OnePlus 11 Ultra? Lucky for Samsung, the best Android flagship is a phone OnePlus refuses to make

If you know anything about OnePlus’ history of making flagship phones, a few things would stand out:

• Before the OnePlus 11, the company went through many years of inconsistent lineups, with, and without vanilla and “Pro” flagship at various price points ($600-900)

• In my humble opinion, OnePlus hasn’t made the best Android flagship phone on the market since the the distant 2019, when many enthusiasts considered the the OnePlus 7T Pro to be the best Android phone available at the time

Now, looking at our Oppo Find X6 Pro review takeaway (above), and knowing what phones like the Pixel 7 Pro and Galaxy S23 Ultra can do, wouldn’t you agree that a $1,000-1,200 OnePlus 11 Ultra has a pretty good chance at challenging Samsung and Google in this ultra-premium price segment?

With super-fast charging capabilities, great battery life, arguably the best photography in the business, and one of the most eye-catching designs in recent smartphone history, the hypothetical “OnePlus 11 Ultra” could easily make the Pixel 7 Pro and Galaxy S23 Ultra take the backseat - something they aren’t usually used to.

“OnePlus Ultra”: Will OnePlus ever take a proper shot at Samsung & Co, or is the company back to its “flagship-killer” days?

Again, if you’ve paid attention to OnePlus in the past 2-3 years, you’d know how many times the company’s core strategy has shifted, going back and forth between “flagship-killers” to “proper flagships” with little to no success. Some say that’s why Carl Pei left and created Nothing (usually, that’s the low-hanging fruit of puns I’m ashamed to pick).

Now, the most recent development at the OnePlus headquarters is that the company is back to its “flagship-killer” roots, and judging by our OnePlus 11 review, the $700 starting price, and overall appeal for this phone, I can agree. But how long is OnePlus going to keep it up? To be fair, I’m in a bit of a conflict with myself here.

Here’s what I said about the OnePlus 11 back in January…



The reason I said “the OnePlus 11 could be the first step in the right direction” is because I was (and I am) a big supporter of the “flagship-killer” concept/phones like the OnePlus 11 and Pixel 7 that challenges the (expensive) status quo (read: Samsung, Apple). But just like Samsung, Apple and Google have shown us, a phone lineup is about more and better choice (sometimes too much choice and sneaky upselling strategies).

So, yes, I’m glad the “flagship-killer” OnePlus 11 exists, but I also want to see the OnePlus 11 Ultra (Oppo Find X6 Pro) take on the most premium of Android and Apple flagships and silence the critics. Rooting for the underdog feels good!

“OnePlus 11 Ultra” likely doesn’t exist because it’s too expensive to make and sell outside of China

Technically, rebranding an Oppo phone to turn it into an internationally-available OnePlus (or vice versa) is something that can be done with a snap of a finger. Examples for that are the the OnePlus N10 and OnePlus N100, which are rebranded Oppo phones (the latter is a rebranded Oppo A53s). However, things aren’t as simple.

See, although I’m a tech enthusiast who’d like to see an Ultra OnePlus flagship, the reality of the market is different. In other words, I see quite a few reasons OnePlus and Oppo (and their parent company BBK), purposely avoid releasing a “OnePlus 11 Ultra” despite this being as easy as changing the logo on the back of the Oppo Find X6 Pro and swapping out ColorOS for OxygenOS…

• Although importing the Oppo Find X6 Pro would set you back just over $1,000 (a good deal for what some consider the best Android phone on the market), making and selling an internationally available “OnePlus 11 Ultra” (rebranded Find X6 Pro) would probably make for a global price of $1,200-1,400 (I’m judging by the Xiaomi 13 Pro - another ultra-premium Chinese phone that goes for €1,300 in Europe)

• Although innovation and pushing the boundaries of what flagship phones are capable of is nice, OnePlus also wants/needs to sell phones; therefore a $1,200 OnePlus 11 Ultra might not be the best business bet given that this one would go up against the likes of phones with far greater brand loyalty (iPhone, Galaxy); Chinese phones with the latest and greatest hardware also achieve significantly lower profit margins compared to iPhone and Galaxy, which don’t need to try as hard

• OnePlus has its eyes on the future, and (according to rumors) the company’s future involves foldable flagship phones from the tablet/clamshell variety; although folding phones also aren’t the most lucrative idea right now, it looks like OnePlus sees an opportunity to challenge Samsung in the global foldable market, likely transforming one/two of Oppo’s foldable flagships into a OnePlus Fold

And despite all of that… I still want to see a rebranded Oppo Find X6 Pro that becomes the “OnePlus 11 Ultra''. Imagine what this phone would do to future Samsung, Apple, and Google flagships! It’d push them harder, and that’s always good for the industry, and the consumer.