You’ve probably seen those ads where the model goes to fix a coffee and his phone is charged to go in the time he quickly grabs his brew on a manic Monday. I tried it with the OnePlus 10R, where I brewed a cup of coffee and returned to find the phone fully charged. The key point here is that the 10R wasn’t just powered for short-term use but it charged to full capacity in under 20 minutes. After all, OnePlus’ big sales pitch around the 10R was the 150W battery with its insanely fast charging speeds. Does this device have more tricks up its sleeve?
Edgy design
I was initially a tad disappointed that OnePlus opted to ship us the Sierra Black colour option instead of the Forest Green variant. That’s in part because the 10Pro has one of our favourite versions of green on any smartphone (Emerald Forest). Also, the top-end ‘Endurance edition’ is only available in Sierra Black. That disappointment faded away as soon as I unboxed the device. This device looks quite sharp in this colour, with its clean lines, matte finish (it doesn’t attract smudges) and an edgy rear camera design. It’s interesting how both the 10Pro and now the 10R have managed to hit the right notes with a rear camera placement that makes them standout in a crowd. The 10R feels good in your hand; OnePlus has opted for a flat-edge style design that we’ve seen on devices like OPPO’s F21 Pro. It’s also lighter than the OnePlus 9RT that we checked out in January. The 9RT still looms large and comparisons with this device are inevitable.
10R or 9RT?
It might appear to be a slightly complex decision given that the 9RT is powered by a zippy Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor. We’ll stick with the 10R in this OnePlus battle of the sub Rs 45,000 affordable flagships. First, it’s the design. the 9RT has a more 2021 vibe about it. What’s impressive is that OnePlus has packed a more formidable 5000 mAh battery under the hood of the 10R despite a lighter form factor. The Endurance Edition that we checked out features the 150W SuperVOOC charger that takes your device from 0 to 100 percent in 17 minutes; no kidding. Even if you opt for the entry-level option, you still get a 80W charger in the box that juices up your smartphone in just over 30 minutes. The other surprise was the performance of the Mediatek Dimensity 8100-Max processor that combined with 12GB/256GB in our review unit (there’s also an 8GB/128GB variant), The One Plus 10R clocked 3629 in our Geekbench benchmark test (multi-core) that was higher than the 9RT. That should settle the debate around performance.
The OnePlus of old
In many ways, the 10R is a throwback to the OnePlus devices that helped the brand build its cult following in India. It’s fast, especially charging speeds. The 6.7-inch display Fluid OLED display is ultra-smooth, gaming is quite immersive too. We checked out Asphalt 9 that played out really well on this display. The triple rear cam does well in optimal lighting conditions and combines a 50MP primary lens, an 8MP ultra-wide lens and 2MP macro lens. There are better mobile shooters at this price especially for low-light photography. It features the same 16MP selfie cam as the 9RT.
The 10R is one of the best smartphones you can buy under Rs 40,000. This is OnePlus in its comfort zone, and the 10R scores well given its contemporary design and a good all-round performance. Then there’s that 150W charger that you can show off to your buddies.
The OnePlus 10R comes in three variants – 8GB/128GB (Rs 38,999), 12GB/256GB (Rs 42,999) and the 12GB/256GB Endurance Edition with the 150W SuperVOOC charger (Rs 43,999). There are multiple offers, including a Rs 2,000 cashback on ICICI cards.
