With the OnePlus 10 Pro, the Chinese company, which has since been integrated into Oppo, has presented a top smartphone with a number of new functions.
I’ve used the smartphone in my everyday life for a few weeks and I’m conflicted.
Overall, the OnePlus 10 Pro is a solid Android smartphone that does well overall. However, it somehow lacks some special features that were included in the Pixel 6 Pro though they have the same cost. Nevertheless, it includes a periscope zoom and unique software features that no other phone has.
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OnePlus 10 Pro at a glance
Our rating: 7.9 / 10
The OnePlus 10 Pro got me convinced with its high performance, good display, and long battery life. Nevertheless, I expected a little more from the Hasselblad camera whose zoom abilities are rather limited compared to other flagship smartphones. Also, its software does not offer any special features though it works reliably.
The omission of the IP certification, which was still available for the OnePlus 9 Pro and is even available for the T-Online model of the OnePlus 10 Pro in the USA, is incomprehensible. OnePlus says that the smartphone is built to be waterproof, but has saved the cost of IP certification. So if water damage happens, you lose out, because officially there is no IP certification. The strong heat felt when gaming and the resulting loss of performance are also unpleasant.
Overall, the OnePlus 10 Pro is a solid Android smartphone that does well overall but it somehow lacks the special feature that the Pixel 6 Pro gets from Google, The phone costs the same, but you get periscope zoom and unique software features that no other phone has.
Advantages:
- Display
- Design
- Performance
- battery life
- 4-year update guarantee
Disadvantages:
- No IP certification
- No option for memory expansion
Optically without frills
OnePlus didn’t just experiment with the design of the OnePlus 10 Pro. From the front, the smartphone looks like its predecessor.
A 6.7-inch Fluid AMOLED display is used, which has a very high resolution of 3,216 x 1,440 pixels and supports a variable refresh rate of 1 to 120 Hz. I would describe the performance as very good. Everything is running smoothly. The smartphone has a lot of power and you can feel it. There are never any unnecessary stutters or delays when scrolling.
Only when you look at the back of the OnePlus 10 Pro do you see the massive camera with three sensors and an LED ring. The design has been derided as a stovetop or something, but I don’t think it’s that bad. The camera is clearly set off from the back, but blends in nicely with the design thanks to the transition into the frame.
OnePlus could have softened the design a bit by going more in the direction of the camera design of the iPhone 13 Pro. OnePlus has even raised the two sensors on the 10 Pro. But you just don’t see it, because almost everything is tone on tone.
Nevertheless, you get a really high-quality smartphone with the OnePlus 10 Pro. Our test device has a greenback with a smooth finish. Personally, I would choose the dark version with the rough surface. This reminds me extremely of the OnePlus One that I owned years ago.
Overall, the handling of the cell phone is very good. It feels comfortable in the hand, doesn’t look too heavy and the fingerprint sensor in the display is at a comfortable height.
The display could be brighter
The display of the OnePlus 10 Pro is said to achieve a brightness of up to 1,300 nits. That’s a lot, but I still have the feeling that the screen seems a bit too dark in every situation.
Although I’ve often readjusted manually, the software doesn’t seem to remember my preferences and learn from them. And even in a direct comparison with other high-end smartphones, the OnePlus 10 Pro is not as bright as the competition at maximum brightness.
We are not talking about a display that is too dark, but about the small and subtle difference to that of a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra where you can still see the contents of the screen in direct sunlight, while it is a bit more difficult with the OnePlus 10 Pro. The display is good, but the competition is better.
Performance is excellent – as long as you’re not gaming
When it comes to the performance of the OnePlus 10 Pro, there is absolutely nothing to complain about in normal use. As I mentioned above, the system runs very fast. In combination with the 120 Hz display, it is really a lot of fun to use. Everything runs smoothly, and the apps and games load quickly – that’s how it should be.
But if you play some games with the smartphone much longer, the cell phone gets so warm that the performance drops sharply. And it doesn’t matter which energy profile you use. After 30 to 45 minutes, the performance drops so significantly that the game no longer runs smoothly and I really had problems. Even with the lowest graphics settings, the game doesn’t run any better. This can only be due to insufficient cooling.
No surprises with the software
After OnePlus was integrated into Oppo, it was decided that the two operating systems, Oxygen OS and Color OS, would be merged. Oxygen OS has always been one of the main advantages of OnePlus phones because there is really a lot to adjust. However, the OnePlus 10 Pro still runs Oxygen OS 12.1 based on Android 12. The interface is very reminiscent of pure Android, with a few additional settings.
What I don’t like are the icons. You don’t have the option to choose the design of pure Android there. Instead, the icons are all changed. So, you get a solid operating system with some setting options – but without any special features. Basically, bloatware doesn’t come pre-installed — at least I wouldn’t count TikTok and Netflix among them. There are some OnePlus apps and of course Google’s apps.
Curious: I couldn’t find a way to turn off my cell phone at first. The power button launches the Google Assistant and there is no option in quick settings to turn off or restart the OnePlus 10 Pro, although that is the case with every other smartphone. In fact, you have to press the volume up button and the power button at the same time. The software button has to be retrofitted in the quick settings because the current solution is not intuitive at all.
The camera can’t keep up
When a smartphone manufacturer advertises with a name like Hasselblad, I expect excellent photos. The camera of the OnePlus 10 Pro is absolutely fine if you don’t have too high demands. If the lighting conditions are right, then all the photos will be successful. However, as soon as it gets a little darker, the smartphone starts to experience slight problems.
The night mode doesn’t always work, so you should check the pictures you take in the dark to see if they turned out well.
When it comes to zoom, the OnePlus 10 Pro can’t keep up with the big competitors. A periscope zoom is missing. The 3.3x zoom is sufficient to get objects a little closer, but you shouldn’t use the zoom too hard, because the image quality visibly decreases. But this is the case with all smartphones that only enlarge digitally from a certain point in time.
The ultra-wide-angle with a 150° field of view is brand new. You get a fisheye-like shot. The image quality is okay but doesn’t really knock anyone’s socks off.
Battery life is convincing
The battery of the OnePlus 10 Pro has grown slightly compared to its predecessor and now measures 5,000 mAh. This means you can easily get through the day even with intensive use and still have a good cushion for a longer evening or the next day.
With moderate use, I even got two to three days. When gaming with high brightness, it’s more like four hours. The mobile phone can be fully recharged in minutes using the included 80-watt power supply unit. Optionally, you can also charge the OnePlus cell phone wirelessly.
ratings in detail
| Category | Rating (max. 10) |
| sustainability | 8 |
| Processing, haptics, and design | 9 |
| Display | 8 |
| Cameras | 7 |
| Software | 8 |
| Performance | 7 |
| telephony and audio | 8 |
| Storage | 8 |
| Battery and everyday life | 9 |
| In total | 7.9 |
Note: The “Sustainability” category counts for 10 percent of the overall grade.
