Phones OnePlus 10 Pro - Daily Use

[dk001]

Have a family member who needs a new phone and I have decided to gift them my OnePlus 9 Pro.
Taking this as an opportunity to pick up a OnePlus 10 Pro that is currently on sale.

Model NE2215 in Volcanic Black.
RAM = 12GB with an optional (up too) 7GB virtual RAM.
256GB storage running SnapDragon 8 Gen1 chip
Running Android 12 - OxyOS12 (aka ColorOS 12)
Using Nova 7 as the launcher.
Running this on Mint Mobile.

I used the ClonePhone app to literally make a “copy“ of my 9 Pro onto the 10 Pro.
Worked pretty good. Was hoping to preserve the look and feel I had from my 9 Pro - good bit of customization.
Biggest drawback other than it took a couple of hours to run, there have been a number of apps I had to uninstall then reinstall to get them to run right. Something with the transfer process I suspect.

Sometime in the next few days I will give a more detailed view of what I am running and how all is going.

 

[dk001]

This will take a couple of entries over the next week ....

To Start:

First impressions:

• Quality packaging and the device itself was top notch looking and feeling right out of the box.
• I transferred my Mint Sim card - no issues
• The device is running fast and cool - no heat up at all
• Screen looks great!
• Everything has worked
• While I am not a fan of Android 12, cloning my Android 11 / Nova 7 setup from the 9 Pro has been a big help.
• Charging both cable and stand is wicked fast!
• Operation has been very smooth
• This is, hands down, a quality device
• Connection speeds, both 5G (on T-Mobile) and Wifi (Spectrum 6e) are quick, fast, and have had not connection problems to date

Couple of quick items;
I initially setup this device up as stock, then installed Clone Phone from the Play Store (on both devices), and then started the clone process. Kind of like restoring from a backup (had that too if needed).
Issues from this method )post cloning):

• Some apps failed to work on launch requiring an uninstall and reinstall. That has worked for every case unless the app is not Android 12 compatible - found a couple of those.
• There were a couple of apps (bloat) that came with the device and I had to delete / disable manually.
• OxyOS12 (aka ColorOS12) is different than OxyOS11 and Android12. Personally, unless you are a ColorOS fan, I highly recommend you install an alternate launcher.
• Despite being new, the battery has no problem lasting the full day and I still have a good bit to review and check to make sure I am conserving where it makes sense.

more to come in the next installment...

 

[dk001]

Sep 08 installment …

Battery:
Battery life has been great! Had 9hr 41m SOT with 27% battery left. Currently after a quick charge I am at 1h 41m SOT and at 92% battery left. Not bad at all and better than I expected.

Calls:
Clear and have had no issues with drops. 5G Mint (T-Mobile network) has been great. Even data calls like Teams is working well.
Using as a speakerphone is decent. Speakers could be a bit louder.

Messaging:
Using Teams, Google Messages, Telegram, and Signal. Only drawback is any kind of group chat that runs using Messages and if one user has an iPhone …. Grrrr…. Apple really needs to add RCS support. Outside of that single issue all is working well.

Mail:
Using Spark and ProtonMail. Have encountered no issues.

Camera:
I will do a separate post on just the camera. Has a couple of possible quirks I am digging into.

Earpods:
Using Nothing 1 and these are awesome. Auto-detection, calls, music, and movies all work well.

Display:
Using auto-brightness and have Video Enhancement turned off. Will experiment at some point with this. No problem reading screen when I walk outside into the sunlight. Stays bright and very usable.

More to come ….

 

[dk001]

Next installment … if some of my items seem frustrated posting, let’s just say that coming from OOS11 to COS12 has been seriously frustrating at times.

Onto the device!

Despite the headlines on the deficiencies of the 10 Pro, I have found the device to be seriously solid. The only downside is the slipperiness of the device. I added a ultra minimal case (Bastmei for OnePlus 10 Pro Case 5G, Extremely Light Ultra-Light Super Slim Camera Protection Hard PC Cover Case for OnePlus 10 Pro 5G (Gravel Black)) for $9US. Gave me all the grip I need.

Battery has been great! I am getting greater than 9 hours SOT each day and have more than 25% left. Having two 50W fast charge OnePlus stands. I just drop the device on it when I notice it is getting low. Only issue I had was during one day of Jury Duty, the battery was dropping fast. Was well under 50% by lunch. Luckily I was 10 minutes from home and was able to charge it up during lunch (less tha 25minutes) to 100%. Turns out is was the extremely poor cell signal. Turned on my VPN and logged into local court wifi solved the issue. Yes, battery is an all day last.

