OnePlus 10 Pro Review

REASONS TO BUY

 +  6.7-inch QHD+, 120Hz display

 +  Powerful efficient performance

 +  Seriously fast charging

 +  Effective camera system

REASONS TO AVOID

 -  Other phones have a better battery life

 -  Camera can be a bit inconsistent

 -  It is big to hold

This OnePlus 10 Pro review is the place to be if you want an all-singing, all-dancing smartphone - it's undeniably one of the best phones of the year and it's just a tad cheaper than some other flagship devices.

We've known about the OnePlus 10 Pro for a while now because it was first released in China at the beginning of 2022.

We received official confirmation at MWC in February that it would be available in the US and Europe later this year, and the handset has now arrived on our shores.

OnePlus has had a lot of success since its inception in 2013. Last year's OnePlus 9 Pro was one of the best 5G phones you could buy at the time, and it's still a popular device today.

Other recent devices in their lineup, such as the OnePlus Nord 2 and OnePlus Nord CE 2, have recently established themselves as some of the best Android phones available.

Given how quickly this smartphone manufacturer has made a name for itself, we've come to expect a lot from their devices, and since their merger with Oppo last year, we've come to expect even more.

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ONEPLUS 10 PRO REVIEW: PRICE AND AVAILABILITY  

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The OnePlus 10 Pro, which will be available for pre-order in the United States and the United Kingdom on March 31, 2022, is currently available for pre-order in the United States and the United Kingdom, but it will not be available in Australia as far as we know.

It is available in a few different configurations. The first comes in Volcanic Black and has 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage; it costs $899 in the US and £799 in the UK and in India at Rs 66,999

Roundup of the OnePlus 10 Pro: Expected Price in India,...

The second variant is available in Emerald Forest and comes with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage; it will cost £899 in the UK, but there is no word on pricing for this model in the US as of yet.

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ONEPLUS 10 PRO REVIEW: WHAT’S NEW 

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The OnePlus 10 Pro, as expected, looks different from the OnePlus 9 Pro, with a redesigned camera module, new colours, and a more natural placement for the fingerprint scanner, but it's the camera system that really stands out.

In addition to the 48MP main camera, 50MP ultra-wide camera, and 8MP telephoto lens, there is a new selfie camera on the front of the phone, which has been upgraded from 16MP on the OnePlus 9 Pro to 32MP here.

This is the second generation of the OnePlus flagship to benefit from the company's partnership with camera manufacturer Hasselblad, but it's been improved this time around, with the addition of a new 150-degree ultra-wide-angle camera and OnePlus' billion colour solution, which means the rear camera system can now shoot in 10-bit colour as well as the standard 8-bit colour.

Other improvements include an improved LPTO display, a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, and a new heat dissipation system to improve efficiency. The battery has also been upgraded to 5,000mAh, and you'll get 80W SUPERVOOC charging, which claims to provide a full day's power in just 15 minutes.

The OnePlus 10 Pro comes with the most recent OxygenOS 12.1 based on Android 12.1, as you'd expect from a flagship phone in 2022. Along with that, there are a few new features, such as the OnePlus Shelf, Work Life Balance 2.0, an improved Dark Mode, as well as a plethora of customization options.

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ONEPLUS 10 PRO REVIEW: DESIGN AND DISPLAY 

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OnePlus has given this phone a design refresh, and it now appears to be more elegant and mature than before.

The phone's back is made of matte glass that shimmers rather than glows. The OnePlus logo and licencing information can be seen on it, but it blends in so well with the back panel that it's barely noticeable.

The OnePlus 10 Pro is available in only two colours: Volcanic Black and Emerald Forest. However, because the options vary by colorway, which one you choose will be determined in part by how much storage and RAM you require.

The ceramic square camera module is clearly the device's focal point. It looks great, but more importantly, it doesn't protrude too far, allowing you to use the phone while lying flat on a table without it wobbling.

This phone is quite large for anyone, measuring 163 73.9 8.55mm and weighing 201g. Those with smaller hands may find it difficult to use, but it's not as difficult as a phone like the Google Pixel 6 Pro. There is also a one-handed mode available to make things easier for you.

