OnePlus 11 launch live: the flagship phone arrives with the OnePlus Tab and more

Good morning / afternoon / evening (depending on where you are in the world), folks! If you’re keen to keep up with all the announcements from today’s OnePlus 11 launch event, you’ve come to the right place. 

Unlike typical mobile launch events we cover here at TechRadar, the headline product at the heart of OnePlus’ India-based showcase – the OnePlus 11 – is already out in the wild (having released in China on January 9), so we’re certain of its design and features. Less clear is just how much the premium phone will cost in regions outside of China, so there’s still an element of mystery at play. 

Other than the OnePlus 11, we’re expecting to hear more about OnePlus’ first-ever tablet offering, the OnePlus Pad, and the brand’s newest earbuds, the OnePlus Buds Pro 2. We’ve heard rumblings about a possible OnePlus keyboard, too, so there should be plenty to discuss when things kick off at 6am PT / 9am ET / 2pm GMT (which is 1am on Wednesday, February 8 for those in Australia). 

One(Plus) processor to rule them all

So, in light of what we already know about the OnePlus 11, what do we consider to be its most exciting feature? For our money, that title goes to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset tucked under its hood. 

Qualcomm's latest processor looks set to be an absolute powerhouse when it comes to performance. For the geeks among us, the 8 Gen 2’s underlying CPU architecture (a 'prime' core, supported by four performance cores and three efficiency cores) may not seem like a notable departure from its predecessor, but Qualcomm has made a myriad of tweaks across its latest and greatest mobile SoC (system on chip) that bring significant improvements to key aspects of the mobile computing experience; like AI processing, gaming fidelity, image processing, connectivity and power efficiency.

Samsung opted for the same (albeit brand-specific) chipset in its recently announced Samsung Galaxy S23 range, and the 8 Gen 2 looks set to be the engine powering the very best Android phones of the next year (with the OnePlus 11 included among that number).

Superior sensors 

As for the phone’s camera array, we know the OnePlus 11 boasts a 50MP f/1.8 IMX890 main sensor, a 48MP f/2.2 IMX581 ultra-wide sensor (with a 115-degree field of view), and a 32MP f/2.0 IMX709 portrait lens with 2x optical zoom, which OnePlus claims allows for DSLR quality portraits.

That's a rather different setup to last year’s OnePlus 10 Pro, with the portrait lens replacing its predecessor's telephoto, and the sensors differing. As with the OnePlus 10 Pro, the cameras here include Hasselblad branding and technology, but there's a new 13-channel multi-spectral light-color identifying sensor, too.

Video can be recorded in up to 8K quality at 24fps, or in up to 4K at up to 60fps, and there's a 16MP f/2.4 selfie camera. In other words, the OnePlus 11 is a capable piece of kit when it comes to mobile photography. 

Keeping it classy 

On the design front, OnePlus has clearly worked hard to give the OnePlus 11 a premium look and feel. The company’s Chief Product Designer, Hope Liu, told us in a recent interview that the phone’s K-shaped camera curve and ‘Starlight Dial Design’ – that’s the notched reflective bezel surrounding the camera – are meant to "showcase how luxury technology should be,” and we’re inclined to say that both elements achieve their desired effect.

Luxury seems to be a recurring theme in the OnePlus 11's design story; language that we haven't always associated with the brand or its phones, and a term that might signal a shift in how the company hopes to be perceived (and who its devices might be aimed towards) now and in the future.

The official OnePlus 11 launch event is about to kick off. As a reminder, you can find a link to the livestream at the top of this page – alternatively, head over to our dedicated how to watch the OnePlus 11 launch guide for details on where else to stream the showcase. Here we go...  

And we're off!

As expected, the show kicks off with a tease for the OnePlus 11, OnePlus Pad and OnePlus Buds Pro 2. No sign of the OnePlus keyboard just yet, mind.

OnePlus CEO Navnit Nakra kicks off proceedings from New Delhi with a speech about the company's commitment to producing "industry-leading smartphones."

"In the US, the number of smartphones per household has nearly doubled in the last three years," he says. "This has led to a higher demand for more intelligent and more powerful technology."

Google’s Ram Papatla is here to talk up the OnePlus 11's integration with Android. 

The latest OnePlus phones will come with Nearby Share and Fast Pair capabilities, he says. Android Spatial Audio gets a mention, too.

And now for the main event. OnePlus’ Tuomas Lampen is here to introduce the OnePlus 11 – unsurprisingly, "power" is theme of his speech so far. 

Here it is, OnePlus’ “most powerful smartphone ever,” the OnePlus 11. 

As mentioned, we've known about the phone's design and features for some time now. The 2023 entry in OnePlus' flagship line isn't too far away from the OnePlus 10 Pro in terms of its design, but the phone does boast a superior triple-lens rear camera setup and Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset under the hood.  

It's available in two colors: 'Titan Black' and 'Eternal Green'.

Lampen introduces OnePlus’ proprietary RAM-Vita AI technology, which uses machine learning to identify your frequently used apps and reduce lag by up to 50%. You can comfortably have 44 apps open simultaneously on the OnePlus 11, he says.

Impressive stuff – although this presentation is a little too spec-heavy for our liking so far... 

You'll get four years of Android updates and five years of security updates with the OnePlus 11. That’s the same longevity commitment as you’ll find with Samsung’s recently announced Galaxy S23 range.

Now for the phone’s Hasselblad camera setup. The OnePlus 11 boasts a 50MP f/1.8 IMX890 main sensor, a 48MP f/2.2 IMX581 ultra-wide sensor (with a 115-degree field of view), and a 32MP f/2.0 IMX709 portrait lens with 2x optical zoom, which OnePlus claims allows for DSLR quality portraits.