Phone calls, Cell and WiFi - have been really good for the most part. There have been a couple of times when cell just vanished. Suspect it is T-Mobiles network rather than the device. On WiFi it has been rock solid. No issue connecting and maintaining a solid signal. AT&T claims that you can now use this device with 5G on its’ network. May test it out and see if the same issues occur. For daily use, it has been solid. Clean clear calls, no drops, and works equally well with standard, speaker, and earbuds - I use Nothing Ear 1 for mine.

General use inside and outside has been great. The screen gets very bright for direct sun use and indoors the automatic brightness has worked well. The only complaint involves the fingerprint. The brightness seems over-bright compared to my 9 Pro and can really light up a dark room. The animation you can choose to use with it adds to this. It is responsive though.

Settings …. Aaaarrrrggghhh!!!!!! I would swear ColorOS is taking lessons from Apple! Compared to OxyOS11, ColorOxyOS12 has settings placed all over the spectrum many times making you wonder “WTH?!?!” they were thinking. Search is good but not great. Eventually I have been able to find everything (sometimes it takes Reddit or Google). Really though, it reminds me more of the iOS Settings puzzle than Android OS11. Despite my “feelings” I find I am able to make all the privacy settings I need to place it on par or better than my iPhone.

Next up … Camera. That will be my next post.

So far I am happy with this device and more than willing to recommend it.

 

[BigMcGuire]

One of the things that interests me about the OnePlus is the super fast charging. I had a coworker get an old OnePlus back in the day (back when it wouldn't work on Verizon). From what I've read, having a phone that charges that fast makes one less worried about battery life. I could see how being able to pop to 100% in 25, or even 80% in minutes would change things. I have a Tesla M3 and being able to go from low state of charge to 80% in 15 mins has all but erased my battery anxiety.

My iP13PM - I'm lucky if I use 30% of charge a day so from that perspective gone are the days I worry about charge. It charges fairly fast on my 60w chargers too.

I'd still like to have that fast charging if I could tho.

I enjoy reading your experiences - thanks.

 

[dk001]

This should be a convoluted entry ... Camera

Let me do a headline summary first - The OnePlus 10 Pro camera is schizophrenic.

Let me first say that in testing this camera from bright sunlight, to starry skies, to indoor, to low light, I have gotten some impressive shots. Shots that rival and at times better those from my iPhone 13 ProMax.

Sadly, at other times, the same shots come out over-sharpened and lacking in detail or the colors are "simplified" - a eggshell color wall shows as stark white. There is no apparent rhyme or reason to what comes out how.
See attached - Dragon13 is from the iPhone 13 ProMax, Dragon10 is from the OnePlus 10 Pro. The 13 is much closer to true color. Both taken at 3.xX.

The camera is quick, fast, adjusts to settings rapidly, but what you see on the screen is not always what you get.

I would like to install GCam to see how it handles the hardware however there is not a great version available for this device yet.

Aside from all of this, I am finding in my day to day use the camera on the 10 Pro does a very decent job. It may not be the best, but it comes close. I am hopeful that OnePlus will continue to send improvements out for the camera. The hardware is great. Just need the software to take full advantage of it.

 

[dk001]

Apparently Android 13 is out for the 10 Pro. 5.09GB in size.
Installing and I will update in a few days (maybe sooner) depending on how it goes.

Biggest hope: Camera improvement.

 

[BigMcGuire]

Apparently Android 13 is out for the 10 Pro. 5.09GB in size.
Installing and I will update in a few days (maybe sooner) depending on how it goes.

Biggest hope: Camera improvement.

Yeah that’s quite a difference there. Good luck! Looking forward to the report.

 

[dk001]

Been running OxyOS 13 (Android 13) for a few days now and have to say I am seeing a much better result than OxyOS12.
Yes!!! Am really surprised that OnePlus / Oppo got it out this quick.

Overall the device runs faster - my impression - I have not really measured anything specific.
Battery started out less but has improved to pretty much the same as under 12. I am hoping based on this it will end up better. Still nowhere close to an iPhone 13 ProMax but definitely not bad at all. Easily lasts the day.

