It's no secret that OnePlus is cooking up its next flagship phone, presumably called the OnePlus 11. This will be a big release for the Chinese phone maker as it appears to be getting back to basics. Technically, the company didn't go anywhere, but it hasn't had quite the same run in the U.S. that it continues to have in markets like Europe and India. With the OnePlus 10 Pro and the OnePlus 10T, though, the company made it clear that it's not settling yet, so our eyes are now set on the next big release.

The OnePlus 11 rumors are starting to heat up, and we already know a lot about what is shaping up to be one of the better phones from the brand. So before we get to our wishlist, here's everything we already know about OnePlus' upcoming smartphone.

OnePlus 11: Pricing and release date

OnePlus has historically been one of the first manufacturers to launch a new phone yearly. Most of the OnePlus flagships arrived in either March or April in the U.S., so we'll likely see the same for the OnePlus 11. We're expecting the Chinese launch of the OnePlus 11 in January 2023, followed by the global debut in early spring.

Even though rumors say we won't get a "Pro" model in 2023, we expect OnePlus 11's price to be similar to that of the OnePlus 10 Pro. It makes sense for the company to stick to the sub-$900 price segment and compete for the same piece of the pie as its current flagship. Perhaps we'll see a Pro model later in the year that can compete against more powerful devices carrying a $1,000+ price tag. Until we hear otherwise, we think the OnePlus 11 will arrive in the U.S. sometime in March or April, and it'll carry the same launch price tag as the 10 Pro, if not lower.

OnePlus 11: Leaked design and specifications

OnePlus recently started tinkering with its smartphone designs to deliver unique-looking devices that stray from what we've seen before. It switched things up a bit for the OnePlus 9 series and did it again for the OnePlus 10 Pro. The result, for better or worse, is a OnePlus 10 Pro that is now instantly recognizable. And if the leaked renders are something to go by, it looks like OnePlus is once again trying something new to make the OnePlus 11 stand out in the sea of other phones. Take a look:

This leaked render, shared by renowned leaker OnLeaks, shows the upcoming OnePlus flagship with an updated camera module. The phone now has a circular camera island featuring three sensors, an LED flash, and Hasselblad branding. It looks like the company will stick to black and green colors for its next flagship, and it's also bringing back the alert slider that went missing on the OnePlus 10T. Unlike other smartphones with a circular camera island, like the Huawei Mate 50 Pro, it looks like the OnePlus 11's camera island flows over to the left edge.

The camera bump itself appears to be blending into the side rails of the phone like it did on the OnePlus 10 Pro and the OnePlus 10T. It looks good, and we're glad OnePlus is keeping it. We have mixed feelings about how the phone looks in these renders, but it's too early to make a final decision. We'll reserve our judgments for when we get our hands on the phone.

For now, we can also peek into the leaked spec sheet to see what OnePlus further has in store.

If there's one thing that stands out on the OnePlus 11's spec sheet, it's the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip. That's right, the company has confirmed that the OnePlus 11 will pack Qualcomm's new mobile chipset, which was recently unveiled at the Snapdragon Summit. It's one of the most powerful mobile chips out there right now, and you're going to see it in a lot of Android phones in 2023 and beyond. OnePlus is saving the remaining spec sheet for its official unveiling next year, but there are more leaks that show what else the company has in store.

It looks like the OnePlus 11 will sport a 6.7-inch 120Hz QHD+ AMOLED panel, similar to the one on the OnePlus 10 Pro. You can also expect the phone to land with up to 16GB of RAM and 256GB of UFS 4.0 storage. The camera setup at the back will likely feature a 50MP primary camera, a 48MP ultra-wide camera, and a 32MP telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom. It appears that OnePlus is also settling for a 5,000mAh battery for the upcoming phone with 100W wired fast charging support.

OnePlus 11 wishlist: Things we'd like to see

We already have a good idea of what to expect from the next OnePlus flagship, but there are still some gaps in the leaks and rumors. We expect to learn more about the phone in the coming months, but it's now time to go over the things we want to see in the next OnePlus flagship.

Better cameras

OnePlus' hardware has evolved a lot over the years, but it still has some work to do to catch up to its competitors in the camera department. There was nothing to write home about with both the OnePlus 10 Pro and the OnePlus 10T's cameras. In fact, they were a little underwhelming, especially considering the kind of optics we get on phones in the same price segment. It was particularly disappointing to see a downgraded ultra-wide sensor on the OnePlus 10 Pro compared to its predecessor. Long story short, OnePlus doesn't quite compete with the best in the camera department, and we hope that changes with the OnePlus 11. We already have some rumors suggesting otherwise, but nothing is set in stone yet.

Stable and quicker software updates

OnePlus recently committed to delivering four major Android updates and five years of security updates for some of its devices. That's a promising start, but it still needs to deliver those updates quicker and more consistently. With OxygenOS now just being ColorOS with a different name, we can hope at least that OnePlus is quick to deliver the updates, especially while competing against the likes of Google and Samsung.

Official IP rating for all variants

Not all OnePlus 10 Pro variants carry a formal IP rating; they're only limited to the T-Mobile units that are sold in the U.S. Sure, these handsets are structurally the same as the unlocked ones, which means the IP rating applies globally, but it would be nice to have a formal IP rating. It's not necessarily a dealbreaker, but it's a fundamental feature that all premium flagship phones should have in 2022.

And those are the things we hope to see in the upcoming OnePlus flagship. The fact that we only have a limited number of things to add to this wishlist means the OnePlus phones are nearly there. The lack of a solid camera setup and reliable updates are the only things keeping us from freely recommending the OnePlus 10 Pro to those looking for a premium flagship.

We'd like to know what you want to see from the OnePlus flagship in 2023. Which features are you looking forward to the most? Let us know by dropping a line in the comments below.