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OnePlus 10 Pro: Everything we know about the 2022 OnePlus flagship
Oppo is bringing big changes to this year's OnePlus flagship
OnePlus has come a long way from its "Never Settle" days. The company that was once known for taking on premium flagship smartphones in the market at one-third the price has revised its strategy entirely in recent years. Its phones are now almost as expensive as offerings from Samsung and Apple, and have specs to match. The OnePlus 9 series was a modest success, though it could not live up to its Hasselblad camera hype in the imaging department. For 2022 though, the company will have some major changes in tow for the OnePlus 10 series on the software front as the company is in the process of being Oppo-fied, with the hardware getting a minor refresh. Here is everything we know about the OnePlus 10 series so far.
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There was a time not that long ago that OnePlus phones were a guaranteed excellent value. That's no longer the case as the company has increasingly focused on flagship devices and carrier partnerships, pushing the cost of some devices over $1,000. OnePlus usually releases a T-series phone in the fall, but we didn't get one of those last cycle, probably thanks to the chip shortage. That puts the OP9 in a strange place of being the standard-bearer for the company after almost a year.
This is how much your used Android phone will sell for in 2022
A few expected ones with some surprises
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It’s a well-established fact that Android phones offer much worse resale value when compared to iPhones. But there are certain brands and models within the Android world that take a nosedive within their first year of release. So, instead of being taken by surprise with an unexpectedly low price when selling off your current phone, it’s better to know the real market value beforehand — and you can even use this price data to make the most of your next smartphone purchase as well.
OnePlus' special Nord 2 Pac-Man Edition comes with a glowing back and some software tricks
It will wakka wakka through India and Europe only
The OnePlus Nord 2 is arguably one of the best mid-range smartphones available right now if you can get one in your country. And now, a special edition device called the OnePlus Nord 2 Pac-Man Edition has joined the Nord family. As part of the announcement, the company has shared that it's offering a chance to win one for yourself.
OxygenOS 12 beta hands-on: The new OnePlus software is ColorOS in all but name
You’ll have to learn to live with the Oppo-fication of OnePlus phones
Two things that propelled OnePlus into the mainstream back in the day were its ultra-aggressive pricing and well-balanced, near-stock software experience. While it's not been as competitive on pricing for a few years now, it’s also on the verge of dropping the ball on the software front as well. With the OxygenOS 12 beta, OnePlus is walking on a thin line, trying to balance its recent merger with Oppo’s ColorOS and a passionate user community that doesn't want OxygenOS to lose its spark. The upcoming version of OxygenOS, based on Android 12, takes heavy inspiration from its Oppo counterpart, but I'll let you be the judge of whether OnePlus has strayed too far from its roots.
There's a new trend emerging from the lessons that smartphone companies have learned over the past few years. In an attempt to have greater control over every step of the phone-making process, they're looking to develop their own chips. Only a day after Google launched the Pixel 6 series with its new Tensor SoC, we're hearing that Oppo is also embarking on a similar journey.
Latest OxygenOS update for the OnePlus 8 series adds Files by Google app, October security patches
Plus a few bug fixes and stability improvements
While it hasn't always been this way, OnePlus is probably one of the better-ish OEMs when it comes to updates. The company sometimes takes its sweet time to roll them out, but (at least in the case of flagships) it commits to releasing up to three major version updates. Older phones like the OnePlus 5/5T and the 6/6T famously got updated up to Android 10 and Android 11 respectively (even though those updates took their sweet time to roll out). The company's also known for delivering timely-ish security patches and smaller updates, like the ones currently rolling out for the OnePlus 8, the OnePlus 8 Pro, and the OnePlus 8T.
New Harry Potter partnership basically admits it would take a magic trick for you to buy a OnePlus Watch
*moves magic wand* Riddikulus!
The OnePlus Watch is a weird product. Despite some excellent build quality, it's all but ruined by crappy proprietary software that manages to fall short in nearly every way. Nevertheless, OnePlus truly believes in its first-gen fitness smartwatch, making some genuinely titanic efforts in a bit to get people to buy one. The company previously released a Cyberpunk 2077-branded model in partnership with CD Projekt Red, and its latest announcement comes from a new team-up with none other than the boy who lived.
OnePlus really likes releasing special edition smartphones. Just last year, it launched a special edition Cyberpunk 2077 OnePlus 8T, followed a few months back by a matching OnePlus Watch. Although it hasn't necessarily always been gaming-related things, we've seen OnePlus launch devices themed after everything from Star Wars (with the OnePlus 5T) to The Avengers (with the OnePlus 6). OnePlus might now be doing yet another special edition smartphone, but this time it looks to feature a blast from our gaming past.