Positives:

• Many apps and most videos are coming in crisper. YouTube is crazy good.
• Sound has improved. Both for speaker (cleaner sounding) and earbuds - Nothing Ear 1 (better bass and cleaner mids).
• Ram Management is better - have 12GB + 3GB virtual and seldom get to 12.
• Split screen running 2 apps it is as responsive as running 1 app. Impressive.
• BT is better with both the earbuds and portable speakers.
• Overall it is running smooth and crisp.. No noticeable lag anywhere so far - crossing fingers.
• Calls are via Mint Mobile and have had no issues so far. knocking on wood.
• Gestures and swipes are clean and smooth - one issue see below
• Widgets work! Only have a couple set but they are working and updating.

Negatives:

• No improvement with the camera. It is still schizophrenic.. Going to test out a number of 3rd party apps to see if anything helps.
• The original launcher is a problem. Ran into several bugs regarding Home Screen setup. Quickly got fed up and relaunched Nova 7. Working great with none of the issues.
• Settings has become a distorted mix of stock Android 13, OxyOS, ColorOS, and iOS. Not sure what Oppo was thinking with this. Not as bad as settings but heading there.
• Randomly loses connection with Sync in my Escape.
• Notifications has a couple of hiccups. Sometimes it shows I have one but no details shown.
• VPN goes into slow mode (20% speed) when active. Likely the VPN needs an Android 13 update for OnePlus.
• The edges on OxyOS13 are overly sensitive. A case really helps but even light touches register.

Bloat:
The OS came with TikTok which was easily uninstalled.
I do not consider the OnePlus apps bloat - I use some of them.

For the initial launch it is working well right out of the gate. Issue are for the most part easily dealt with.
Am impressed with the quality for such a quick launch. It feels more like a refinement with some UI changes tossed in.
For anyone with a 10 Pro, I would recommend this release over the 12.

more to come….

 

[BigMcGuire]

Do you use a specific vpn app?

 

[dk001]

Do you use a specific vpn app?

Proton VPN or at times I use Lavabit.

 

[dk001]

Some additional updates.

VPN issue with speed. Reached out to Proton and it turns out there is currently a bit of an issue with using *Secure Core. Secure Core will slow down speed however it should not be this bad. Turning Secure Core off has given me the speed back. No idea with Lavabit VPN issue.
* Secure Core protects your connection by routing your traffic through multiple servers before leaving network.

Battery lifespan continues to improve. There is no current help on how to set what settings for OxyOS13. I am using the settings from the 9Pro as a starting point. Slowly seeing improvements. It easily lasts me a whole day and quick charge if I need a top up.

Checked with my Ford dealer on the Sync issue. No updates available. We tries a soft then a complete reset of Sync and so far it appears to have helped. See how it goes.

Mail had been great. I use Proton Mail and it has been working very well. Have had no issues with Proton aside from VPN (Mail, Calendar, Drive).

Notifications have been working well. Have not run into issues with trying Calendar, ToDo, Weather, and Telegram. I typically only use ToDo as others are linked on my Home Screen.

Social Media. I am not a social media heavy use person. Some Twitter, bunch of Reddit, minor Pinterest and Tumbler, minor Discord and Rumble. No Facebook or pretty much anything Meta. What I do use works well.

Messaging. Use Messages, Telegram, Signal, and Teams. All work well including basic Notifications: mostly just status bar alerts.

Daily use has been very good. Once I started getting the device fine tuned the way I want things became easier. I suspect based on what I experienced at the start, trying to use the device stock will present some challenges. Personally I have no problem using this as my main daily device.

 

[dk001]

Today will be … Battery Life

If you look online in forums, look in Reddit, you will see a lot of love / hate regarding this devices battery life.
It took a bit but having seen the same for my previous OnePlus 9 Pro, I took the time with that device to do what I could to get to a much better state. I was able to do that.

I have spent the last few days playing in an attempt to get a fairly stable 9-10 hours SOT. Here is what I have found (many of you already know this).

