Discussion - I’ll miss OnePlus, I believe in Nothing, but I want to see what Oppo’s going to do next

Read Full Article…
Join the discussion
IgnobleNobility
IgnobleNobility
Arena Apprentice
• 1w ago

I am stuck with whatever phones will work with American cell phone providers, so for T-Mobile that means either the Oppo Find X9 Ultra or Vivo X300 Ultra or some Motorola or newer Xiaomi models that have all the right cellular bands. None of them have the sustained gaming performance of the OnePlus 15. OnePlus's American site and North American App do not redirect to Oppo products currently, so this trend you're describing may apply to other markets. If they offer the OnePlus 16 in America, it would be a hardware gaming beast, but their lame 3 years OS policy is making me reconsider current brand affinity. What's the benefit of a phone that can last you six years but with OS updates lasting half that time and some apps not working a little time after that?

Like
2
Quote
Juan2023
Juan2023
Arena Apprentice
• 1w ago
↵IgnobleNobility said:

I am stuck with whatever phones will work with American cell phone providers, so for T-Mobile that means either the Oppo Find X9 Ultra or Vivo X300 Ultra or some Motorola or newer Xiaomi models that have all the right cellular bands. None of them have the sustained gaming performance of the OnePlus 15. OnePlus's American site and North American App do not redirect to Oppo products currently, so this trend you're describing may apply to other markets. If they offer the OnePlus 16 in America, it would be a hardware gaming beast, but their lame 3 years OS policy is making me reconsider current brand affinity. What's the benefit of a phone that can last you six years but with OS updates lasting half that time and some apps not working a little time after that?

OnePlus phones, starting with the 11 series, offer 4 years of operating system support and 6 years of security patches. If OnePlus leaves the market, it's a loss for US fans because there are practically no alternatives. Samsung is very expensive, has outdated batteries, and screens that develop green lines. Google Pixel phones are also expensive, have outdated batteries, slow charging, a terrible processor, and the worst reception. Motorola phones are a lost cause. The other option would be Nothing, but it needs to improve. If OnePlus has one thing going for it, it's signal reception.

Like
5
Quote
IgnobleNobility
IgnobleNobility
Arena Apprentice
• 1w ago
↵Juan2023 said:

OnePlus phones, starting with the 11 series, offer 4 years of operating system support and 6 years of security patches. If OnePlus leaves the market, it's a loss for US fans because there are practically no alternatives. Samsung is very expensive, has outdated batteries, and screens that develop green lines. Google Pixel phones are also expensive, have outdated batteries, slow charging, a terrible processor, and the worst reception. Motorola phones are a lost cause. The other option would be Nothing, but it needs to improve. If OnePlus has one thing going for it, it's signal reception.

I thought it was three years for OS updates but maybe it was three major OS updates and maybe that works out to about 4 years. I'm a fan of OnePlus, I'm not looking to slam them.

Nothing Phone's hardware does not impress. All I care about is USA T-Mobile connectivity and highest 1% Low FPS in a 20-loop Wild Life Extreme test. What limits every phone is heat ultimately, unless you only game for thirty seconds at a time. OnePlus's Sandstorm finish on their 15 has some unique electroplating finish that seems like a much improved design not offered on other phones yet. There are a couple Redmagic phones with active cooling offering even less thermal throttling but they don't have the cellular bands I need.

Like
Quote
p51d007
p51d007
Arena Master
• 1w ago

I always thought the "One Plus" was nothing more than BBK electronics trying to get OUTSIDE of the Asian market. Carl Pei and others came up with a slightly less version of the Oppo Find 7. They then said "we are a small startup and don't have the money to produce in quantity, so you have to have an invite. Sold the phone for almost cost, created a feeding frenzy!

I had the OnePlus I, 5, 7. After that, I dumped it. Good phone, but they jacked up the prices and they weren't so much a "flagship killer".

Personally, I think it was brilliant what they did. They got BBK electronics, Oppo known OUTSIDE of the Asian market.

It makes sense to just kill off OnePlus and instead of basically building two of the same device, minus features here and there, but just build one.


The PROBLEM with phones these days (I'm speaking about the USA market) is that a LOT of the good phones (Huawei which I had 3 and loved them!) either don't have the proper modems to work on the U.S. network, or the IMEI's aren't allowed on the carriers unless you do some crying and what not to get it to work.

The other issue is a LOT of people still don't buy their phones outright ($$$$), they go to a big box/carrier store and buy one there. And THOSE places pretty much push ONLY the iPHone, Galaxy, and to a lesser extent Pixel, Motorola, and maybe the OnePlus if you can find them. I'm sure there are some "deals" going on between the carriers, the FCC, Apple/Samsung etc to keep the competition OUT of the USA.

