Budget 30-40k Is Oneplus 11 a good buy right now at around 33k?

[goDofWar_skr]

This is more of an asking-for-advice thread. Need to know if I'm making a good decision or if should I wait more.

I'm using an iPhone XR 64gb at the moment and beginning to feel the need to upgrade due to:-

• No 5G
  The area where I live has poor indoor network coverage. So there is a struggle with voice calls and mobile internet. 4G internet speeds are max 1~2mbps. Whereas 5G I tested and found it gave around 80mbps at the same place.
• 3GB RAM of the iPhone isn't cutting it anymore.
  If I open 6~7 apps, then I notice most of them need to reload from scratch when I launch them again.
• The battery doesn't hold up under extensive use like GPS navigation on mobile data.
  Most of the time I need to charge the phone twice a day.

The Oneplus 11 is going to solve all these issues while also giving me additional things like super fast charging, AMOLED 120Hz curved display.
However, I feel the phone is a bit overpriced with the base variant at 57k.

But today I saw an offer where they are giving an exchange value of 22k for my iPhone xr which is too good.
Overall after exchange and card discounts, the final cart value is 33k and I also get a 1-year screen replacement at Rs98 only. Also, there is a 12-month no-cost EMI offer.

Considering this would you advise me to buy it or wait for big billion sale and get the iPhone 14 around 50k?
I'm thinking the value of the iPhone Xr would be at best 15k then.
Or are there any other alternative phones that I can look for?

 

[t3chg33k]

The OnePlus phones usually have a higher exchange value because rather than reducing the price, they generally push up the exchange value. You would alternatively see offers where they reduce the price by 10k instead. I suppose it depends on whether you can live with ColorOS and inferior image processing.

 

[OMEGA44-XT]

Are you fine switching to android? If yes, then OP11 is a decent choice. It could have had an even better battery life with a 1080p panel, but still its good. The 100W charger will be a different experience though.

OP11's cam should be better than your XR, but still not considered one of the best. Even base S23 will produce better pics.

Beyond 50k, my suggestions for most people are OP11, then S23. S23's small size might not be for everyone, but is great for one hand usage. Check reviews & take the call on OP11.

Do not buy 2021/22 android flagships with S888, S888+, 8 Gen 1 or Exynos powered phones.

 

[goDofWar_skr]

Are you fine switching to android? If yes, then OP11 is a decent choice. It could have had an even better battery life with a 1080p panel, but still its good. The 100W charger will be a different experience though.

OP11's cam should be better than your XR, but still not considered one of the best. Even base S23 will produce better pics.

Beyond 50k, my suggestions for most people are OP11, then S23. S23's small size might not be for everyone, but is great for one hand usage. Check reviews & take the call on OP11.

Yes, I want to go back to Android..
My main gripe with ios is truecaller won't work properly and iCloud free storage is just 5gb. Whatsapp has already stopped doing backups due to this even with only chat backup and no media.
OP11 camera will definitely be better than XR but compared to the similarly priced iPhone 13 it would lose. There is no competition in video capture.
I actually love the S23 design, flat display and form factor. If it had a similar offer like I'm getting for the OP11 right now, I would definitely buy that one instead.

 

[SirVer]

• 3GB RAM of the iPhone isn't cutting it anymore.
  If I open 6~7 apps, then I notice most of them need to reload from scratch when I launch them again.

For what it's worth, I have the same issue with even less apps on my Mi 11X with 6GB RAM, despite running a non-MIUI ROM. I feel like Android's memory management has gotten worse in recent years.

 

[DestGod]

This is more of an asking-for-advice thread. Need to know if I'm making a good decision or if should I wait more.

I'm using an iPhone XR 64gb at the moment and beginning to feel the need to upgrade due to:-

• No 5G
  The area where I live has poor indoor network coverage. So there is a struggle with voice calls and mobile internet. 4G internet speeds are max 1~2mbps. Whereas 5G I tested and found it gave around 80mbps at the same place.
• 3GB RAM of the iPhone isn't cutting it anymore.
  If I open 6~7 apps, then I notice most of them need to reload from scratch when I launch them again.
• The battery doesn't hold up under extensive use like GPS navigation on mobile data.
  Most of the time I need to charge the phone twice a day.

The Oneplus 11 is going to solve all these issues while also giving me additional things like super fast charging, AMOLED 120Hz curved display.
However, I feel the phone is a bit overpriced with the base variant at 57k.

But today I saw an offer where they are giving an exchange value of 22k for my iPhone xr which is too good.
Overall after exchange and card discounts, the final cart value is 33k and I also get a 1-year screen replacement at Rs98 only. Also, there is a 12-month no-cost EMI offer.

Considering this would you advise me to buy it or wait for big billion sale and get the iPhone 14 around 50k?
I'm thinking the value of the iPhone Xr would be at best 15k then.
Or are there any other alternative phones that I can look for?