First a reminder, I am on OxyOS13 (Android 13) And running Mint Mobile (uses T-Mobiles network)

1. Settings are key.
2. How you use our device makes a big difference.
3. Where you are using your device has an impact.

1. Settings
Take your time and go through your settings.
- Display: How I set up my Display had an impact. Didn;t go for the ”OMG would you look at that” type of settings. I set mine for scheduled light / dark based on sunrise / sunset times. Set my base bi=rightness to 40% and turned Auto-brightness on. Tried the different Color mods out and went with Vivid - not the biggest or saturated but what looked best to me for daily use. Set Auto screen off to two minutes, Screen resolution to Full HD+ and screen refresh to High. Left everything else pretty much off.
- Apps / App Management: Inside of each app setting you have an option to define battery usage. This is pretty much whether you allow foreground and/or background activity. I took the time to go through these on an app by app basis. It can have a decent impact.
- Battery: You need to pay attention to this if you find your SOT is taking a hit. This OS will tell you, usually. I don’t use Power Saving Mode, I have high performance off (this allows the system to decide when to use it instead of forcing it on) and Sleep standby set to On.
- Other Settings: there is a lot here. Take your time and investigate them. I am still doing this. There is likely some aspects that can impact battery. I’ll update this if I find anything.

2. How you use your device
I have seen this comment in forums that how you use your device is the biggest driver to SOT. Unless you are gaming 24/7 or using just power intensive apps with the settings set to power mode and high screen settings, I call bs. Sure you will have lower than average days and it can be how you are using your device, but this is the exception, not the norm. I played some FPS and RP games over a weekend and yes, my SOT went down. Expected. Happens on my iPhone 13 ProMax - pretty much the battery king) also. Expected.
- My use - I typically do a lot in email (Proton and GMail), spend time in messaging (Message, Teams, Telegram, Signal), make a few phone calls (have wifi calling active), some video calls (Teams mostly), read on Kindle, spend time in the browser (Edge), and do stuff like Reddit and Twitter. I even play the occasional game of FreeCell. Have Blink in use. Oh, and I replaced the stock launcher with Nova with a custom layout. Not an atypical user.

3. Where you use your device
This can have an unintended impact. Took a drive up the coast this other day and cell service is sometimes kind of low. During these times I found that this can have a bigger than normal drain on the battery. Same if I am in a solid 5G area and doing some decent work, especially anything that requires heavy data use. One good thing with this OS version, in wireless settings you have a Smart 5G option where the device will push you to LTE if it sees heavy battery impact. Usually a good thing.

This is pretty much what I have discovered for this device to date. Will update this as time goes on. Biggest suggestion I can put out; your device battery life starts with Settings. That is the framework. How you use it and where you use it varies a lot.

 

[dk001]

In this thread I have written about the crazy camera behavior.
Well, I was taking some ad hoc shots of my sleeping Shiba Inu (Kai), yes a favorite subject , and ran into a perfect example.

Took a few shots of her sleeping in my recliner, she claims it, and here are two shots taken from about 4-5 feet about 3 seconds apart. No camera change, just click, pause, click.

A software issue OnePlus/Oppo really need to fix. Had the same issue when this device was running OxyOS12.

Still looking for a decent 3rd party camera app.
Testing a few.

 

[dk001]

Just a quick note: My One Plus watch got a couple of updates and is now actually working again.
Last was OS version W301GB _11_B.70

These updates are supposed to fix a few issues.
I’ll be hooking it to my 10 Pro and see how it goes.

More to come.

 

[dk001]

Going to touch on peripherals today ….

50W Charging Stand
Have two of these - simply awesome. Need a quick top up or a full charge it makes for a quick and convenient option. Using this makes me wish I had this options for my other portable devices. While I wouldn’t call it a must have, comes close.

Charging side note: for plugging in, I can use any sharing block 65W or higher and a properly rated cable to get quick charging. I have both RavPro and Anker with 100W rated USBC - USBC cables and they work well.

One Plus Watch
Note: Requires the use of the OnePlus Health app.
With the latest two updates this has become useful. As an exercise item, it does a good job at tracking movement, reminding me to stand up, letting me know how far I am from my daily goals, and has a lot of options on types of exercises along with the ability to custom define types. handles sleep tracking, Blood O2, heart rate, stress, and other health items.
I can answer calls and converse decently, handle text messages, and view different notifications. And the biggie … the battery lasts 2 weeks with AOD off and one week with AOD on.
Only current issue is the pairing with the OnePlus Health app - I am getting sporadic issues where the app will pause my workout without any input from myself. I suspect there is a setting issue - digging for it.
Downside there are still a couple of odd bugs with exercising. One example - treadmill use does not record steps taken in that feature but records fine under exercise.