From a network standpoint, the LESS of something you have to screw with the better so I'm sure the carriers prefer to work with just 3-4 vendors for the most part.

But, if USA people KNEW some of the phones out there, they would be shocked!

Like
7
Quote
Stanislav Serbezov
Stanislav Serbezov
Phonearena team
• 1w ago
↵p51d007 said:

I always thought the "One Plus" was nothing more than BBK electronics trying to get OUTSIDE of the Asian market. Carl Pei and others came up with a slightly less version of the Oppo Find 7. They then said "we are a small startup and don't have the money to produce in quantity, so you have to have an invite. Sold the phone for almost cost, created a feeding frenzy!

I had the OnePlus I, 5, 7. After that, I dumped it. Good phone, but they jacked up the prices and they weren't so much a "flagship killer".

Personally, I think it was brilliant what they did. They got BBK electronics, Oppo known OUTSIDE of the Asian market.

It makes sense to just kill off OnePlus and instead of basically building two of the same device, minus features here and there, but just build one.


The PROBLEM with phones these days (I'm speaking about the USA market) is that a LOT of the good phones (Huawei which I had 3 and loved them!) either don't have the proper modems to work on the U.S. network, or the IMEI's aren't allowed on the carriers unless you do some crying and what not to get it to work.

The other issue is a LOT of people still don't buy their phones outright ($$$$), they go to a big box/carrier store and buy one there. And THOSE places pretty much push ONLY the iPHone, Galaxy, and to a lesser extent Pixel, Motorola, and maybe the OnePlus if you can find them. I'm sure there are some "deals" going on between the carriers, the FCC, Apple/Samsung etc to keep the competition OUT of the USA.

From a network standpoint, the LESS of something you have to screw with the better so I'm sure the carriers prefer to work with just 3-4 vendors for the most part.

But, if USA people KNEW some of the phones out there, they would be shocked!

I thoroughly agree that all this business with the unsupported bands is a bummer. 😕 It's difficult to gauge when I'm not there, but it seems like many modern devices are getting closer to functional. The 9X Ultra, I read, works fine on US networks. So my point was to imagine a world where manufacturers actually fix this, go all in and enter the market properly. 😁 It would be wild, but at this point, I'm not rulling it out.

Like
1
Quote
Stanislav Serbezov
Stanislav Serbezov
Phonearena team
• 1w ago
↵IgnobleNobility said:

I thought it was three years for OS updates but maybe it was three major OS updates and maybe that works out to about 4 years. I'm a fan of OnePlus, I'm not looking to slam them.

Nothing Phone's hardware does not impress. All I care about is USA T-Mobile connectivity and highest 1% Low FPS in a 20-loop Wild Life Extreme test. What limits every phone is heat ultimately, unless you only game for thirty seconds at a time. OnePlus's Sandstorm finish on their 15 has some unique electroplating finish that seems like a much improved design not offered on other phones yet. There are a couple Redmagic phones with active cooling offering even less thermal throttling but they don't have the cellular bands I need.

Yep, I confirm - the latest OnePlus flagships offer 4 OS upgrades and 6 years of updates, which isn't perfect, but is still pretty great. Also, I've read a few accounts of people importing the X9 Ultra in the US and using it just fine - it doesn't offer full band support, but it is functional. Maybe I didn't lay out my words perfectly, but my core idea was to ponder about if in the future phones like this could get the full, propper western releases - cell bands and all.

Why would you need a high-performing 1% low FPS performer though? Do you really think that the difference between the several top spots and the 1% is that noticeable? 🤔

Like
2
Quote
IgnobleNobility
IgnobleNobility
Arena Apprentice
• 1w agoedited
↵StanislavSerbezov said:

Yep, I confirm - the latest OnePlus flagships offer 4 OS upgrades and 6 years of updates, which isn't perfect, but is still pretty great. Also, I've read a few accounts of people importing the X9 Ultra in the US and using it just fine - it doesn't offer full band support, but it is functional. Maybe I didn't lay out my words perfectly, but my core idea was to ponder about if in the future phones like this could get the full, propper western releases - cell bands and all.

Why would you need a high-performing 1% low FPS performer though? Do you really think that the difference between the several top spots and the 1% is that noticeable? 🤔

I appreciate your confirming that OnePlus phones have more years of OS and security updates than I thought. Thank you.

