Quite a pity OP11 not more popular here in SG and there hasn't been better promo since the one we had at launch. haven't been a fan of their devices in recent years, but the Ace was pretty good, and 11 is too. About 1 month in, still using it as my main phone and still really liking it. Like it more than S23 Ultra too. Bought one to try when the price dropped, thinking that it could replace the OP11 since I tend to prefer OneUI more, but end up disappointing me. Sold it off after I was done reviewing it.
Camera performance and software experience is better (namely the 10X zoom and video capture), and of course those extra niceties like slightly better day to day battery life, IP68, ultrasonic sensor, brighter screen, USB3.1 are... nice to have. But the main thing I was looking for in an upgrade which is Genshin performance, is rather disappointing for a SD8G2 phone. Runs hotter, but less smooth FPS (all while using about the same or maybe even slightly more battery), and not sure if it's because of the unstable FPS, touch response doesn't feel as immediate too. Even dropping the graphics a little didn't help it much. Oh well.
Also hardware wise it isn't all better on S23 Ultra too. Haptics are noticeably better on OP11, and speakers are too. Could be personal preference, but I like the slightly thicker sound from the OP11 which makes male vocals sound more natural. The extra RAM makes a difference to me too. notice less apps/games being killed off too quickly.
Even at current prices which is around 1350 for S23 Ultra and around 1050 for OP11, I'll still personally go with the OP11 without hesitation. Cause personally, if I ignore the genshin performnace, I might as well stick with my old SD865+ Note20 plus iPad mini 6 (just for Genshin) combo. I am still happy with the battery life, camera, screen quality, etc I get from that phone, and iPad mini 6 still runs the game better than even the latest android phones (higher render resolution and graphics while still being smooth). The main appeal of upgrading to a new phone to me is being able to consolidate 2 devices into just 1 (that I always have with me).
With Xiaomi 13 also having a pretty sizeable mark up here in SG, making it not worth considering too, OnePlus 11 is like one of the better options here liao. And in terms of gaming performance, it might even be one of the best options since RedMagic isn't officially available here (which means warranty could be a hassle), and it's also not that well rounded for day to day use. Kinda feels like a shame that OnePlus isn't taking advantage of their position now and try to gain more marketshare and mindshare. Eventually prices for Xiaomi and Samsung will drop, making the gap even smaller, and maybe will have newer phones (from maybe vivo or oppo) that might be more worth it.¯\_(ツ)_/¯