Nothing Ear 1 - Ear Buds
Note: Requires use of the Ear1 app to make full use of all features.
Seriously good earbuds with all the features most would need. Great sound with auto-connect, equalizer, noise cancelation, transparency (all can be set to light or strong), can set custom touch features, and answer calls. They are seriously worth the $99US. These are my current go-to ear buds.
For those interested, they have better sound and better noise cancellation than my AirPods Pro on my 13 ProMax.

Google Nest
Quick easy hookup and I can use them as decent external BT speakers. Can easily transfer what I am doing from phone to Nest and back to phone. Convenient. One nice touch is the Nest controls show up in Notifications not only when I use it but is someone else in the house is using them.

 

[arkitect]

Going to touch on peripherals today ….

Thanks for doing these posts!

I am looking to get an Android to use on the side while retaining my iPhone 13… the OnePlus is one of the options.

 

[dk001]

Just a shortish update - was out sick and as a result my device got more use than normal - different use.

Lots of reading (Kindle), shopping (Amazon - via browser), back and forth with the doc office, messages, plenty of YouTube, Prime, and Netflix. Some food ordering. Blink got as workout. All in all things I usually do on occasion became the norm for a week plus.

It all went very very well. Battery life was great. Having a OnePlus 50W stand to set in in didn’t hurt . Really appreciated the fingerprint ID - made access so easy and it just worked. Didn’t have any issues with WiFI, 5G, or any of the app functions.

You seldom think about it but when you find yourself in an abnormal situation, how well will device work and fit your “new” needs. I am happy to say while I did not really think of that, when I was ill for a while, this device did everything I need and did it well.

 

[dk001]

Being an original Nothing supporter - I think this Nothing idea is a good thing - I bought a Nothing Stick.
These are actually pretty cool from the design to the actual use.
They link in with Settings via the Nothing App.
Work well with good sound. Just make sure they are in the correct ear - my first oops!

For those wondering, they fit in my ears much better than the Apple AirPods.
As I use these over the next few days I update this on how good or bad they are. So far they are doing quite well with my 10 Pro.

 

[khikhz144]

How good is battery life on a day of using mobile data? I downloaded some wear os watch faces on my pixel 6 using data and that really hurt battery life. I had to put it in battery saver which is usually don't have to do

 

[dk001]

How good is battery life on a day of using mobile data? I downloaded some wear os watch faces on my pixel 6 using data and that really hurt battery life. I had to put it in battery saver which is usually don't have to do

I do a mix - 80% WiFI and 20% Mobile Data.
Doing this I get 8+ hours SOT. My avg is closer to 10hrs SOT.

Over the weekend I’ll do a couple of days of mobile and let you know what I get.

 

[dk001]

How good is battery life on a day of using mobile data? I downloaded some wear os watch faces on my pixel 6 using data and that really hurt battery life. I had to put it in battery saver which is usually don't have to do

Been running on mobile today - Mint Mobile - runs on T Mobile network.

So far at 56% with 5hrs 7min SOT

Running Kindle, Reddit, Edge, Phone (Nothing Stick ear), Teams, Files, Spark, Proton Mail, Proton Calendar, Proton Drive, Messages, Twitter, Camera, Nova7, and System UI. Not listing all the system services

Been bouncing back and forth between 5G and LTE - both have good signals.

 

[dk001]

@khikhz144

Did a 24 hour run on mobile data only (see attached).
9hr 4 min SOT with 33% left.
I have Smart 5G turned on.

 

[dk001]

Quick update.

Damaged my screen protector (factory installed) and replaced with 9H Tempered Glass with all the coatings.
Not cool it turns out.

Despite claims, it has slowed down the recognition by the fingerprint sensor by a second or so.
The squared off edges are interfering with swipe actions that come in from the edge. Especially from the bottom to close apps.

Changing to a matte film version. It arrives Thursday.

 

[dk001]

Quick update.

Got the Nov security update a few days ago along with some bug fixes and improvement.

No impact to battery life - still getting around 10hrs SOT on avg.
I have been having issues with Spark Mail (also on iOS) where it just crashes randomly. I am trying out FairEmail and have to say it has been great so far.

Biggest benefit in the latest update has been the camera. I am getting better AF pics and the occurrence of whacked shots has dramatically decreased.

At this time I would heartily recommend the OnePlus 10 Pro as a very good everyday device.

More to come ...