There's a new 13-channel multi-spectral light-color identifying sensor, too, and video can be recorded in up to 8K quality at 24fps, or in up to 4K at up to 60fps. Oh, and the OnePlus 11 gets a 16MP f/2.4 selfie camera. 

Lampen introduces TurboRAW HDR, a mode that combines the information of a standard RAW format along with OnePlus image processing to give you more flexibility when editing the exposure, colour and white balance of your photos. It's essentially the same idea as Apple ProRaw.

Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos are both present and correct in the OnePlus 11. 

The device is "one of the world’s first Android smartphones to be transformed by Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos,” says a representative from the audio giant. 

Here are the OnePlus 11's key selling points ,according to the company:

- Industry-leading specs

- Next-generation performance

- Flagship mobile photography 

- Incredible entertainment

See the image above for the specs that back up those claims. 

As Lampen leaves the stage, he teases the ‘OnePlus 11 concept' phone. It’ll supposedly “blend imaginative design with industry-first technology,” and will debut at MWC Barcelona 2023 later this month.  

Right, that’s the OnePlus 11 done and dusted. Now time for the OnePlus Pad… 

The company’s first ever tablet boasts an industry-leading 144 Hz refresh rate, a 2800 x 2000 pixel resolution and 500 Nits of brightness. It weighs just 550g, is a mere 6.5mm thin and its 7:5 screen ratio will supposedly provide the “best possible reading experience." Impressive stuff. 

Some more key OnePlus Pad specs:

- 12GB RAM
- Will use the new MediaTek Dimensity 9000 platform
- Comes with a stylus and keyboard
- One-month standby life
- 9510mAh battery
- 67W SUPERVOOC fast charging

TechRadar’s US Mobiles Editor, Philip Berne, is on the ground at a OnePlus watch event. Here’s what he has to say about the OnePlus Pad:

“The tablet market has been stagnant for a while, with only Samsung taking stabs at the iPad, which remains the only tablet most people want. We know Google has a Pixel tablet coming this year, but we don't know much about it. OnePlus clearly sees an opportunity, especially with MediaTek's new high performance chipsets. The company is also touting the Pad's fast charging and fast display refresh rate, so this is clearly a tablet for OnePlus fans."

Now time for the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 earbuds. 

They’ll come with sound tailored to fit their users, thanks to a unique partnership with Danish loudspeaker manufacturer, Dynaudio. An 11mm woofer and 6mm tweeter will deliver front-row sound using a coaxial dual-driver setup (which means that the drivers share a common, although not exactly the same, axis point – something we loved in the Honor Earbuds 3 Pro and Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro). 

The dome of the woofer in the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 is equipped with a crystal polymer diaphragm and a separate dome and edge design, which promises to improve the connection between the low-to-mid frequencies and the high frequencies. A silicone edge is introduced to the woofer, meanwhile, to enhance the flexibility and texture of the low frequencies.

OnePlus also tells us that the Buds Pro 2 now feature one default equalizer (EQ) and three customized EQs: Bold, Serenade, and Bass. All four of these EQ profiles are co-tuned with Dynaudio.

Here are the key OnePlus Buds Pro 2 specs:

- Up to 39 hours of listening time
- Up to 48dB Active Noise Cancelation
- 54Ms Low Latency
- Hi-Res Audio
- Google Fast Pair
- Fast charging (10 minutes for 10 hours)

We got our hands on the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 earbuds ahead of time. Head over to our full OnePlus Buds Pro 2 review for our verdict on the company’s latest audio offering. 

And here’s the (sort of) surprise package of today's event: the OnePlus Keyboard 81 Pro. 

Described by the company as a “premium mechanical keyboard,” it boasts a raised holder, an alert slider, a OnePlus red escape key, a rotary dial, swappable switches and refined keycaps. In other words, this is the ultimate keyboard for OnePlus fans – and probably just a good-looking keyboard for everybody else. 

Here’s a price and availability breakdown for the OnePlus 11, OnePlus Buds 2 Pro and OnePlus Pad:

OnePlus 11

OnePlus 11 (128GB): $699 / £729 / AU$1,199
OnePlus 11 (256GB):  $799 / £799 / AU$1,399
Availability: pre-order February 7, on sale February 16 (global)

OnePlus Buds 2 Pro

Price: $179 / £179
Availability: pre-order February 7, on sale February 16 (US and Europe)

OnePlus Pad

Price: N/A
Availability: pre-orders begin in April

Both the OnePlus Pad and OnePlus Buds 2 Pro will also be available in Australia, though OnePlus hasn't yet shared pricing details.

Right, that's a wrap folks. Thanks for watching along with us!

As a reminder, we've already reviewed both the OnePlus 11 and OnePlus Buds Pro 2. Here's a snippet of our thoughts on each product: 

OnePlus 11 review

"The OnePlus 11 is an affordable pick for buyers who want something unique, and offers a more artistic take on smartphone photography. Its lack of durability is a bit worrisome, though."

OnePlus Buds Pro 2 review

"If the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 were a bit cheaper, they could be winners. They're poised with treble and bass, and packed with features, especially if you have a OnePlus phone (but not exclusively, which is nice). But sound is the most important thing, and they're weak across the mid-range."

We'll be getting our hands on the OnePlus Tab – and, we hope, the OnePlus Keyboard 81 Pro – soon, so stay tuned to TechRadar for our thoughts.