OnePlus 10 Pro review – An unfinished work of art that doesn’t quite deliver

OnePlus has seen a whole lot of change over the past 12 months or so because the launch of the OnePlus 9 Professional. The consolidation of the OnePlus and OPPO manufacturers is a serious change. Usually the OnePlus telephone launch is touted as a “flagship killer”, however this 12 months there’s much more happening.

After having the OnePlus 10 Professional in my pocket for the previous few weeks, I’ve a whole lot of ideas to share on the telephone, the corporate and the path they’re heading. As you’d anticipate, there are some good factors, however the OnePlus 10 Professional additionally has just a few lowlights and a few ugly moments so let’s get into it.

The {hardware}

The OnePlus 10 Professional has a whole lot of promise once you have a look at the {hardware}. In reality, the telephone is sort of beautiful to have a look at and feels pleasant within the hand. The curves are glossy and the official OnePlus circumstances you may get to guard the gadget, add a little bit of aptitude to the look too. What can also be evident rapidly although is the path of OnePlus in the direction of the OPPO camp.

Whereas personally, I really feel just like the emerald forest color is attractive, our assessment unit is considerably typical volcanic black.

Whereas there are a few vital adjustments as a part of the OPPO-fication of OnePlus some design parts of the OnePlus 10 Professional have stayed true to earlier generations. The display, as a place to begin, is completely attractive! It’s buttery clean, with crisp and clear color and runs at a delightfully excessive decision. The numbers behind this are 1440 x 3216 decision at 525 PPI and a variable refresh fee from 1 to 120Hz. One other little contact that OnePlus contains is the pre-applied display protector, preserving the look of your gadget and the display some time longer. I can truly emphasize sufficient how good this display is, it truly is a factor of magnificence, doubtlessly even on par with the S22 Extremely and Discover X5 Professional we not too long ago reviewed.

Hidden inside the display is a fingerprint scanner which — transferring from the Pixel 6 Professional — is correct and fairly snappy. That being mentioned, for those who’re a consumer of face unlock, most of the time, face unlock has already triggered by the point you’ve obtained your thumb to the scanner which is a formidable outcome.

Different internals that contribute to the consumer expertise features a Snapdragon 8, Gen 1 and is complemented by 8GB of RAM. What I can’t perceive although, is that the worldwide model doesn’t carry an IP score. If you couple this with the catastrophic failure that the gadget suffered throughout a sturdiness check, there are a whole lot of customers who’re considerably cautious of buying one. I haven’t famous any instances when the telephone flexed unexpectedly or felt flimsy throughout testing although, even forgetting I had it in my again pocket and sitting down.

Charging and Battery: Nonetheless main the pack

OnePlus has been one of many leaders in relation to charging for a few generations now. The OnePlus 10 Professional presents a whopping 80W wired charging resolution that can take your telephone from the verge of shutting down, to full in a whisker over half-hour. Though for Aussie patrons, OnePlus chargers may be exhausting to seek out, so seize and OPPO SuperVOOC charger since you’ll get virtually similar outcomes.

For those who’ve obtained a choice for wi-fi charging, then the 50W wi-fi charging could be a breath of recent air for you. It would cost your telephone in about 45 minutes, which for wi-fi is a formidable final result.

In honesty although, for those who’ve obtained a great charging routine in place for normal day by day charging then you definately’re not going to wish the velocity of the charging. The battery has loads of endurance, lasting all day with out fail and on quiet days getting me a few days of use. There are some moderately aggressive energy optimisations — apps getting shut down within the background — to realize this, however you possibly can add exceptions to this to make sure your essential apps all the time run and the 5,000 mAh battery performs its half too.

The Digicam – A small, however vital step backwards

We’ve mentioned prior to now that Megapixels don’t make the digital camera and it is a good instance of precisely that. The principle digital camera is identical because the OnePlus 9, and it carries the identical telephoto sensor. However by altering the supplier of the Ultrawide sensor (from the Sony IMX766 to Samsung’s JN1) there’s a deficit in functionality in comparison with final 12 months’s telephone.

