When OnePlus broke into the phone industry back in 2014 with the OnePlus One, it made its name with ‘flagship killer’ phones that undercut top-tier handsets on price, while still delivering on premium features and performance.
Since then, the company’s success and expansion has meant that it now makes those very flagships it set out to kill, along with a whole set of mid-range and budget devices.
Unfortunately, not all of those phones launch in every market. Tech Advisor is based in the UK, so we’ve reviewed just about every OnePlus phone that you can buy here, but haven’t yet tested every international launch like the China and India-exclusive OnePlus 9R or North America-only N200. Equally, some of the phones we have reviewed here – including our top choice, the Nord 2T – don’t launch in the US.
Those caveats aside, here’s our rundown of the best OnePlus phones you can buy right now.
1. OnePlus Nord 2T
- Excellent value
- Great main camera
- 80W fast charging
Cons
- No wireless charging
- No waterproofing
- Only 90Hz
The OnePlus Nord 2T is an updated take on the still-excellent Nord 2, which you’ll find further down this list.
The Nord 2T takes what made the Nord 2 such a good phone and improves on it in two key areas: a more powerful processor and faster wired charging. And despite those upgrades, it’s officially cheaper than the Nord 2 as well.
This is not only the best OnePlus phone right now, but also the best mid-range phone on the market from any company.
Read our full OnePlus Nord 2T review
2. OnePlus 10 Pro
- Super-fast 80W charging
- Great battery life
- Powerful specs
Cons
- Inconsistent camera
- No IP rating
The OnePlus 10 Pro is the company’s latest flagship phone, and from a pure specs perspective it is the company’s best device – but for pure value it’s still beaten by the Nord 2.
Still, this is an impressive flagship, with the top-spec Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip, impressive battery life, and lightning fast 80W wired charging (plus wireless charging to boot).
There are downsides. There’s no official IP rating (though a T-Mobile US variant with the same build quality does have the certification – make of that what you will) and while the camera setup is powerful, it’s also inconsistent – and at this price you’ll find better photography from Samsung or Apple.
Read our full OnePlus 10 Pro review
3. OnePlus Nord 2
- Excellent value
- Great main camera
- Glass build
Cons
- No wireless charging
- No waterproofing
- Only 90Hz
The Nord 2 was for a long time the best OnePlus phone for most people, with a brilliant balance of specs, features, and price – so much so that we named it the best mid-range phone of 2021. It may have been supplanted by the Nord 2T, but if you can find the 2 on sale then it’s still an excellent option.
Powered by a custom MediaTek chipset, the Nord 2 packs in fast 65W charging, a great main camera (borrowed from the flagship 9 series), and an understated glass design.
You won’t get top flagship features like waterproofing or wireless charging, which makes sense for the price. Perhaps slightly more surprisingly the display is limited to 90Hz rather than 120Hz – though this is a sacrifice we suspect few will mind.
Read our full OnePlus Nord 2 review
4. OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G
- Budget-friendly
- Headphone jack
- Expandable storage
Cons
- Average performance
- Ships with Android 11
We’re not sure if the Nord CE 2 5G is more of a follow-up to the Nord CE 5G or a cheaper spin on the Nord 2, but either way it works well.
A 90Hz AMOLED display is paired with a big battery, 65W wired charging, and a camera that isn’t bad – and certainly impresses for the price.
A few minor performance stutters give us a little hesitation, and it’s disappointing to see it ship with Android 11, meaning it won’t get updates past Android 13.
Still, this is a great package and an impressive affordable all-rounder.
Read our full OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G review
5. OnePlus 9RT
- Fast performance
- Great display
- Excellent battery life
Cons
- No waterproofing
- No telephoto camera
- India & China-only
It’s a shame the OnePlus 9RT is only officially out in China and India, because it’s probably the best phone in 2021’s 9 series.
It re-uses the broad design strokes of the OnePlus 9 – albeit with a slightly larger, 6.62in display – and also uses the same Snapdragon 888 chipset and 120Hz AMOLED display.