Samsung S21 FE is a phone I would recommend, easily the best in the 30k range IMO. With flagship cams, fairly compact design and a decent battery life (will be a step from your XR but won't be anywhere near Oneplus 11), I'd say it's better than the 11. Sure, performance and charging is something Oneplus 11 is much better at, but ColorOS is something you will have to bear with initially. I technically use both iOS and ColorOS (on a Realme mobile) on a daily basis, and I'll anyday take iOS, but that's just me. With Oneplus, there are high chances that any future OS update will succumb to bugs and glitches, and with OneUI on S21FE, you wouldn't have to worry about it.
Performance factor is something you can neglect if you're not into heavy multitasking or gaming.

 

[goDofWar_skr]

Samsung S21 FE is a phone I would recommend, easily the best in the 30k range IMO. With flagship cams, fairly compact design and a decent battery life (will be a step from your XR but won't be anywhere near Oneplus 11), I'd say it's better than the 11. Sure, performance and charging is something Oneplus 11 is much better at, but ColorOS is something you will have to bear with initially. I technically use both iOS and ColorOS (on a Realme mobile) on a daily basis, and I'll anyday take iOS, but that's just me. With Oneplus, there are high chances that any future OS update will succumb to bugs and glitches, and with OneUI on S21FE, you wouldn't have to worry about it.
Performance factor is something you can neglect if you're not into heavy multitasking or gaming.

I would have considered it but wifey already has an S20 FE and I found it more or less similar in almost everything.. hence didn't buy it when it was selling at 30k in the recent sale.
I'm not into gaming on phones.. but need something which will run without hiccups for next 2~3 years

 

[OMEGA44-XT]

Samsung S21 FE is a phone I would recommend, easily the best in the 30k range IMO. With flagship cams, fairly compact design and a decent battery life (will be a step from your XR but won't be anywhere near Oneplus 11), I'd say it's better than the 11. Sure, performance and charging is something Oneplus 11 is much better at, but ColorOS is something you will have to bear with initially. I technically use both iOS and ColorOS (on a Realme mobile) on a daily basis, and I'll anyday take iOS, but that's just me. With Oneplus, there are high chances that any future OS update will succumb to bugs and glitches, and with OneUI on S21FE, you wouldn't have to worry about it.
Performance factor is something you can neglect if you're not into heavy multitasking or gaming.

S21FE is not worth it just because of the Exynos chip, battery life is worse than S20FE 5G. My friend keeps his S21FE at 60Hz with power saving mode to get 4-5hrs SOT from morning to night. My almost 2 year old S20FE 5G does 4hr+ SOT easily w/o power savings at 120Hz, used to get 5hrs SOT when it was new.

But compared to XR, maybe battery life might be similar.

One UI is superior to Color OS for sure, but Color OS has come a long way & it's okay for most users. For me, I don't like Apple's OS logic, like from the command centre you can't turn off WiFi/BT, no file manager, can't download unsupported files, etc. Not sure if iOS still connects to your WiFi at midnight. Let OP take the call on OS (iOS vs android) IMO.

 

[DestGod]

I would have considered it but wifey already has an S20 FE and I found it more or less similar in almost everything.. hence didn't buy it when it was selling at 30k in the recent sale.
I'm not into gaming on phones.. but need something which will run without hiccups for next 2~3 years

True, not much of an uplift over S20FE. OS updates are (for what they matter for different users) a much clearer future for the S21 FE thouh, you get all the way till Android 16, same scenario for Oneplus 11. You wouldn't have any worries with OneUI, same unfortunately can't be said for Oneplus, given their poor track record lately. SD 8 Gen 2 will still keep it snappy though.
Unless you benchmark mobiles on an hourly basis, I doubt you'd see much of a difference in general usage between the 2. Expect some heating in the S21 FE though. I'd suggest visiting a nearby retailer to test both phones.

 

[indy1811]

That's a fantastic price for the Oneplus 11. I'd say definitely buy it now. If you don't like it you can always sell it for more than you paid for it.

Overpriced at 57k? Which other SD Gen 2 from a big company is available for lower than that?

 

[enc0dex264]

Actually a very good.. I have the Oneplus 10t which is very similar to the OP11.. my only gripe with the phone is slightly inconsistent ui with the colorOS compared to the pixel and late updates.. but if you dont care about having day 1 updates.. this is the phone to get!

 

[kalph09]

That's a good deal you are getting. Am currently using OP11 and S23. I moved from iPhone 12mini.

Pros.
The OP 11 has far moe polished gesture based navigation. For someone who is used to ios gestures for app switching, back or forward navigation. This will more well tuned. The s23 falters badly on this.

OP11 camera is quiet good, albeit warm tones. Lacks the neutrals seen on pixels or bit hdr-ish from the iPhone. YMMV.

You'll like the toggle switch for change ringer profiles. Similar to iPhone.

