New top smartphone
By Rita Deutschbein | Apr 05, 2022 at 8:34 p.m
With the OnePlus 10 Pro, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer has presented its new top model. It has been commercially available since April 5, 2022. The hardware has been improved, the price has remained the same. So does the OnePlus 10 Pro have the potential to become a bestseller? This is shown by the TECHBOOK test.
With the OnePlus 10 Pro, the focus is once again on the cooperation with the Swedish camera professional Hasselblad. The camera on the back also catches the eye. Coupled with a new design and updated hardware, the new smartphone promises a lot. But can it keep the promises? TECHBOOK investigated this question in the test of the OnePlus 10 Pro.
New design with matte finish
What immediately strikes you about the OnePlus 10 Pro is the good workmanship and the new surface on the back. The manufacturer has ground the glass matt, which makes the surface feel very velvety. Fingerprints or streaks are hardly noticeable – a real advantage. The smartphone is available in Forest Green (here in review) and Volcanic Black.
The frame is made of highly polished metal and gives the device the necessary stability. The difference between the shiny metal and the matte glass is very nice to look at and gives the smartphone a high-quality look. The design of the camera is particularly eye-catching on the OnePlus 10 Pro. Whether you like it is a matter of taste. However, judged completely neutrally, it takes up a lot of space on the back, measuring 5 x 4 centimeters. The module is made of dark glass and, in addition to the three camera sensors, also holds the round dual flash, which almost looks like a sensor itself with its shape – a nice detail.
Still, we wonder why OnePlus has increased the size of the camera module compared to that of its predecessor. After all, hardly anything has changed on the camera itself (details on this below). Another small minus point: the OnePlus 10 Pro lacks official certification for protection against water and dust in Europe. The 9 Pro, on the other hand, supports IP68. However, the manufacturer emphasizes that the new model has also gone through the same phases of the test procedure, and in the USA the T-Mobile models even come with IP68. Curious why he didn't make the certification official for all models right away?
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Also read: OnePlus 9 Pro review – the (almost) perfect flagship smartphone
Display now even better
At 6.7 inches, the OnePlus 10 Pro is the same size as last year's 9 Pro. The resolution of 3216 x 1440 pixels and the pixel density of 525 ppi have not changed either. The display remains sharp and rich in contrast as usual. If you don't need that many pixels, you can lower the resolution to FullHD+ in the settings and thus save battery. Also new is the option of automatically adjusting the resolution. Depending on the content, it then switches between QHD+ and FullHD+. The maximum brightness is 1300 nits, which is quite good compared to similarly priced smartphones.
OnePlus uses a 2nd generation LTPO panel in the 10 Pro, with which the refresh rate can be variably adjusted between 1 Hz and 120 Hz. The always-on display, for example, benefits from the low update rate, which means it can work in a particularly energy-saving manner. In normal use, changing the repetition rates works very smoothly and is therefore not noticeable. Again, if you don't need the 120 Hz peak, you can set the rate to 60 Hz in the settings and save energy.
Also new is the two-stage color calibration, which is used for the first time in the OnePlus 10 Pro. Instead of only calibrating colors to a brightness of 500 nits, the same was done for the 100 nit brightness level. The colors of the AMOLED display are a bit crisper and up to 50 percent more natural even with low luminosity. The white balance also works excellently and thus additionally enhances the contrasts. Overall, these adjustments ensure excellent readability and presentation of the display.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Android 12 and security
The OnePlus 10 Pro is already delivered with Android 12 and thus the current operating system version from Google. The adjustments to the OxygenOS 12.1 interface are limited, so users can work with a fairly clean system overall. If you like, you can find dozens of options in the settings to adjust the look according to your wishes. This ranges from the shape and color of the font and app icons, to background images and color settings. Even the dark mode can now be adjusted individually over three levels.
During our test, the smartphone received various updates that include new functions and optimizations for the camera, the system, and general performance. Pleasing: The security patch has the status of March 2022, so it is also very up-to-date.
Anyone who has ever used a OnePlus smartphone will notice that the fingerprint sensor is now placed much higher up on the display. This has the advantage that the thumb does not have to be bent down as far when unlocking, which is much more comfortable. The sensor itself reacts quickly and reliably. The said update, which has improved this area again, certainly helps here.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 ensures performance
The heart of the OnePlus 10 Pro is its processor, in this case Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, accompanied by the graphics Adreno 730 GPU. Users can also choose between different storage versions: 8 GB RAM and 128 GB storage or 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage. A version with more storage capacity would also have been nice, because the OnePlus 10 Pro does not have a microSD card. The memory is not expandable.
Overall, however, you drive with the handbrake on, because OnePlus has throttled the performance of the chip in-house. If you want the full performance of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 – which, as mentioned, is not necessary in everyday life – you should go to the "Battery" in the "Advanced Settings" and activate the "High Performance Mode" there. But be careful: If this is activated, the smartphone warms up quite quickly and also consumes significantly more energy.
Equipment at a glance
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Hasselblad camera review
The Hasselblad lettering is proudly emblazoned on the camera module. But how much Hasselblad is actually in the OnePlus 10 Pro? The two partners do not provide any information about this. What is only mentioned is the optimization of the camera software – probably the core of the cooperation. Connoisseurs will recognize the red release button typical of Hasselblad and the noise when the release is made. Some Hasselblad-typical adjustments also come into play in the automatic image processing.
However, the cooperation between the two companies is not new, it already existed with the OnePlus 9 Pro and now also with the manufacturer Oppo. Apart from the changed camera design, there are only a few differences between the cameras of the OnePlus 9 Pro and 10 Pro at first glance. The manufacturer now uses a triple cam and does without the monochrome sensor. However, the other cameras come with the same resolution as before:
Also read: The smartphones with the best cameras
However, the loss of details in situations with little or bad light is more important. The images look a bit rough and washed out, especially in the dark, despite the promised optimizations in night mode.
The larger angle of the ultra-wide-angle camera shows its strengths in certain situations, as it can capture more image content. However, it must also be pointed out that the new sensor and its pixels are smaller overall. They also capture less light, which sometimes leads to somewhat dark images with fewer details.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Battery: OnePlus now relies on VOOC
Despite the same display size, OnePlus has increased the battery capacity of the 10 Pro from 4500 mAh to 5000 mAh. At the same time, the charging technology was renamed and the charging power increased. Instead of WarpCharge, it is now called VOOC, so OnePlus takes over the technology from Oppo. And instead of up to 65 watts, the wired OnePlus 10 Pro now charges with 80 watts. The manufacturer even includes the matching SuperVOOC power supply, a special feature these days. With it, the smartphone can be fully charged in about 35 minutes, an excellent value. With wireless charging (AirVOOC), however, OnePlus left it at 50 watts.
As I said, nothing has changed in terms of the display size and brightness. In addition, the frame refresh rate is set to a dynamic 120 Hz ex works and the performance of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 is throttled. All these points mean that the OnePlus 10 Pro actually lasts longer with its larger battery. In the test, we achieved a screen time of around 10 hours without gaming and with classic smartphone applications. Overall, we had to recharge the OnePlus 10 Pro after about a day and a half.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Conclusion
When a smartphone manufacturer focuses so much on the camera in a device, it has to deliver. Unfortunately, the OnePlus 10 Pro only partially manages this. On the one hand, it's an excellent smartphone that impresses with its design and performance – and that delivers quite a bit of performance at a reasonable price. Users have numerous options for adapting the system according to their wishes and thus individualizing the OnePlus 10 Pro. The display is excellent, the battery lasts longer than the predecessor thanks to the higher capacity.
