OnePlus phone buyer’s guide - Android

When it comes to buying smartphones today, the idea of purchasing an “unlocked” model is much clearer and more straightforward than it appeared a few years back. In short, people better now understand them and don’t look at them as something that’s illegal or difficult to procure.

OnePlus is one brand who has been around the block a few years now, offering its unlocked handsets direct to consumer. It currently sells a number of models that skew toward the upper end of performance but has recently gone back to its roots of low-priced devices for the “every man” user.

If you’re in the hunt for an unlocked smartphone, or are curious about what OnePlus offers today, you’re in luck. We’ve put together this buyer’s guide to help you better understand its current products.

OnePlus 8 Series

The top OnePlus phones today are its 8 series of handsets. Spread over three models, they’re the sort of devices that rival the flagships of Samsung and others. They feature some of the best hardware available and have premium designs that look sharp.

OnePlus has one of our favorite software builds with the OxygenOS, which is more or less the stock Android build with some helpful customization. There’s no extra bloat or unnecessary animations that slow the phone down; it also lends itself to consistent timely updates.

OnePlus 8T

The 8T is the newest model in this line and boasts the best all-around experience with the latest publicly available version of Android (11) available. It’s not the biggest screen in the brand’s lineup, but it’s very close.

One of the best things about the OnePlus phones is its incredibly fast charging capabilities. Indeed, the 8T allows for up to 65W fast charging which can give you a day’s worthy of usage on just 15 minutes of charging.

All three phones feature similar hardware with Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processors, a bunch of memory and storage, and 5G connectivity. The OnePlus 8 Pro and OnePlus 8 are nearing the one year anniversary but still boast a robust suite of specifications that should do your heavy lifting for another generation or more.

Nord Series

As the newest phones in the OnePlus portfolio, the Nord series is aimed at the more casual user. That is to say they have lower price points with hardware that ticks the boxes of what most people look for in a device.

The N100 ($180) and N10 5G ($300) differ quite a bit with the former holding the edge on battery size — but not charging speed.

OnePlus N100

If you’re looking for a great entry-point in smartphones and don’t know what your needs are, you’d be hard-pressed to beat the Nord N100.

For those who want a solid mid-range experience with performance to spare and 5G connectivity, the N10 5G is worth the additional money.