Since their merger with Oppo, OnePlus steadily ventured into the mid-range market with their Nord series. Fast forward to 2022, OnePlus has lined up a mid-range successor to their flagship 10 Pro. The phone is officially known as the OnePlus 10R globally. But the Chinese variant comes with the OnePlus Ace branding. The device officially launched globally on 4th May 2022.
The company has long since lost its flagship killer title as it focused on the premium segment. But will the likes of 10R be able to revive that title for the Chinese brand? Let's find out.
Key Features of OnePlus 10R
Design and Build Quality
The design of the OnePlus 10R is unlike any other previous device from the company. OnePlus is notoriously known for experimenting with the design with each iteration of its flagships. The same has trickled down to their entry-level device as well.
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The device itself is a plastic built one with the frame and the back both sporting frosted plastic. However, the back features a dual-tone with the right side being frosted and the left side having a vertical texture under the camera module.
The OnePlus logo has also moved from the center position to the bottom right corner. The box-like frame can be easily compared with the iPhone 13 series as they both share the same thickness. Overall, the 10R design choice brings a breath of fresh air in a typical OnePlus fashion.
Moving on to the ports and buttons, the right side houses the power button. Unlike the other OnePlus models, the volume rockers are situated on the opposite side of the power button. OnePlus finally removed the headphone jack this time around which was otherwise available on the Nord series.
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The bottom of the device features the secondary mic, sim slot, and Type-C port. The sim slot features dual nano sim options and unlike the predecessors, users won’t be able to swap one out for the micro SDXC. The 10R, in all its innovative approach with a few drawbacks still impresses, at least on the design front.
The Display
The OnePlus 10R features a 6.7-inch FHD+ plus display. It is protected by Gorilla Glass 5. The panel is completely flat with no curves. Bezels on the panel also shrunk significantly to give a more uniform look all across the surface.
The display is OnePlus’s own version of high AMOLED called Fluid AMOLED. Even though the panel is an FHD+ one, it is still stacked with features that are otherwise reserved for even higher-end panels. There is 1B color with a 120 Hz refresh rate and HDR10+ support. The HDR10+ will allow the device to stream at an even better quality making it a perfect media consumption device.
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The panel can go up to 1200 nits under direct sunlight. Though users will have control of up to 800 nits as the max brightness is triggered by the light sensor. The display also boasts some of the best viewing angles on any smartphone. There’s virtually no color shift whatsoever.
One thing to note is that the device comes with a warmer tone out of the box. Users will be easily able to color calibrate the panel from the settings.
The Camera
The camera on the OnePlus 10R is quite something to look at. It's one thing to move around the camera modules but what OnePlus has done here can only be called a “vertical triangle” setup of the triple sensors.
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The main lens is the oversized one which takes much of the center stage. The 8 MP ultrawide and the 2 MP macro shooter finds their place at the foot of the main sensor on the two sides. Speaking of the main sensor, it is a 50 MP f/1.8 lens with PDAF and OIS.
The OIS is a huge addition here as it significantly increases the video stability of the device. The main sensor performs similarly to the Nord 2 with decent color capture and dynamic range. The lens does an excellent job of exposing the subject to different lighting conditions all the while preserving the dynamic range of the shots.
For low light environments, OnePlus has their proprietary night mode which arguably gives iPhone and Samsung a run for their money. In the test, the night mode perfectly captured the subject with the optimum amount of exposure and grain reduction.
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The selfie camera on the 10R is a 16 MP one. It’s a generic shooter which doesn’t bring anything new to the table. Overall, the camera system on the OnePlus 10R performs just as expected from it.
Processor and Performance
The OnePlus 10R sports MediaTek Dimensity 8100-Max. The 8000 series from MediaTek is a lighter version of their 900 range chips. The chipset is based on a 5 Nm architecture with 4 2.85 GHz Cortex-A78 and 4 2.0 GHz Cortex-A55 chip configurations. The processor is also coupled with Mali-G610 MC6 GPU.
The choice of going with MediaTek over Snapdragon is understandable even though all the high-end OnePlus devices are powered by Snapdragon. The 10R is after all a mid-range device so cost-cutting also becomes a priority.
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Speaking of performance, the 8100-Max processor won’t let users down. The processor can easily run graphics-intensive games at a medium to high setup. There aren’t any lags but a few frames drops here and there. The device does an excellent job at power management. Even after an extended period of gaming, the device doesn’t heat up or lose a significant battery.
So, who is this device for? The 10R can be a perfect choice for anyone looking for a utilitarian phone which can also be used as a light gaming device.
Battery and Charge Time
The OnePlus 10R comes in two variants – one that has a 5000 mAh battery which is the regular version. The other one is a 150W version which has a 4500 mAh battery. The 80W version can go from 0 to 100% in just 32 minutes whereas the 150W version can go from 0 to 100% in just 17 minutes.
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Price of OnePlus 10R
The price for the 8/256 GB variant of the OnePlus 10R in the Indian market is 42,999 Rs. The price roughly translates to 48,435 BDT (1 INR = 1.13 BDT). However, in Bangladesh, the official price of the OnePlus 10R is subject to change depending on various factors.
Verdict
The OnePlus 10R is yet another capable device from the brand that has become synonymous with high power performance. Even though the 10R is aimed at the mid-range market, the pricing would justify its position at the upper end of the mid-range category. As a result, some of the choices like a plastic body don’t exactly reflect the premium pricing users will have to pay for the device.
Other than that, the device absolutely shines in the display, camera, and especially the battery department. So, should you buy it? If you are on the lookout for a powerful and reliable android at a less than flagship price, then definitely yes. But if the build quality is your concern, then OnePlus 10R won’t live up to the expectation.