The camera has been chopped and changed, with the 9 Pro’s 50Mp ultra-wide sensor here used for the 9RT’s main camera, but results are solid, especially given the phone’s lower price.
This isn’t the most powerful OnePlus 9 phone, but by aiming for a little less it succeeds a bit more.
Read our full OnePlus 9RT review
6. OnePlus 9
- Top specs
- Excellent display
Cons
- Thick
- Slow wireless charging
- Unreliable camera
The standard OnePlus 9 is the better buy of the two 9 series phones that launched globally, and is the one to pick if you know you want one of the company’s 2021 flagships – especially since there was no OnePlus 10 to replace it.
You get a Snapdragon 888, 120Hz display, 65W wired charging, and for the first time in a non-Pro phone, even wireless charging too – though it’s capped at 15W speeds.
You also get the firm’s first Hasselblad-branded camera, though lower your expectations: while the camera gets some things right, it still can’t match the best that Apple or Samsung have to offer.
Read our full OnePlus 9 review
7. OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite
- Solid build
- Strong battery life
- Decent main camera
Cons
- Poor value
- LCD not OLED
- No ultrawide camera
The OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G is another highly competent affordable phone from OnePlus.
It’s solidly built, has a fluid 120Hz display, and runs reasonably smoothly. The 64Mp main camera, meanwhile, is capable of capturing images with real pop.
However, there’s no getting away from the fact that this is one of the least exciting OnePlus phones we’ve seen for some time. In certain ways, it feels downright unnecessary.
For just a little less than the OnePlus Nord CE 2 you’re getting a phone with an inferior LCD display, less powerful performance, slower charging, and a less flexible camera system. Meanwhile, rival efforts from Xiaomi and Realme provide similar or even slightly better specifications for less money.
8. OnePlus 9 Pro
- Best specs
- Fastest charging
Cons
- Disappointing camera
- Ugly finishes
- Thick & heavy
The OnePlus 9 Pro was unfortunately a little bit of a let down, and feels like a step back from the phenomenal 8 Pro, and with only minor improvements over the standard 9.
The good is you get the latest Snapdragon 888 chipset, a dynamic refresh rate display (OnePlus’s best yet), and the one-two punch of 65W wired charging and 50W wireless – though the latter is only that fast if you also buy the separate wireless charger. It’s also IP68 rated, which the regular 9 isn’t.
The bad is that the much-hyped Hasselblad camera really underwhelms. The main and ultrawide do well in good light, but struggle the rest of the time, and aggressive sharpening leaves noisy shots even in good conditions. The 9 Pro has the added advantage of a 3.3x telephoto lens, but it can’t compete with zoom lens in rival flagships.
The ugly? Well, the design. It’s big, blocky, and the main Morning Mist colour is the worst fingerprint magnet around.
Buy this if you want flagship features but can’t afford the 10 Pro, though even in that case you might be better looking at the regular 9.
Read our full OnePlus 9 Pro review
9. OnePlus 8T
- Great value
- 65W charging
- Excellent specs
Cons
- No wireless charging
- Middling camera
The OnePlus 8T launched in autumn 2020, but it’s still powerful enough to compete with 2022 phones where it counts.
With a slick design and reliable camera we’d still take it over its replacement, the OnePlus 9, especially since it’s considerably cheaper.
You still get a 120Hz display, 65W wired charging, and 5G support – though sadly it does omit wireless charging.
Read our full OnePlus 8T review
10. OnePlus Nord CE 5G
- Thinnest OnePlus phone
- Good value
- Beautiful display
Cons
- Plastic body
- Average camera
- No alert slider
The Nord CE 5G is really a stripped back version of the original Nord.
The CE – which stands for Core Edition – has the same display and a similar design to the Nord. While the Snapdragon 750G chipset is different, performance is also very close, and there’s 5G support too.
The camera isn’t as good as the Nord’s, and the back of the phone is now plastic – but the trade-off is that it’s now both thinner and lighter.
Most importantly it’s cheaper, and it really is great value – but if you can afford it, we’d still recommend most people stretch their budget a little further and stick to the original, or one of the more recent follow-ups.
Read our full OnePlus Nord CE 5G review
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