>
The team at OnePlus is celebrating its 9th anniversary in China, and as part of the event we’ve been treated to an official teaser for the upcoming OnePlus 11 flagship phone, which is expected to launch in early 2023.
While we don’t see much of it the teaser (opens in new tab) (through GSMArena (opens in new tab)), we get a good look at the large camera bump on the back of the phone, complete with Hasselblad camera branding (that’s the camera company OnePlus has partnered with for the past few years).
A rough translation of the OnePlus post on Chinese social network Weibo suggests we’re about to get a “future performance leader” who will “challenge many impossibilities in the industry” – so make what you will there.
One company, two brands
There was a lot of talk at the anniversary celebration about the recent merger between OnePlus and Oppo: Oppo is apparently investing hefty sums in OnePlus products as part of a “dual-brand” strategy for the unique company going forward.
That means Oppo’s Find and Reno phones will continue to appear alongside the OnePlus range of handsets, although it remains to be seen how different the devices will be going forward.
We’ve already seen plenty of rumors and leaks surrounding the OnePlus 11, including renders showing off the handset in black and green. OnePlus usually launches its flagships in the early months of the year, but the teaser only says that the OnePlus 11 will be “released soon”.
Analysis: new year, new OnePlus
The first OnePlus phone made its debut all the way back in 2014, and at first the goal was simple: specs and build quality that were very close to high-end flagships, at a price significantly lower than the iPhones and Galaxy on the market.
As time has gone on, OnePlus has slowly moved away from that strategy, producing more expensive phones while simultaneously launching the OnePlus Nord series to give mid-range phone buyers more bang for their buck further down the price scale.
Now that the merger with Oppo is complete, it’s a chance for OnePlus to reset and decide exactly what it wants from its high-end phones. Launched in 2022, the OnePlus 10 Pro offered a mostly great experience at a reasonable price, although it had its weaknesses.
From everything we’ve heard about the OnePlus 11 so far, it sounds like it’ll have the specs and the polish to handle whatever Apple, Samsung or Google have planned for 2023 – but as always, pricing will be key.