OnePlus phone
Ranked 11 of 60 smartphones by recommenders
Known for easy bootloader unlocking, custom ROM support and strong specs for the price. Critics say the brand has lost its edge since the Oppo merger, and some report overheating.
Known for easy bootloader unlocking, custom ROM support and strong specs for the price. Critics say the brand has lost its edge since the Oppo merger, and some report overheating.
81 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 32
- criticize it
- 49
- approval share
- 40%
Recommended in 7 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 32 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 0.6 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 7 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Easy bootloader unlock, custom ROM support
“They consistently have allowed bootloader unlocking without extra fuss and have had good LineageOS support.”
Comment from 25 Jan 2026 in “OnePlus update blocks downgrades and custom ROMs by blowing a fuse” “The only manufacturers in the world publishing device trees nowadays must be Fairphone and OnePlus”
Comment from 16 Jan 2026 in “EOL hardware should mean open-source software” “they consistently give you the option to unlock the bootloader and install your custom ROM”
Comment from 3 Mar 2026 in “Apple Introduces iPhone 17e” - Comment from 24 Feb 2026 in “Samsung Upcycle Promise”
- Comment from 24 Feb 2026 in “Samsung Upcycle Promise”
- Comment from 4 Mar 2026 in “Motorola GrapheneOS devices will be bootloader unlockable/relockable”
- Comment from 25 Jan 2026 in “OnePlus update blocks downgrades and custom ROMs by blowing a fuse”
Flagship specs at lower price
“In the beginning they were flagship phones being sold for half prices, lately I've even forgotten about them.”
Comment from 16 Jul 2026 in “OnePlus halts operations in USA and Europe” “I bought many of the first models. They were good and very competitive with price and features.”
Comment from 16 Jul 2026 in “OnePlus halts operations in USA and Europe” “their phones provide best bang for the buck performance”
Comment from 17 Jul 2026 in “OnePlus halts operations in USA and Europe” - Comment from 10 Jan 2026 in “Ask HN: How would you decouple from the US?”
Strong screens and camera processing
“great screens, high refresh rate, great photos with a much lighter touch of automatic processing compared to Samsung”
Comment from 16 Jul 2026 in “OnePlus halts operations in USA and Europe” “OnePlus solved this with their camera software and beefier specs.”
Comment from 16 Jul 2026 in “OnePlus halts operations in USA and Europe” Fast battery charging
“No other phone comes close to the battery density and charging speed.”
Comment from 16 Jul 2026 in “OnePlus halts operations in USA and Europe” “the high-speed charging is awesome”
Comment from 20 Jan 2026 in “The end of OnePlus: Oppo rumored to retire smartphone brand due to less sales”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Runs hot, battery degrades
“they are running incredibly hot on normal usage, and battery capacity detoriates quickly over time”
Comment from 16 Jul 2026 in “OnePlus halts operations in USA and Europe” “The phone runs hot on normal circumstances, and in summer when the temperatures are getting higher it becomes unbearable.”
Comment from 16 Jul 2026 in “OnePlus halts operations in USA and Europe” Less distinct since Oppo merger
“they're fine, they work, but they're not the magic OnePlus was”
Comment from 15 Jul 2026 in “OnePlus to Pull Out of American and European Markets” “OnePlus is subsidiary of Oppo. Over past few years they were loosing autonomy / reusing more and more work by Oppo.”
Comment from 16 Jul 2026 in “OnePlus halts operations in USA and Europe” “OnePlus was on the decline and it was clear it wouldn't be a contender for much longer here in the UK”
Comment from 16 Jul 2026 in “OnePlus halts operations in USA and Europe” - Comment from 16 Jul 2026 in “OnePlus halts operations in USA and Europe”
- Comment from 26 Jan 2026 in “OnePlus update blocks downgrades and custom ROMs by blowing a fuse”
- Comment from 16 Jul 2026 in “OnePlus halts operations in USA and Europe”
Trust and data concerns
“Your scenerio is not improved by making Oneplus phones impossible to use once they're stolen.”
