The global variant of the OnePlus 11 could be different

By the looks of it, February 2023 will be a big month for Android. Not only will Samsung launch its flagship Samsung Galaxy S23 lineup, but OnePlus will also officially be releasing its own top-of-the-line handset for 2023 internationally - the OnePlus 11.

For reference, the latter has already launched in China, OnePlus’ home country. The international release of the device is scheduled for February 7th, when OnePlus will hold an exclusive event in India in order to mark the occasion. However, the OnePlus 11 that Western consumers ultimately receive could end up being different from its Chinese counterpart.

According to a tweet subsequently covered by 91mobiles in a dedicated article, the global variant of the OnePlus 11 will feature 80W charging support instead of the 100W of the Chinese variant. This would not be the first time a Chinese manufacturer releases different versions of the same smartphone depending on the market.

This information should be taken with a grain of salt, however. According to a tweet by Max Jambor, a reputable tech tipster, there could be two international versions of the OnePlus 11 - a global one (which will retain the 100W fast charging) and a US one (which will be capped at 80W). For the time being, it looks like the max charging speed will be the only difference between the market-specific devices.

For some reason, (ultra)fast charging is a feature that most smartphones in China, especially high-end ones, come equipped with by default. The latter is much less common in the Western market, which normalized removing the charger from the box.

OnePlus in particular is known for offering smartphones which support charging at extremely high speeds - the OnePlus 10T is one major example. One of the main selling points of the peculiar device was precisely the fact that it could facilitate charging at 150W.

The OnePlus 10T was not really a flagship, but the OnePlus 11 definitely is, despite the lack of a “Pro” moniker. Having the latter stuck with 80W charging, a little more than half of the capability of a 2022 midranger, simply makes no sense.