haunted the 4 and 5, which has led it to not solely be my favourite cellphone within the Pixel line, however considered one of my all-time favourite Android gadgets.
SEE: BYOD Approval Form (TechRepublic Premium)
However, if OnePlus has its means, it would effectively usurp the Pixel 6 Pro from that vaunted throne.
I lately obtained a OnePlus 10 Pro to evaluation. I’ll be sincere: I used to be skeptical. The final time I touched a OnePlus was the sixth iteration. And though that was a superb gadget on the time, it was what I’d have referred to as a deal breaker.
The OnePlus 10 Pro, however, is a cellphone that would simply take the place of the Pixel 6 Pro as my go-to. Let’s dive in and discover out why.
The OnePlus 10 Pro digital camera
One of the primary issues I did with the OnePlus 10 Pro was snap a fast picture. I took no time in setting it up, I simply opened the digital camera, tapped Portrait, after which tapped the shutter. If a single picture may communicate a thousand phrases, it could be what you see in Figure A.
Figure A
Image: Jack Wallen. The OnePlus 10 captured an excellent picture proper out of the gate.
That picture was taken in low lighting and the crispness of the picture can’t be denied. As effectively, the way in which the OnePlus 10 Pro dealt with the background blur was nothing in need of astonishing.
I then wished to check colours. OnePlus partnered with Hasselblad (the makers of a number of the most interesting cameras in the marketplace) to tweak the colour profiles for the 10 Pro, and I’ve by no means seen such wealthy and correct colours on a cellphone digital camera. Take a have a look at Figure B.
Figure B
Image: Jack Wallen. The OnePlus 10 Pro picture is on the suitable.
The distinction between the colours of the bamboo on my AudioEngine A5+ audio system is dramatic, and the OnePlus digital camera completely nailed it. The colour within the OnePlus 10 Pro picture matches the wooden to perfection. In reality, I’ve but to take an image with the OnePlus 10 Pro that didn’t completely match the colour of the topic I used to be capturing.
But it’s not simply concerning the coloration. The OnePlus Pro 10 digital camera has numerous tips up its sleeve, equivalent to:
• Tilt-shift• 150-degree view• Outstanding low-light means• A totally-manual possibility• Panorama• Slo-mo• Time-lapse• Long publicity• Dual-video (so you are able to do video from each the entrance and rear cameras concurrently)
But let’s put aside the digital camera for now as a result of a cell phone is far more than only a means to snap selfies.
The OnePlus 10 Pro battery
The OnePlus 10 Pro battery is an enormous 5,000 mAh, and it performs precisely as you would possibly count on … all day. Given I’ve been accustomed to the lesser battery life within the Pixel line (though the Pixel 6 Pro does get pleasure from a battery life that’s effectively above common), I used to be not ready for the lasting energy of the OnePlus 10 Pro.
I’ve but to see the OnePlus battery fall beneath 50%. It’s simply outstanding how lengthy this factor goes. Of course, as I stated, I’ve grown accustomed to babysitting the Pixel batteries to maintain them from draining too quick, so the OnePlus 10 Pro battery is perhaps extra what you’re used to…however I doubt it. That 5,000 mHa battery holds numerous cost.
The OnePlus 10 Pro login choices
The OnePlus 10 Pro did what Google couldn’t with the Pixel 6/6 Pro—ship each fingerprint and facial scanners. With the 10 Pro you’ll be able to authenticate with:
• PIN• Pattern• Fingerprint• Facial scan
To additional finest the Pixel 6 Pro, the fingerprint scanner (which is completed by way of the show) is immediate. With the Pixel 6 Pro, the fingerprint scanner shouldn’t be solely hit-and-miss, it’s sluggish. The OnePlus 10 Pro instantly unlocks as quickly as you contact the scanner on the display screen. And facial recognition provides the identical pace and accuracy. I’d say the OnePlus 10 Pro fingerprint and facial recognition are leagues forward of what Google supplied within the Pixel 6 Pro.
Android on the OnePlus 10 Pro
This is the place the OnePlus does fall barely behind the Pixel 6 Pro. Google all the time provides one of many purest Android experiences in the marketplace. Most different gadgets add their very own tackle the working system, and OnePlus isn’t any totally different. With OxygenOS, OnePlus does distract from that pure expertise. In the case of the OnePlus 10 Pro, I’m completely satisfied to report what OnePlus has accomplished is ship a outstanding Android expertise.
One of the primary issues I seen was how buttery easy the UI is. Whatever secret sauce OnePlus used, it really works. Even the animation for the fingerprint scanner is spectacular. Slide down the notification shade and it’s like navigating via the silkiest UI you’ve ever used. And OxygenOS doesn’t, within the slightest, dampen the Android expertise. And that’s with the default FHD+ decision (working at 2412 x 1080). Switch it over to QHD+ (working at 3216 x 1440) and issues get even higher.
However, configuring the gadget to all the time use QHD+ will take a substantial hit in your gadget’s battery life. Your most suitable choice is to go together with Auto choose, which is able to change the decision based mostly on the content material you might be viewing. To do this, go to Settings | Display & Brightness | Screen Resolution. In the ensuing window (Figure C), faucet Auto Select.
Figure C
Auto Select delivers one of the best ratio of sensible content material and finest battery life.
If battery life is extra essential, keep on with FHD+.
Is the OnePlus 10 Pro price it?
If you worth sensible images, all-day battery, and flagship-level efficiency, the OnePlus 10 Pro (beginning at $899) is likely one of the most interesting choices in the marketplace. This is the primary cellphone in a very long time that has me questioning my loyalty to the Pixel line of telephones. If you’re available in the market for a brand new cellphone, you’d be remiss if you happen to didn’t put the OnePlus 10 Pro on the high of your checklist of choices.
Subscribe to TechRepublic’s How To Make Tech Work on YouTube for all the most recent tech recommendation for enterprise professionals from Jack Wallen.