The OnePlus 10R, on paper, embodies OnePlus’ ‘flagship killer’ mantra simply because of the features it packs and the price tag it carries. The smartphone essentially has two variants – the base or the regular model with a 5,000mAh battery and 80W charging support and an ‘Endurance’ edition with a smaller 4,500mAh battery though with whooping 150W charging support. The Endurance edition is said to attain full charge in roughly 20 minutes with the bundled yet chunky 160W charger. Apart from the eye-catching battery tech, both editions get OIS-enabled primary camera and MediaTek Dimensity 8100-Max chipset. It may seem the phone is ideal for users who are looking for a smartphone with fast charging and decent cameras without burning a hole in the pocket.
However, the OnePlus 10R might create confusion among some buyers as the product is essentially a rebranded Realme GT Neo 3, and the latter is more affordable. Similarly, loyal OnePlus fans will question the company’s decision to remove the slider button and adopt a generic big-lens camera design on the back. In this review, we’ll look at all the promises OnePlus 10R makes, and whether you should go for the regular edition, Endurance edition, or simply buy the more affordable Realme GT Neo 3.
Prices: To give you an idea, the OnePlus 10R has three models:
- 8GB RAM + 128GB storage (80W, 5000mAh) – Rs 38,999
- 12GB RAM + 256GB storage (80W, 5000mAh) – Rs 42,999
- 12GB RAM + 256GB storage (150W, 4500mAh) – Rs 43,999
The first two models are available in Sierra Black and Forest Green. The top model gets only the black colour finish. And we’re looking at the top-end model for this review.
On the other hand, the Realme GT Neo 3 also gets three editions. Overall, the design language is the same as the OnePlus 10R, though we get a more sporty vertical-stripe finish for users who like their devices to be flashy.
- 8GB RAM + 128GB storage (80W, 5000mAh) – Rs 36,999
- 8GB RAM + 256GB storage (80W, 5000mAh) – Rs 38,999
- 12GB RAM + 256GB storage (150W, 4500mAh) – Rs 42,999
Design: The OnePlus 10R features a plastic finish that may seem sub-standard, especially if you’re spending over Rs 40,000 on a device. That does not mean the phone looks ugly by any metric, but the build quality definitely raises a lot of questions over its durability.
Fortunately, we get a hard phone cover in the box that I find more appealing than the stripe-finish on the rear panel. The case is available in matte grey colour, and the finish is smooth, which I like.
Overall, the OnePlus 10R is pretty sleek to hold, but the camera bump is significant, and it may worry some users as it is covered by a plastic material. The lens cover uses glass and is more scratch-resistant. Lastly, there’s no official IP rating for dust and water protection, even at this price point.
Display: OnePlus is known for using superior display panels for its smartphones, and the OnePlus 10R lives up to the hype. It might not be the brightest display you’ll find under bright sunlight, but most users wouldn’t have many complaints. This is generally a limitation we see with OLED panels.
The smartphone comes with a 6.7-inch Full-HD+ (2,412×1,080 pixels) display with up to 120Hz dynamic refresh rate. The display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5, and there’s an under-display fingerprint scanner for biometric security. Frankly, the sleek design of the OnePlus 10R makes the big screen very easy to operate, and users can enable the one-hand gesture mode from the Settings apps for more convenient usage.
When it comes to watching content on either YouTube or Netflix, the OnePlus 10R will not disappoint. Gaming is also highly smooth, thanks to the 120Hz refresh rate. However, we are still waiting for OnePlus to up its game since rivals like Motorola and Asus are offering even higher refresh rate screens at similar prices.
The gaming and entertainment experience with dual-speakers is satisfactory, but the support for Dolby Vision or Atmos might have made it more immersive.
Performance: OnePlus is slowly moving towards MediaTek chipsets, and their latest OnePlus 10R draws power from the MediaTek Dimensity 8100-Max SoC. It is not the most common chipset among mid-budget smartphones yet, so the comparison is slightly tricky.
In terms of benchmarks, the phone looks promising. It scored 870 and 3,465 points in the Geekbench single and multi-core test. In the one-minute long 3D Mark Wildlife GPU test, the phone attained 5,238 points with an average fps of 34, which is quite good compared to competitions. The OnePlus 10R throttled to 86 percent in the 15-minute CPU throttled test.
Aside from the impressive numbers, the OnePlus 10R works with minor stutters when it comes to switching between heavy apps or games. I spent hours on the new Apex Legends, and the phone was smoothly able to run the demanding action title with the highest settings enabled. Of course, this puts more strain on the battery, and the phone dropped 10 percent charge in just 15 minutes.
Thankfully, it did not show any signs of heating, though the temperature of the smartphone was generally warm, likely due to the weather conditions in Delhi. The OnePlus 10R also comes with Android 12-based OxygenOS 12 out-of-the-box, which ran smoothly during our test.
Readers must note the software experience on the OnePlus 10R gives it an edge over Realme GT Neo 3. The OnePlus phone comes with very little bloatware, and the company is promising three years of Android updates. The GT Neo 3 is laden with bloatware apps and spammy notifications, and the phone is said to receive two years of Android updates.
Cameras: The OnePlus 10R will attract many camera-focused customers since the company promises OIS with the primary 50-megapixel camera. Most images look sharp in bright and low light conditions, but many will unfailingly notice warmer tones. The skin tones are also boosted, which regular users would enjoy, but I generally prefer a more natural look. That being said, images with the main sensor mostly turn out well, and the AI does a good job at enhancing the contrast ratio.
The 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera also works decently, but you’ll miss out on details in low light conditions. The macro camera offers average images from a 4cm distance, though the performance could be quite inconsistent. The 16-megapixel front camera is not the phone’s greatest strength, and most images look flat. The selfie camera on the OnePlus 10R also fails to detect natural skin tone under natural or warm light conditions.
The OnePlus 10R is capable of recording 4K videos, though there’s no OIS or EIS. Therefore, creators may want to use a tripod or an external gimbal stand for steady clips. The front camera does offer EIS; however, the AI processing is average, and the videos lack suitable contrast.
Battery: The selling point of the OnePlus 10R is the battery tech, and the Endurance edition is claimed to fully charge the phone in around 20 minutes. Firstly, users with the Endurance edition will need to enable rapid charge from Settings to enjoy the full potential. The phone did manage to attain 50 percent charge in just 5 minutes, but it took over 25 minutes to attain full battery – probably to put less stress on the smartphone.
During our test, the phone easily lasted for an entire day with heavy gaming, 120Hz enabled, and Dark Mode on. I even kept the AOD enabled, which naturally consumes more battery. My guess would be the regular edition would likely offer more battery life per charge as we get a 5,000mAh unit. That would be a sweeter deal for those who prefer a good battery over cameras.
Verdict: There’s no doubt OnePlus 10R is not your regular OnePlus smartphone, but most Indian customers wouldn’t care as long as the phone fits their budget. That being said, I still dearly miss the slider button that classic OnePlus phones feature.
Overall, the OnePlus 10R is a decent phone; however I’d suggest customers to go for the regular edition with 5,000mAh battery. The 80W charging speed may appear less muscular compared to 150W charging, though it is still much faster than what most rivals offer.
If your priority is vivid display experience and sleek design, the OnePlus 10R remains a good choice to recommend. The almost clean Android 12 experience is another thing to consider while choosing the smartphone. However, if your priority is cameras, the 50-megapixel primary performs relatively better than some rivals, though I’d recommend Galaxy A72 5G
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