That’s not really the company’s modus operandi any more, but don’t hold that against it. OnePlus still makes excellent Android phones, and now covers a price range from some of the most expensive around to super-affordable budget handsets. OnePlus phones tend to excel at pure performance, along with extremely fast charging and a slick software experience that’s still among Android’s best – even if parent company Oppo is exerting more and more influence over the operating system. Here we’ve ranked the ten best OnePlus phones we’ve tested from across the company’s range, with links to our full reviews for more detailed analysis. Bear in mind that not every phone in the list will be on sale where you live, as OnePlus launches slightly different phones in different markets. If you’re looking for something high-end, you may also want to wait a little – the flagship OnePlus 11 has just launched in China, and will make its global debut in early February.
Best OnePlus phones 2023
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Excellent value Great main camera 80W fast charging
No wireless charging No waterproofing Only 90Hz
The Nord 2T takes what made the Nord 2 such a good phone and improves on it in two key areas: a more powerful processor and faster wired charging. And despite those upgrades, it’s officially cheaper than the Nord 2 as well. This is not only the best OnePlus phone right now, but also the best mid-range phone on the market from any company.
Super-fast 80W charging Great battery life Powerful specs
Inconsistent camera No IP rating
Still, this is an impressive flagship, with theSnapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip, impressive battery life, and nippy 80W wired charging (plus wireless charging to boot). There are downsides. There’s no official IP rating (though a T-Mobile US variant with the same build quality does have the certification – make of that what you will) and while the camera setup is powerful, it’s also inconsistent – and at this price you’ll still find slightly better photography from Samsung or Apple.
Great 8+ Gen 1 performance Insanely 150W fast charging Very good flat 120Hz display
No alert slider No wireless charging No IP rating outside US
The design is similar to the 10 Pro, though it lacks niceties like the curved display or alert slider. Like that phone it has flagships specs though, and indeed even outpaces the Pro thanks to the inclusion of a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset and super-fast 150W wired charging. Where it falls back is on the camera – it packs basically the same photography setup as the Nord 2T, despite costing a fair bit more. It’s the best OnePlus option for gamers or those drawn to the fastest charging, but photography fans will get more from the 10 Pro.
Excellent value Great main camera Glass build
No wireless charging No waterproofing Only 90Hz
Powered by a custom MediaTek chipset, the Nord 2 packs in fast 65W charging, a great main camera (borrowed from the flagship 9 series), and an understated glass design. You won’t get top flagship features like waterproofing or wireless charging, which makes sense for the price. Perhaps slightly more surprisingly the display is limited to 90Hz rather than 120Hz – though this is a sacrifice we suspect few will mind.
Great performance Fast charging speed Excellent display Good value
Mediocre camera performance Alert slider missing Lacks IP rating and wireless charging
This mid-range handset is similar to the OnePlus 10T in some respects, with the same 150W charging (though a cheaper 80W model is also available) and similar cameras. It doesn’t pack the same Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip, but the MediaTek Dimensity 8100-Max found here is no slouch. It’s not quite top tier, but it won’t disappoint – and it keeps the phone handily cheaper than the 10T.
Fast performance Great display Excellent battery life
No waterproofing No telephoto camera India & China-only
It re-uses the broad design strokes of the OnePlus 9 – albeit with a slightly larger, 6.62in display – and also uses the same Snapdragon 888 chipset and 120Hz AMOLED display. The camera has been chopped and changed, with the 9 Pro’s 50Mp ultra-wide sensor here used for the 9RT’s main camera, but results are solid, especially given the phone’s lower price. This isn’t the most powerful OnePlus 9 phone, but by aiming for a little less it succeeds a bit more.
Solid performance Good cameras Quick 33W fast charging Beautiful AMOLED display
Only 60Hz display Weak vibration motor Only one major software update promised
Despite costing just $300, it doesn’t feel cheap in the hand. The look and feel of the phone are in line with pricier phones like the Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G or Galaxy A53 – a real win for OnePlus. There’s also the Snapdragon 695 chipset, which delivers solid performance even though it’s not the top-of-the-line chip from Qualcomm. There are a few downsides of course, including the lack of a high refresh rate on the display, no official waterproofing, a weak vibration motor, and only receiving one Android update, but these won’t be dealbreakers for everybody.
Top specs Excellent display
Thick Slow wireless charging Unreliable camera
You get a Snapdragon 888, 120Hz display, 65W wired charging, and for the first time in a non-Pro phone, even wireless charging too – though it’s capped at 15W speeds. You also get the firm’s first Hasselblad-branded camera, though lower your expectations: while the camera gets some things right, it still can’t match the best that Apple or Samsung have to offer.
Solid build Strong battery life Decent main camera
Poor value LCD not OLED No ultrawide camera
It’s solidly built, has a fluid 120Hz display, and runs reasonably smoothly. The 64Mp main camera, meanwhile, is capable of capturing images with real pop. However, there’s no getting away from the fact that this is one of the least exciting OnePlus phones we’ve seen for some time. In certain ways, it feels downright unnecessary. For just a little less than the OnePlus Nord CE 2 you’re getting a phone with an inferior LCD display, less powerful performance, slower charging, and a less flexible camera system. Meanwhile, rival efforts from Xiaomi and Realme provide similar or even slightly better specifications for less money.
Budget-friendly Headphone jack Expandable storage
Average performance Ships with Android 11
A 90Hz AMOLED display is paired with a big battery, 65W wired charging, and a camera that isn’t bad – and certainly impresses for the price. A few minor performance stutters give us a little hesitation, and it’s disappointing to see it ship with Android 11, meaning it won’t get updates past Android 13. Still, this is a great package and an impressive affordable all-rounder. Below that you find the Nord series. These are cheaper, covering the gamut from budget phones up to the heart of the mid-range. The only complication here is that different markets get different Nord phones – models like the Nord 2T and Nord CE launch in Europe and Asia, while the US gets different phones with names like Nord N300 and N20. That’s now changed, and Oppo has brought OnePlus back into the fold. That means that OnePlus now uses Oppo R&D and software, meaning its products are more similar to Oppo’s than they used to be, and occasionally one company will essentially re-release one of the other’s phones with new branding. Realme is part of the same family, so you should also keep an eye on Realme phones, which will also be quite similar. As mentioned above, the company now uses Oppo software, so OxygenOS now shares a code base with that brand’s ColorOS. That means the software from both companies is quite similar, though each retains one or two unique features and a slightly different aesthetic. Tech Advisor’s Deputy Editor, Dom covers everything that runs on electricity, from phones and laptops to wearables, audio, gaming, smart home, and streaming - plus he’s a regular fixture on the Tech Advisor YouTube channel.