I’ve always liked colors. Simple, bright or saturated, sometimes flashy, riveting light reflections that catch your eye and make you stop for a second and think, “Wow, that’s beautiful.” For me, there’s nothing interesting about grey or black, or at least there’s very little that’s interesting and very little any object can do to be interesting if its outward appearance sits somewhere on the greyscale. This personal opinion holds for a lot of items in my life, and it certainly is true for my smartphone, the one object that I carry everywhere I go. But flagship after flagship, manufacturers seem hellbent on disappointing me recently.
OxygenOS 12 Open Beta is now live for OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro users
A fresh look, improved dark mode, and updates to Shelf, Canvas, and more
Android 12 is finally here — even if it’s not out for Pixel devices just yet — which means the countdown for companies not named Google to update their devices is on. We’ve seen Samsung open up its One UI 4 beta program earlier than expected, and now it’s OnePlus’s turn. Building off its OxygenOS 12 developer previews, today’s Open Beta build gives OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro users the chance to test out some new features and enhancements alongside Android 12.
The OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro are getting a new Android 12 Developer Preview
The OxygenOS/ColorOS merger is going through
The merger of OxygenOS and ColorOS, as part of OnePlus becoming essentially a subbrand of Oppo, has been coming for some time, and the merged OS should begin arriving for all supported smartphones with the upcoming Android 12 release. If you're currently enrolled in the OnePlus Developer Preview program on your 9 or 9 Pro, you can get an early look with a new release now arriving for your phone.
OnePlus has an official set of "Pro" earbuds, complete with premium design and materials and the requisite active noise cancellation. They did pretty well in our review, especially if you like headphones that tend to go really heavy on the bass. Normally the OnePlus Buds Pro are $150, competitive but a little beyond impulse buy territory. Today the OnePlus store is offering them for $20 off with a coupon code.
Amazon has the OnePlus 9 Pro at its lowest price yet
Especially if you're pining for that green color
The OnePlus 9 Pro has been sitting on the market for about 6 months at this point. There have been some challenges in selling the phone — chief among them is the global supply chain congestion phenomenon which has meant that North America has only had access to the more expensive model with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. But today, there comes some more reprieve with a deepened discount on Amazon.
OnePlus details how it's going to merge OxygenOS and Oppo's ColorOS
And there won't be a OnePlus 9T this year
OnePlus has long announced that it's going to merge its OxygenOS with Oppo's ColorOS following the shocking reveal of its secret partnership with Oppo that was neither secret nor shocking. While a few new OnePlus devices are already running a ColorOS-based version of Android with an OxygenOS skin on top of it, OnePlus hasn't officially revealed how exactly it will transition all of its currently supported devices to ColorOS. Well, you've got to wonder no more — the OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has laid out a roadmap, detailing how things will progress from here.
OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro get the new Hasselblad XPan shooting mode in Oxygen OS 11.2.9.9
The update includes several other camera tweaks, 'optimized wireless charging,' and Android's September security patch
We saw it earlier this week, now you can try it out for yourself. The latest software update for the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro just went live, and it's packing the new Hasselblad XPan shooting mode. This camera setting allows the phones' cameras to emulate a famously cool ultra-wide-angle camera in both the photo's aspect ratio and the camera's software interface.
OnePlus Nord 2 review, one month later: Good phone, bad cameraphone
Inconsistent cameras scupper an otherwise decent experience
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The original OnePlus Nord launched with much fanfare, promising a return to the flagship killing days the company had long since left behind. That first phone delivered excellent value for money, but subsequent devices in the Nord series have mostly left us scratching our heads (with the possible exception of the N200). Nord 2 5G is a true successor that comes at us from a slightly different angle. It’s the first OnePlus phone with a MediaTek processor and — at least on paper — it doesn’t seem to imbue the same excitement as its predecessor.
The next earbuds from OnePlus will probably look just like you'd expect
The Buds Z2 could launch as early as next month
Last year's OnePlus Buds Z came in at a super low price — fifty bucks! — and offered decent sound quality and a comfortable fit. As you'd probably expect with a price so low, they didn't include any advanced features. OnePlus added ANC and wireless charging to its premium Buds Pro, but at a pretty massive markup over the original pair. If you've had your eye out for some new affordable earbuds, the company's next pair might be a perfect match between price and performance.
OnePlus 9R long-term review: Losing its edge
It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to pick one right now
OnePlus’s phone prices have only gone up in the past couple of years as the company gradually recalibrated its flagship sales model. However, sticking with that strategy in a price-sensitive market like India would’ve backfired. That’s the reason behind the very existence of the OnePlus 9R — an India-exclusive upper-mid-range handset that looks closer to the new 9 series models but is essentially an 8T in a new suit.
The latest OxygenOS Beta for the OnePlus Nord includes Ambient Display tweaks
You can watch a little cartoon of yourself! Woo!
OnePlus Nord owners who are part of the company's open beta program should check their phones now: there's a new update headed down the pipe. It's not amazing in terms of content; the biggest practical addition is that the Android security patch is bumped up to August. But there's some big stuff in there if you really like the always-on display.