OnePlus 11 camera samples are out — here's what we think

The OnePlus 11 officially released in China this week, while those of us in other parts of the world will have to wait until February to get our hands on the new flagship. But with the phone out in one country, it's no surprise that the first batch of OnePlus 11 camera samples have turned up.

As posted by Shishir on Twitter (via PhoneArena), who collected the images from Weibo, we get a better idea of what the OnePlus 11's third-generation Hasselblad camera system can do.

As a refresher, the rear camera array on the OnePlus 11 features a 50MP main lens. That's augmented by both a 48MP ultrawide shooter and what OnePlus calls a 32MP portrait lens with a 2x zoom. Up front, you get a 16MP selfie camera.

We'll put those cameras to the test once the OnePlus 11 arrives in the U.S. But for now, we can take a closer look at the camera samples to get some idea of what kind of photos you can expect from the OnePlus 11.

OnePlus 11 photos: Adidas storefront

In this shot of an Adidas storefront, the OnePlus 11 did a great job with reducing the noise despite the nighttime scene. There's a lot of depth and clarity in the glass design, the foreground bush, and street lamp. Even the inside of the store, including the displays and reflections, looks great. 

Considering past OnePlus cameras, this is almost too good to believe. It's a really nice picture, though not as good as what follows.

OnePlus 11 photos: Street

This late evening photo of a street is one of my favorites of the bunch. I'm honestly rather surprised at the lack of haziness in the bright areas of the shot. The long shadows cast by the lights on the columns look positively eerie, while the lights in the background pop out of the screen. 

The person in the foreground is a little blurry as are some of the posts and the street's painted lines. But the street sign is almost legible without zooming in, which is rather impressive. Finally, the tower looks startlingly realistic without any noticeable distortion and fuzziness. 

OnePlus 11 photos: Escalator

With this interior shot with the escalator, I can see clear improvements in the OnePlus 11's camera system. The OnePlus 10 Pro struggled with a yellowish tinge in scenes like this, which I do not see here. I don't think that effect was removed in editing because the warm lights along the escalator still have proper colors in the OnePlus 11 shot.

I'm equally impressed at how even the scene is given the lit sign and its reflection in the metal ceiling. I say this because the dark background isn't pitch black. Look off to the right — you can still make out some details like a window (despite some major distortion). 

OnePlus 11 photos: Food truck

Another favorite here at Tom's Guide is this food truck in the late dusk hours. This shot is clearly underexposed, but I find it helps the overall photo. The composition holds the whole thing up with the truck that simultaneously stands out from and blends in with the background.

Most phones would include a lot of noise behind the truck, sky, or the building shadows, whereas the OnePlus 11 did no such thing. It properly compensated for the brighter portions without sacrificing detail in the darker areas. 

I just love this picture.

OnePlus 11 photos: Flower portrait

We also got to see the OnePlus 11's portrait capabilities, and I must say, I'm impressed. This lovely picture captures the detail of the flower lights in the foreground with a beautiful bokeh effect surrounding it. This portrait easily challenges the best I've seen from Apple and Google. 

The overall warmth of the photo does not come off too strong. Again, this one surprises me given OnePlus' propensity for yellowy tinges in its low-light images captured by previous models. Despite all the warmth and yellow in this sample, I don't see the sickly look I'm used to.

OnePlus 11 photos: Statue

Of all of the images on display in this article, this one looks the most surreal. The colors look so rich that the picture looks animated. Granted, we don't know what this subject actually is, but the color reproduction, especially with the darkness surrounding the photographer, appears stellar.

Overall, this is a stunning picture with impressive dynamic range and sharpness. I feel like I could reach through my monitor to touch this statue. Even the dragon in the background looks unreal. The buildings also pop, especially when juxtaposed against the pitch black sky.

OnePlus 11 photos: Bunny

The final OnePlus 11 photo I picked from the batch we saw is this one of a straw bunny. That's because it's one of the few daytime shots and I wanted to see how the OnePlus 11 fared in more traditional circumstances. It looks like a softer portrait, given that the bokeh starts to leak into the rabbit's ears. 

Overall, the colors are well-balanced and the focus is sharp. It's a nice, comforting shot, showing us that the OnePlus 11 might be able to keep pace with the best camera phones this year.

OnePlus 11 camera outlook

As I looked at these images, both what I shared here and the rest that Shishir posted, I came away both impressed and suspicious. Some of these are truly hard to believe came from a smartphone without some editing, such as the food truck image.

When the OnePlus 11 lands in my hands soon, I see that I have to come up with some scenes to truly challenge it. I wonder if it can go head-to-head with the Pixel 7 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro.

Overall, unless the photographers did some major editing, I can see some noticeable improvements in OnePlus' photography, as I had hoped in the third year of the phone maker's partnership with Hasselblad. I look forward to testing these cameras myself when the OnePlus 11 finally arrives in the U.S.