Cons.
The UI felt it hasn't change since 2014. The old MiUI icons, dull wallpapers and lastly I could not pull the app drawer by swiping up from the center. The moment I unboxed and powered it on to an uninspired and boring UI on day one made me use the phone less.

 

[enc0dex264]

That's a good deal you are getting. Am currently using OP11 and S23. I moved from iPhone 12mini.

Pros.
The OP 11 has far moe polished gesture based navigation. For someone who is used to ios gestures for app switching, back or forward navigation. This will more well tuned. The s23 falters badly on this.

OP11 camera is quiet good, albeit warm tones. Lacks the neutrals seen on pixels or bit hdr-ish from the iPhone. YMMV.

You'll like the toggle switch for change ringer profiles. Similar to iPhone.

Cons.
The UI felt it hasn't change since 2014. The old MiUI icons, dull wallpapers and lastly I could not pull the app drawer by swiping up from the center. The moment I unboxed and powered it on to an uninspired and boring UI on day one made me use the phone less.

I've been using Nova launcher to make it look as much like the pixel i can.. round icons like the pixels and swipe up to open app drawer is possible with it.

Also using Odialer enables call recording without the notification to the other party.

 

[kalph09]

I've been using Nova launcher to make it look as much like the pixel i can.. round icons like the pixels and swipe up to open app drawer is possible with it.

Also using Odialer enables call recording without the notification to the other party.

Unfortunately, my device is issued by office. Am in no position to unlock and install a custom rom.

 

[TheGoldenHorde]

Unfortunately, my device is issued by office. Am in no position to unlock and install a custom rom.

Custom rom ? Both Nova launcher and Odialer are just apps from the app store

That's a good deal you are getting. Am currently using OP11 and S23. I moved from iPhone 12mini.

Pros.
The OP 11 has far moe polished gesture based navigation. For someone who is used to ios gestures for app switching, back or forward navigation. This will more well tuned. The s23 falters badly on this.

OP11 camera is quiet good, albeit warm tones. Lacks the neutrals seen on pixels or bit hdr-ish from the iPhone. YMMV.

You'll like the toggle switch for change ringer profiles. Similar to iPhone.

Cons.
The UI felt it hasn't change since 2014. The old MiUI icons, dull wallpapers and lastly I could not pull the app drawer by swiping up from the center. The moment I unboxed and powered it on to an uninspired and boring UI on day one made me use the phone less.

I believe there is an option to enable swipe up for app drawer in the stock oneplus launcher itself. My mom and dad both are using oneplus. And I was using Oneplus 7 for 2 years. It was possible on it.

 

[kalph09]

Never gave launcher a thought. My bad.

Speaking of app drawer. I understand it's available and it works. It's the swipe up and down gesture to pull or close the app drawer that's not consistent. To know this better. Check the review of OP11 by Carl Pei.

 

[indy1811]

Never gave launcher a thought. My bad.

Speaking of app drawer. I understand it's available and it works. It's the swipe up and down gesture to pull or close the app drawer that's not consistent. To know this better. Check the review of OP11 by Carl Pei.

It's been fixed in V 13.1. You can now swipe on widgets. You can also swipe up and down to pull or close the app drawer.

 

[t3chg33k]

Yes, I want to go back to Android..
My main gripe with ios is truecaller won't work properly and iCloud free storage is just 5gb. Whatsapp has already stopped doing backups due to this even with only chat backup and no media.
OP11 camera will definitely be better than XR but compared to the similarly priced iPhone 13 it would lose. There is no competition in video capture.
I actually love the S23 design, flat display and form factor. If it had a similar offer like I'm getting for the OP11 right now, I would definitely buy that one instead.

I use Truecaller Premium on iOS and have the Search Truecaller shortcut set for the accessibility button on screen, as well as double tap on back and additionally you can use Siri to find who's calling. Works like a charm as it is just automation of the manual search while Truecaller can be a data harvesting menace on Android.

I've been using Nova launcher to make it look as much like the pixel i can.. round icons like the pixels and swipe up to open app drawer is possible with it.

Also using Odialer enables call recording without the notification to the other party.

Nova launcher was acquired by Branch which is an analytics company, from the developer. In short, Nova is not what it was and is basically another data harvesting app now.

Unfortunately, my device is issued by office. Am in no position to unlock and install a custom rom.

You can't install a custom ROM even if you want to. All developers abandoned OnePlus after the 9 series, following the switch to ColorOS and refusal by OPPO to provide recovery tools. At least they have completely lost the enthusiast crowd who have mostly pivoted to Nothing now.

 

[karanssh]

I am wondering if S22+ would be a better bet vs OnePlus 11, since both come to the same cost after exchanging my pos 6A

 

[enc0dex264]

It has gen1 chip i think.. again a battery hog and overheating issues.

Gen 1+ and gen 2 are the only efficient chips.