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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%
Each figure is one person. RecommendsCriticizes

Recommended in 7 of 13 months

  1. November 2025: recommended
  2. December 2025: recommended
  3. January 2026: recommended
  4. February 2026: recommended
  5. March 2026: recommended
  6. April 2026: not recommended
  7. May 2026: not recommended
  8. June 2026: not recommended
  9. July 2026: recommended
  10. August 2026: not recommended
  11. September 2026: not recommended
  12. October 2026: recommended
  13. 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”
  • 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”
  • 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”
  • 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.

OnePlus phone compared with 4 alternatives
ProductRecommendCriticizeApprovalMonthsOwnedBadge
Apple iPhone70688244%137 yrs107 owners—
Fairphone16810761%133 yrs19 owners—
Apple iPhone Pro14415548%124 yrs26 owners—
iPhone 13 mini1415173%121.5 yrs4 ownersApproved
OnePlus phoneThis page324940%7——
See all 60 smartphones, ranked

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.”

RecommendsComment from 30 Oct 2026 in “I Returned My iPhone Duo”

“their phones provide best bang for the buck performance”

MixedComment from 17 Jul 2026 in “OnePlus halts operations in USA and Europe”

“OnePlus was more known and trusted outside China and should have been the flagship.”

RecommendsComment from 16 Jul 2026 in “OnePlus halts operations in USA and Europe”

“get one of their +5YO phone and put Axion on it”

RecommendsComment from 16 Jul 2026 in “OnePlus halts operations in USA and Europe”

“No other phone comes close to the battery density and charging speed.”

RecommendsComment from 16 Jul 2026 in “OnePlus halts operations in USA and Europe”

“OnePlus solved this with their camera software and beefier specs.”

MixedComment from 16 Jul 2026 in “OnePlus halts operations in USA and Europe”

“She had it for eight years, and it's still working.”

RecommendsComment from 16 Jul 2026 in “OnePlus halts operations in USA and Europe”

“they compromised all the other things though (especially factory images, which heavily chilled rooting/mods)”

CriticizesComment 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.”

CriticizesComment from 16 Jul 2026 in “OnePlus halts operations in USA and Europe”

“OnePlus is subsidiary of Oppo. Over past few years they were loosing autonomy / reusing more and more work by Oppo.”

CriticizesComment from 16 Jul 2026 in “OnePlus halts operations in USA and Europe”

“I ended up buying the OnePlus because I disliked the huge back camera on the Nothing 3a Pro.”

MixedComment from 16 Jul 2026 in “OnePlus halts operations in USA and Europe”

“they are running incredibly hot on normal usage, and battery capacity detoriates quickly over time”

MixedComment from 16 Jul 2026 in “OnePlus halts operations in USA and Europe”

“they had some pretty nice phones since”

RecommendsComment from 16 Jul 2026 in “OnePlus halts operations in USA and Europe”

“They always had a reputation for me for being a great no fuss, little bloat and simply fast android phone.”

RecommendsComment from 16 Jul 2026 in “OnePlus halts operations in USA and Europe”

“great screens, high refresh rate, great photos with a much lighter touch of automatic processing compared to Samsung”

RecommendsComment 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”

CriticizesComment from 16 Jul 2026 in “OnePlus halts operations in USA and Europe”

“OnePlus phones visually look cleaner”

RecommendsComment from 16 Jul 2026 in “OnePlus halts operations in USA and Europe”

“In recent years OnePlus was just another Chinese phone.”

MixedComment from 16 Jul 2026 in “OnePlus halts operations in USA and Europe”

“Since they became Oppo in a wig there's really been no reason to buy their products.”

CriticizesComment from 16 Jul 2026 in “OnePlus halts operations in USA and Europe”

“they are not really special, at least not to the extend where the brand means all that much”

CriticizesComment from 16 Jul 2026 in “OnePlus halts operations in USA and Europe”

“In the beginning they were flagship phones being sold for half prices, lately I've even forgotten about them.”

MixedComment 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.”

MixedComment from 16 Jul 2026 in “OnePlus halts operations in USA and Europe”

“they're fine, they work, but they're not the magic OnePlus was”

MixedComment from 15 Jul 2026 in “OnePlus to Pull Out of American and European Markets”

“I'm personally happy with LineageOS on OnePlus stuff”

RecommendsComment from 4 Mar 2026 in “Motorola GrapheneOS devices will be bootloader unlockable/relockable”

“they consistently give you the option to unlock the bootloader and install your custom ROM”

RecommendsComment from 3 Mar 2026 in “Apple Introduces iPhone 17e”

“I was planning to stay with that brand because of easy unlock”

MixedComment from 24 Feb 2026 in “Samsung Upcycle Promise”

“all being unlockable without any issues, or without having to ask anything from anyone”

RecommendsComment from 24 Feb 2026 in “Samsung Upcycle Promise”

“What about phones from OnePlus for example, sever of which can run PostmarketOS.”

RecommendsComment from 26 Jan 2026 in “A smartphone that runs Android, launches Debian, and dual-boots Windows 11”

“By this update, OnePlus secured data of the smartphone owners again.”

RecommendsComment from 26 Jan 2026 in “OnePlus update blocks downgrades and custom ROMs by blowing a fuse”

“Your scenerio is not improved by making Oneplus phones impossible to use once they're stolen.”

CriticizesComment from 26 Jan 2026 in “OnePlus update blocks downgrades and custom ROMs by blowing a fuse”

“This has already happened to OnePlus back half a decade ago when they merged with Oppo”

CriticizesComment from 26 Jan 2026 in “OnePlus update blocks downgrades and custom ROMs by blowing a fuse”

“OnePlus and other Chinese brands were modders-friendly until they suddenly weren't”

CriticizesComment from 25 Jan 2026 in “OnePlus update blocks downgrades and custom ROMs by blowing a fuse”

“They consistently have allowed bootloader unlocking without extra fuss and have had good LineageOS support.”

RecommendsComment from 25 Jan 2026 in “OnePlus update blocks downgrades and custom ROMs by blowing a fuse”

“OnePlus still leads on custom ROM support though”

RecommendsComment from 25 Jan 2026 in “OnePlus update blocks downgrades and custom ROMs by blowing a fuse”

“OnePlus just chose the hardware way, versus Apple the signature way”

MixedComment from 25 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.”

CriticizesComment from 21 Jan 2026 in “Instabridge has acquired Nova Launcher”

“the high-speed charging is awesome”

RecommendsComment from 20 Jan 2026 in “The end of OnePlus: Oppo rumored to retire smartphone brand due to less sales”

“The only manufacturers in the world publishing device trees nowadays must be Fairphone and OnePlus”

RecommendsComment from 16 Jan 2026 in “EOL hardware should mean open-source software”

“Comparable specs to flagships at half the price”

RecommendsComment from 10 Jan 2026 in “Ask HN: How would you decouple from the US?”

“seems to be a good bet for decent software support”

RecommendsComment from 13 Nov 2025 in “Android developer verification: Early access starts”

Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.