Comment from 26 Jan 2026 in “OnePlus update blocks downgrades and custom ROMs by blowing a fuse” “OnePlus has been doing sketchy things too. I wouldn't trust them with your data.”
Comment from 21 Jan 2026 in “Instabridge has acquired Nova Launcher” Fewer mod options after updates
“they compromised all the other things though (especially factory images, which heavily chilled rooting/mods)”
Comment from 16 Jul 2026 in “OnePlus halts operations in USA and Europe” “OnePlus and other Chinese brands were modders-friendly until they suddenly weren't”
Comment from 25 Jan 2026 in “OnePlus update blocks downgrades and custom ROMs by blowing a fuse”
Other smartphones people recommend
The four most recommended other smartphones, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple iPhone | 706 | 882 | 44% | 13 | 7 yrs107 owners | — |
| Fairphone | 168 | 107 | 61% | 13 | 3 yrs19 owners | — |
| Apple iPhone Pro | 144 | 155 | 48% | 12 | 4 yrs26 owners | — |
| iPhone 13 mini | 141 | 51 | 73% | 12 | 1.5 yrs4 owners | Approved |
| OnePlus phoneThis page | 32 | 49 | 40% | 7 | — | — |
What people said
40 of the 90 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“My previous phone (a OnePlus) had Face Unlock along with a rear-mounted fingerprint reader, which was even better.”
“their phones provide best bang for the buck performance”
“OnePlus was more known and trusted outside China and should have been the flagship.”
“get one of their +5YO phone and put Axion on it”
“No other phone comes close to the battery density and charging speed.”
“OnePlus solved this with their camera software and beefier specs.”
“She had it for eight years, and it's still working.”
“they compromised all the other things though (especially factory images, which heavily chilled rooting/mods)”
“The phone runs hot on normal circumstances, and in summer when the temperatures are getting higher it becomes unbearable.”
“OnePlus is subsidiary of Oppo. Over past few years they were loosing autonomy / reusing more and more work by Oppo.”
“I ended up buying the OnePlus because I disliked the huge back camera on the Nothing 3a Pro.”
“they are running incredibly hot on normal usage, and battery capacity detoriates quickly over time”
“they had some pretty nice phones since”
“They always had a reputation for me for being a great no fuss, little bloat and simply fast android phone.”
“great screens, high refresh rate, great photos with a much lighter touch of automatic processing compared to Samsung”
“OnePlus was on the decline and it was clear it wouldn't be a contender for much longer here in the UK”
“OnePlus phones visually look cleaner”
“In recent years OnePlus was just another Chinese phone.”
“Since they became Oppo in a wig there's really been no reason to buy their products.”
“they are not really special, at least not to the extend where the brand means all that much”
“In the beginning they were flagship phones being sold for half prices, lately I've even forgotten about them.”
“I bought many of the first models. They were good and very competitive with price and features.”
“they're fine, they work, but they're not the magic OnePlus was”
“I'm personally happy with LineageOS on OnePlus stuff”
“they consistently give you the option to unlock the bootloader and install your custom ROM”
“I was planning to stay with that brand because of easy unlock”
“all being unlockable without any issues, or without having to ask anything from anyone”
“What about phones from OnePlus for example, sever of which can run PostmarketOS.”
“By this update, OnePlus secured data of the smartphone owners again.”
“Your scenerio is not improved by making Oneplus phones impossible to use once they're stolen.”
“This has already happened to OnePlus back half a decade ago when they merged with Oppo”
“OnePlus and other Chinese brands were modders-friendly until they suddenly weren't”
“They consistently have allowed bootloader unlocking without extra fuss and have had good LineageOS support.”
“OnePlus still leads on custom ROM support though”
“OnePlus just chose the hardware way, versus Apple the signature way”
“OnePlus has been doing sketchy things too. I wouldn't trust them with your data.”
“the high-speed charging is awesome”
“The only manufacturers in the world publishing device trees nowadays must be Fairphone and OnePlus”
“Comparable specs to flagships at half the price”
“seems to be a good bet for decent software support”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.