OnePlus 10 Pro Launch in India on March 31 Officially Confirmed:...

The phone comes with a matching protective case in the box to protect the back from scrapes and dirt. Even without it, you get the impression that it will withstand minor bumps, and I didn't notice a single fingerprint mark appear while I was using it.

OnePlus is one of the few smartphone companies that still have an alert slider on the frame, and I'm glad they did. It's very useful to be able to quickly switch between ring, vibrate, and silent, especially if you're in a dark room like a cinema or theatre and realise you forgot to change it.

The rest of the frame is pretty standard, with a power button on the right, volume controls on the left, and a USB-C port on the bottom.

With a 6.7-inch screen, this phone is well suited to a variety of tasks, including streaming video, doing work on the go, composing shots, and playing mobile games.

The resolution is 3216 1440p QHD+, with a massive 10-bit colour depth and 525 pixels per inch. It's impossible to argue with it; it's one of the best screens on the market right now.

The display's quality shines through on social media apps like Instagram and YouTube, but you'll really see its full potential when watching darker TV shows like Peaky Blinders. It manages to keep an impressive level of contrast, allowing you to see every detail of the scene even in the darkest corners.

The OnePlus 10 Pro uses Dual Colour Calibration, which means that it has been adjusted to deliver accurate colours at two levels of brightness, to improve how you see the screen throughout the day (as opposed to just one like a lot of other phones). Just because you've reduced the brightness doesn't mean the colours should look any less natural.

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ONEPLUS 10 PRO REVIEW: CAMERA SYSTEM 

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As previously stated, the OnePlus 10 Pro features a three-lens rear camera system comprised of a 48MP main camera, a 50MP ultra-wide camera, an 8MP telephoto camera, and a 32MP selfie snapper.

In general, photos on the OnePlus 10 Pro came out really well, no matter what the subject was - I took photos of cityscapes, flowers, and landscapes. It may not be as good as the best Samsung phone, but it is unquestionably OnePlus' most advanced camera system to date.

All of the photos had a lot of detail, and the system was able to brighten up every aspect of the shot so that it was clearly visible. Colors look good for the most part; they're not oversaturated, but they can look a little washed out at times, which is unfortunate. Take a look at some of the images I captured below.

OnePlus' collaboration with camera giant Hasselblad has continued and evolved in this handset, which means there are some fantastic new features to experiment with, as well as some improvements on what was previously available.

The most notable new feature is the availability of 10-bit colour support across the entire rear camera system. That means it can process 64 times more colours than most smartphones, which typically only offer 8-bit photography - a total of 1 billion distinct colours. Ultimately, this will result in more vibrant, accurate photography for you.

It's certainly a forward-thinking feature, but keep in mind that most screens still don't support 10-bit colour, so while you'll be able to see the results on the phone, many laptops and monitors won't be able to display the photos to their full potential.

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You'll also benefit from a new 150° ultra-wide camera, which can also be used with a fun fisheye effect. You can see how those turned out in the video below.

An 8MP telephoto camera has up to 3.3x optical zoom and 30x digital zoom, but I imagine you'll only use shots up to about 10x zoom because they become grainy after that.

There are three new filters to try if you want to make your photos look more professional or artistic. A Hasselblad photographer calibrated each one. Serenity was created for portrait photography, Radiance for stylized shots, and Emerald for landscape photography.

For more experienced photographers, the OnePlus 10 Pro includes the Hasselblad Pro Mode across all of the rear cameras, as well as a RAW+ mode that allows you to shoot in up to 12-bit RAW.

Another advanced feature is Movie Mode, which allows you to change the ISO, shutter speed, and white balance before and during filming.

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ONEPLUS 10 PRO REVIEW: PERFORMANCE AND BATTERY  

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The OnePlus 10 Pro is powered by Qualcomm's latest and greatest chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. In addition, the phone I tested has 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. If you need some extra muscle, you can borrow up to 7GB of RAM from your storage. It's important to note that there is no MicroSD card slot for expanding the internal memory.

I had a great time using the phone because I couldn't find any flaws with it. Even when I used larger apps, there was no glitching or lagging; I could easily switch between open windows and navigate the system without ever having to deal with annoying loading wheels.