The design is a slight shift to a sq. digital camera array which I fairly just like the look of. It’s somewhat extra rounded and works with the aesthetic of the telephone as an entire.

A few of that is coated by the partnership with Hasselblad, however the digital camera simply hasn’t produced the standard of photos that OnePlus has accomplished prior to now. Sadly, this time round among the post-processing on pictures has resulted in some barely oversaturated colors and lighting that isn’t as pure with shadows being washed out or eradicated by the software program.

That in itself could be very a lot centered on a extra vibrant photograph, however the problem with shutter lag from the OnePlus 9 Professional remains to be very evident. What you see within the picture preview is — when photographing a fast-moving goal — not what you get as a last product. By way of timing, I took a whole lot of pictures to attempt to get considered one of my daughter on the peak of her bounce to no avail. Suffice to say, this isn’t the telephone for you for those who’re usually ready the place you wish to take motion photographs.

Criticisms apart, the digital camera on the OnePlus 10 Professional is completely able to taking some beautiful pictures. Evening mode is especially good and maybe, the software program is extra tuned to go well with the low and inconsistent lighting circumstances. With all of this in thoughts although, if I have been requested, based mostly on the digital camera, which OnePlus gadget I wished – It might be the OnePlus 9.

The software program doesn’t fairly hit the mark

OxygenOS has been OPPO-fied and except you’re a giant fan of ColorOS this isn’t an important outcome. It appears like OnePlus has gone from a inventory Android working system to a extra business choice. However with that, among the good little bits of comfort and polish are gone. Maybe it is because the ColorOS choice was canned and in consequence, the model of OxygenOS we’re seeing was rushed. Whereas there aren’t any large, deal-breaking moments with the software program it feels unfinished.

Whereas it is a drawback for anybody who has had a earlier OnePlus gadget and liked the expertise, others who haven’t presumably gained’t even discover it. This isn’t an “unfixable” drawback, the following couple of updates for OxygenOS on the OnePlus 10 Professional will likely be essential although: It at present feels unfinished, it’s not unfixable and updates have the potential to make the telephone a hero if OnePlus will get it proper.

So, with that apart, the efficiency of the software program is definitely fairly good. Even after I ran just a few video games on it, there was no indication that the {hardware} was battling what I used to be asking it to do.

There’s no “official” channels into Australia, nonetheless…

This can be a huge barrier for lots of potential patrons as a result of, whereas you may get OnePlus gear in Australia it’s usually by on-line retailers and gray markets. The issue is that these firms normally have a base abroad, so are you shopping for inside Australia, or importing from abroad?

There are methods to push this, nevertheless it all takes time and who needs to be with out their telephone for weeks whereas awaiting substitute or repairs beneath guarantee?

Closing ideas

There’s rather a lot to contemplate right here and as a place to begin, I in all probability wouldn’t advocate anybody in Australia buys the OnePlus 10 Professional.

Is it a nasty telephone? No, completely not!

There’s rather a lot to love about it from a {hardware} perspective, the efficiency is true up there and the digital camera (whereas a step again from final 12 months’s specs) does an important job of manufacturing high quality pictures and goes to tick the bins for most customers.

There are just a few minor points with the software program, some being what I’d take into account bugs however others private choice. For those who’re pleased to journey the wave, then there’s no barrier right here nevertheless it’s price being conscious of. There’s, nonetheless, one continued concern that may be a barrier to buying.

Relying on the place you purchase the OnePlus 10 Professional, you’re going to be paying comparable cash (AU$1,200 – AU$1,400 plus transport), if no more than a greater identified and regionally supported high-end gadget. For me, that’s a deal-breaking threat — on Australian shores — that I personally wouldn’t be keen to take however once more, for those who’re pleased and wish this telephone, go for it!

The OnePlus 10 Professional is a extremely snug gadget to carry with beautiful {hardware}. With the addition of an official pathway to buy and get a guaranty, ideally with a contact of polish on the software program I’d fortunately name this one of many higher worth buys of 2022 nevertheless it’s not a flagship killer anymore.