Is the OnePlus 10 Professional 5G one of the best gaming smartphone out proper now?
In a market full of all types of contenders from tried-and-true favorites similar to Apple’s iPhone to promising upstarts such because the Asus ROG Telephone, it’s a reasonably loaded query.
After spending almost 4 months with the cellphone, nevertheless, the query may not even be whether or not the OnePlus 10 Professional is one of the best gaming smartphone available in the market proper now. It is whether or not the OnePlus 10 Professional is one of the best Android smartphone on the market.
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I say that as somebody who has rocked all types of Android telephones via the years from the unique Samsung Galaxy S all the best way to the newer Google Pixel line.
So how does the OnePlus Professional stack up towards its rivals? To reply that query, let’s take a more in-depth have a look at the smartphone.
Design and show: The OnePlus 10 Professional as a media system
At almost 6-½ inches tall and almost 3 inches extensive, the OnePlus 10 Professional, like most of the flagship gadgets from its opponents, is a large cellphone. Thankfully, it is also fairly slim, permitting it to nonetheless match properly in my entrance denims pocket even with a case.
All that additional actual property additionally means you have got a pleasant, massive show – one thing that’s additional maximized by its edge-to-edge design. The result’s a formidable display screen that covers everything of the cellphone, save for the small circle of the front-facing digicam situated on the highest left of the show.
Add a 6.7-inch high-resolution Quad HD show and the end result is a superb onscreen expertise. The AMOLED display screen delivers good colours with nice black ranges and distinction. Whether or not or not it’s watching YouTube movies or taking part in video games, the OnePlus 10 Professional delivers wonderful visuals, particularly when factoring in its 120-hertz refresh charge. The excessive refresh charge, which matches the top-end telephones from Android rivals similar to Google and Samsung, ends in easy actions and animations, which notably pays off when taking part in video games (extra on that later). By the best way, the screen-based fingerprint sensor can also be a lot improved, particularly after I put in a patch that was made accessible after launch.
Sound high quality is stable, though not among the many better of the bunch on the subject of smartphones with top-notch audio efficiency similar to Apple’s iPhone.
You’ll be able to decide completely different Dolby Atmos sound profiles for watching films, taking part in video games, listening outside or touring in a airplane by way of the Sound and Vibration choice beneath the Settings app. I like to recommend utilizing an precise equalizer, nevertheless, to actually get the audio profile nailed right down to your individual desire.
Pair it with a pleasant set of headphones or earphones with noise cancellation such because the OnePlus Buds Z2 and you’ll be trapped in your individual little world, whether or not or not it’s inside your room or a airplane full of individuals flying throughout the Atlantic. One benefit on the subject of utilizing the OnePlus 10 for consuming media is battery life. Battery life is great and might final a complete airplane flight, no matter what ocean you are crossing, and all day for typical use.
Name high quality can also be good, at the very least on the T-Cell community I examined it on.
Talking of journey
Is the OnePlus 10 Professional good for touring and outside?
Again within the day when a 5-inch show was thought of to be “massive” for smartphones, I all the time bought the largest system I might have.
As smartphone sizes began to balloon to gigantic proportions, nevertheless, I began choosing telephones such because the 5.5-inch Google Pixel 3 and even the 4.7-inch iPhone SE. It is simply simpler to work with a fairly sized cellphone as soon as I am out on the sector masking information as a reporter or touring throughout the nation or abroad.
With a show that goes previous the six-inch mark, the OnePlus 10 Professional would usually be a tad too massive. Its slim profile, nevertheless, nonetheless makes it properly moveable, supplied that you just use a slim case. Taking it with me to locations wasn’t a difficulty though it nonetheless is not as conducive to one-handed operation as the opposite telephones I discussed except you have got ginormous fingers.
Probably the greatest issues in regards to the OnePlus 10 Professional, notably while you’re out and about, is the show’s efficiency beneath direct daylight. Whereas some telephones’ screens grow to be barely legible outside on a vivid, sunny day, the OnePlus 10 Professional carried out very effectively throughout such eventualities. That is nice while you’re checking texts, maps, eating places and different info when strolling round a metropolis or climbing on a path.
For lovers of the outside, the OnePlus 10 Professional additionally has an IP68 score based mostly on the requirements of the Worldwide Electrochemical Fee. Which means that the system is dustproof and can even stand up to an underwater dunking as much as a meter deep for half-hour.
The OnePlus 10 Professional additionally continues its relationship with Hasselblad for its digicam system. The digicam system improves on its predecessor total when it comes to efficiency, though the variety of lenses has been decreased by one.
The OnePlus 10 Professional comes with numerous capturing modes, together with staples similar to Panorama and Slo-Mo in addition to different modes like Time-Lapse, Lengthy Publicity, Tilt-Shift, Twin-View Video and Xpan. It undoubtedly has a whole lot of instruments of picture or video fanatics.
Low gentle efficiency is nice total and the OnePlus 10 Professional will get you good pictures at night time. I used it to take a ton of photographs within the night streets of Rudesheim, Germany, and it was in a position to seize scenes that lesser telephones will not be capable to. It does are likely to crank up the publicity, nevertheless. It is not too unhealthy for night time settings however makes footage taken throughout nightfall or twilight look washed out, notably the skies.
Images are additionally not as saturated because the Samsung Galaxy or Google Pixel traces, which is probably going an affect of its partnership with Hasselblad. This may be good or unhealthy, relying in your desire. As a photographer, I really favor a extra impartial profile and pure colours. Along with being extra true to life, it additionally makes pictures extra conducive to modifying, which the OnePlus 10 Professional allows you to do with its numerous modifying choices. Your on a regular basis client, nevertheless, in all probability prefers pictures with extra pop that may be posted on social media immediately.