The OnePlus 10 Pro scored 980 in single-core and 3,380 in multicore on the Geekbench 5 benchmarking test, which is comparable to other recent flagships with the same chipset, such as the Oppo Find X5 Pro, but slightly lower than some others, such as the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.

So, how about the battery life? The OnePlus 10 Pro has a massive 5,000mAh battery that easily lasts more than a day. During that time, I listened to music on my commute, read the news, sent numerous texts, and even did some online shopping.

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To compare it to other phones I've tested, I downloaded and watched a TV show on full brightness for two hours. During that time, the battery level dropped by 14%, implying that it would have lasted slightly more than 14 hours in total. That's not the best in class, but it's adequate.

In the box, you'll find an 80W SUPERVOOC charger, which OnePlus stole from Oppo. It claims to charge your phone for a full day in just 15 minutes (about 60% battery) or a full charge in 32 minutes. It's worth noting that if you live in North America, you'll instead receive a 65W charger.

Of course, I had to put that to the test, and it really did only take half an hour to fill up the phone. Such rapid charging is game-changing because it eliminates the need to remember to plug in your phone hours before leaving the house; instead, a quick top-up will suffice.

The OnePlus 10 Pro supports 50W AIRVOOC wireless charging if you have a compatible charger. You'll even get reverse charging here, which means you can use this phone to charge other devices like headphones if you get stuck.

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ONEPLUS 10 PRO REVIEW: FEATURES 

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OxygenOS 12.1 is the operation's brain, and it is based on Android 12. It is without a doubt one of the best Android skins available. While it isn't as intuitive as stock Android or as visually appealing as Samsung's One UI, Oxygen OS is simple to use and doesn't appear too cartoonish or childlike.

The OnePlus 10 Pro will receive three major Android updates and four years of security updates in the future.

There are numerous ways to personalise the system, including the ability to change the overall colour scheme, the shape of the icons, and the animation of the fingerprint scanner. You'll also get a choice of themes for the always-on display, which can include your own Bitmoji, a canvas sketch of your photos, or even information about your phone usage.

However, there aren't many Always-On Display options, and the ones that do exist aren't as appealing as they are elsewhere, such as the mandala effects found on Oppo phones.

My only other issue is, admittedly, petty, but I find it annoying that the clock is set to show all 1s in red to reflect the OnePlus branding; it would be much better if you could change that.

Work-Life Balance, OnePlus Shelf, and OnePlus' own Scout search tool to find contacts, files, and apps stored on the phone are among the special features' that come with OxygenOS. There's also Quick Launch, which allows you to open apps much faster when you unlock your phone.

The OnePlus 10 Pro includes a new and improved Work-Life Balance 2.0 to prevent you from being distracted by your phone while working and to help you forget about your to-do list when you're finished for the day.

You can activate it by specifying hours, a location, or a Wi-Fi network, and then selecting which of your apps are present for work. When enabled, this feature will prevent you from receiving distracting notifications from social media during the day and work emails in the evening. It will also try to prevent you from procrastinating on your leisure apps by asking if you are certain you want to open them.

The OnePlus Shelf is another feature worth noting. It includes a number of useful widgets and information that you may want to access quickly, such as the weather forecast, your notes, or your step count.

To bring it up onto the screen, swipe downwards from the top right corner, which takes some getting used to because it is frequently confused with the top menu. It's a shame you can't choose another gesture for it.

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ONEPLUS 10 PRO REVIEW: VERDICT 

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The OnePlus 10 Pro is unquestionably an improvement over last year's OnePlus 9 Pro, boasting an improved camera system, more powerful hardware, a stunning screen, and super-fast charging.

Despite the addition of new features, the camera remains the phone's crowning glory. You'll be able to create some truly stunning shots with it. Although, to be honest, I'm not sure how many people will be able to see the benefits of 10-bit photography, at least not until 10-bit screens become more common.

To cut a long story short, the OnePlus 10 Pro can do almost everything. It's difficult to recommend this phone if you're a budding photographer, value a large bright screen, or care more about power and efficiency.