Wild Life Extreme stress loops push the hardware hard enough no phone can cope without throttling. With some external coolers that possibly might be a non-factor, I'm not sure. But when you're playing a game what you observe as lag or stutter a slideshow is what's going to limit your performance, not whether you're pulling 185 FPS versus 144 FPS on average, I think. If you look at GSMarena's full reviews, the Software and Performance pulldown menu portion, then scroll down to Wild Life Extreme tests, you can see how bad the phone might do under the most challenging conditions. On that test if you look at the lowest WLE observed, or at raw lowest FPS observed, you'll see the same trends, the phones with the best heat management throttle less. For example, on Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 phones, the best is the RedMagic 11S Pro. It has the best Lowest WLE score out of all phones tested, and also the best highest scores, and also the best lowest FPS observed in that test, at 28 FPS being the worst observed. Sadly, they don't have all the cellular bands I need. Next best that works with USA T-Mobile is the OnePlus 15. I think GSMarena tested their Sandstone finish, the only color with that electroplating type treatment, and they say it conducts heat notably better than other options. 22FPS was worst FPS on a WLE test loop for the OnePlus 15.

Like
1
Quote
Stanislav Serbezov
Stanislav Serbezov
Phonearena team
• 1w ago
↵IgnobleNobility said:

I appreciate your confirming that OnePlus phones have more years of OS and security updates than I thought. Thank you.

Wild Life Extreme stress loops push the hardware hard enough no phone can cope without throttling. With some external coolers that possibly might be a non-factor, I'm not sure. But when you're playing a game what you observe as lag or stutter a slideshow is what's going to limit your performance, not whether you're pulling 185 FPS versus 144 FPS on average, I think. If you look at GSMarena's full reviews, the Software and Performance pulldown menu portion, then scroll down to Wild Life Extreme tests, you can see how bad the phone might do under the most challenging conditions. On that test if you look at the lowest WLE observed, or at raw lowest FPS observed, you'll see the same trends, the phones with the best heat management throttle less. For example, on Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 phones, the best is the RedMagic 11S Pro. It has the best Lowest WLE score out of all phones tested, and also the best highest scores, and also the best lowest FPS observed in that test, at 28 FPS being the worst observed. Sadly, they don't have all the cellular bands I need. Next best that works with USA T-Mobile is the OnePlus 15. I think GSMarena tested their Sandstone finish, the only color with that electroplating type treatment, and they say it conducts heat notably better than other options. 22FPS was worst FPS on a WLE test loop for the OnePlus 15.

It truly would be fascinating to see if brands like Oppo start adopting more bands essential to the US market to push this shift even further. I think it would be the next logical step, but in today's market, it's really difficult to predict shifts like these in the US. I hear what you are saying about the test, but we also have to admit that RedMagic's phones are often specifically adapted for gaming and continuous high-strain use, and while I love nerding out about that, most users would rarely need it. My OnePlus 13 does tend to get warm to hot after about 30 minutes of even lite gaming, so there's certainly room for improvement. Do you think we need clear segregation between gaming phones or more general flagships that adopt advanced cooling systems? 🤔

Like
3
Quote
IgnobleNobility
IgnobleNobility
Arena Apprentice
• 1w ago
↵StanislavSerbezov said:

It truly would be fascinating to see if brands like Oppo start adopting more bands essential to the US market to push this shift even further. I think it would be the next logical step, but in today's market, it's really difficult to predict shifts like these in the US. I hear what you are saying about the test, but we also have to admit that RedMagic's phones are often specifically adapted for gaming and continuous high-strain use, and while I love nerding out about that, most users would rarely need it. My OnePlus 13 does tend to get warm to hot after about 30 minutes of even lite gaming, so there's certainly room for improvement. Do you think we need clear segregation between gaming phones or more general flagships that adopt advanced cooling systems? 🤔

The Oppo X9 Ultra should work perfectly on USA T-Mobile. Three Xiaomi 17 variants, a Xiaomi 15, the OnePlus15, a Motorola and one vivo phone too. These are the 4G and 5G bands needed for full functionality on USA T-Mobile:

4G=4,5,12,66,71

5Gs=2,25,41,71

The OnePlus 13 is a great flagship phone and if the 15 didn't exist it would be near the top of my list.

I play Free Fire on an LG V60 5G ThinQ and it definitely gets toasty. I try playing without a case but sadly I find myself swiping screen edges unintentionally and getting ganked a lot. In reply to your question, I think only gaming oriented phones need active cooling or somehow a passable passive cooling system, but only OnePlus and RedMagic make phones that seem geared toward extended gaming sessions. All those other phones that would work on T-Mobile just can't shed heat fast enough. Considering I may shove my phone into a case, I want it to have the best heat management it can before I hobble it.

I really hope OnePlus gives the American market a last hurrah with the OnePlus 16.


Like
3
Quote
Debendow
Debendow
Arena Apprentice
• 1w ago

I am always a fan of oneplus mobile especially 13. Smooth stable easy ui, ability to handle everyday work, standard camera etc. But mobile company do not care about people's opinion. They just run after profit and ego

Like
1
Quote