Whereas colour profiles are a extra private factor, picture element will not be and that is the place the OnePlus 10 Professional can lag a bit behind its rivals. The cellphone nonetheless performs effectively with normal capturing modes similar to panorama and portrait. Zooming, nevertheless, is the place it noticeably falls behind when it comes to element. The digicam system remains to be stable however there are additionally areas for enchancment.
One other massive plus for journey is the OnePlus 10 Professional’s quick charging system, which might prime off its juice in simply half-hour. Even a 15-minute cost recovers sufficient battery energy to get you going for an excellent period of time.
Whereas doing a one-week river cruise via Europe, for instance, there have been many instances after I’d plug the cellphone in quarter-hour earlier than a tour, get myself prepared, then seize the cellphone and head out. That is useful for work as effectively after I overlook to cost my cellphone and have to move out in a couple of minutes to do an interview. It is simply the most effective options of the OnePlus 10 Professional.
For folk who’ve issues in regards to the impression of quick charging on battery life, the OnePlus 10 Professional can even do a slower trickle cost, which is very nice when charging when you sleep at night time.
The OnePlus 10 Professional as a gaming smartphone
Gaming is one space the place the OnePlus 10 Professional particularly shines.
Its wonderful show mixed with high-refresh charges and Qualcomm’s top-of-the-line Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor means a zippy and buttery easy gaming expertise. The OnePlus 10 Professional was in a position to deal with every part I threw at it with none slowdown or lag, making it a wonderful gaming system. It additionally beats the Tensor core on the Pixel 6 so far as efficiency.
Then once more, smartphones similar to the most recent flagship iPhone aren’t any slouch and the Samsung Galaxy flagship has the identical top-class Snapdragon processor as effectively. What separates the OnePlus 10 Professional from these two rivals is its added deal with the cellphone as a gaming platform by way of a number of added choices particularly for avid gamers.
The cellphone has a whole lot of simply accessible gaming options similar to letting you fast-launch video games in addition to a “Gaming Focus” mode that permits you to play uninterrupted by blocking notifications and different distractions. The OnePlus 10 Professional additionally permits a bunch of different optimizations when gaming to enhance latency and body charges, and might even present stats. These gaming choices are customizable, permitting customers to fine-tune them to greatest swimsuit their wants.
As somebody who information gameplay and posts movies on YouTube, having a display screen recorder on my cellphone is all the time good and the OnePlus 10 Professional has that as effectively. Along with accessing it with a swipe down of the short menu just like the Pixel and Galaxy flagship telephones, the recorder can also be constructed into the OnePlus 10 Professional gaming interface for even faster entry. Video high quality from the recording is great as effectively.
About the one gripe I’ve is how the edge-to-edge show makes it simple to have unintended inputs out of your palms when taking part in, even with the function to stop errant display screen faucets turned on. This is able to sometimes occur within the corners when the bottom of my thumb would ever so barely brush up on the display screen. This was a difficulty with the OnePlus 9 as effectively. To keep away from this challenge, you’ll mainly must have a case on the cellphone to supply added separation between the display screen and your palms.
All in all, nevertheless, its gaming choices is what actually units the OnePlus 10 Professional aside from rival flagships. Solely one thing just like the Asus ROG Telephone, which is one other wonderful gaming-focused smartphone, could be comparable. The OnePlus 10 Professional does have a key benefit towards its Asus rival: worth.
The ROG 5s, for instance, begins at $ 999 however makes use of the much less highly effective Snapdragon 888 processor. In the meantime, the top-of-the-line ROG 6 Professional with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor is predicted to retail for $ 1,299. In distinction, the OnePlus 10 Professional prices $ 899, which additionally compares favorably towards flagship telephones from Apple and Samsung.
The OnePlus 10 Professional additionally works higher as an all-around cellphone exterior of gaming than the ROG telephones. It provides a greater capturing expertise, for instance, in addition to higher sturdiness and a better IP score.
OnePlus 10 Professional: The decision
All of this now brings us to the unique query posed, is the OnePlus 10 Professional one of the best smartphone on the market proper now?
The reply, as with many different issues is, effectively, it relies upon.
In case you’re locked into Apple’s iOS ecosystem, for instance, then the iPhone will nonetheless be the best choice for you. The reply will get trickier, nevertheless, when narrowing it right down to Android telephones. There are Android rivals that do a greater job with sure issues – the Samsung Galaxy S22 Extremely arguably has a greater show whereas the Pixel 6 excels extra for pictures and has a lower cost, for instance. Some would additionally argue that the ROG telephones are higher on the subject of sure gaming options.
On the subject of a cellphone that does lots of these issues effectively total, nevertheless, the OnePlus 10 Professional supplies a reasonably compelling and full package deal. It’s extra highly effective than a Pixel 6, for instance, and is best on the on a regular basis non-gaming stuff than the ROG choices. Additionally it is cheaper than the ROG telephones and the Galaxy S22 Extremely. Add its lowered worth in comparison with the earlier mannequin and it presents an excellent worth proposition as effectively for a flagship system.
Its place among the many Android pantheon can definitely be debated. One factor is for positive, nevertheless. The OnePlus 10 Professional is definitely the most effective Android smartphones you will get proper now.
Jason Hidalgo covers enterprise and know-how for the Reno Gazette Journal, and in addition evaluations the most recent video video games. Comply with him on Twitter @jasonhidalgo. Like this content material? Help native journalism with an RGJ digital subscription.