Off late, there has been an influx of flagship killers in the Indian smartphone market which can be accredited in parts to the commoditization of the Snapdragon 888 platform and in parts to the addition of Dimensity 8100-backed devices. Now, we’ve already discussed the gaming capabilities of Snapdragon 888-powered smartphones, however, as prefaced in our in-depth comparison article featuring the Dimensity 8100 SoC, it remains to be seen whether MediaTek’s latest is as adept for gaming as it is for day to day tasks. Well, I managed to get my hands on the OnePlus 10R (review) and ran some of the most popular, graphically demanding games on the set. If you’re curious whether the phone can run taxing titles at the best possible presets, then read on.
But, first things first, allow me to jog your memory pertaining to the OnePlus 10R’s core specs. To wit, the device is backed by the MediaTek Dimensity 8100 SoC, and the smartphone ships with speedy UFS 3.1 storage and LPDDR5 memory. The handset can be kitted out with up to 12GB of RAM, however, buyers looking to save some bucks can also get the device with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage.
BGMI
As prefaced previously, the Dimensity 8100 processor is a top-notch chipset, however, the SoC is marred by poor game optimisation. Case in point, BGMI, which is arguably one of the most popular BR titles on the play store. And, while the SoC should run the game at HDR graphics and Extreme FPS presets, the device caps out at HD graphics and High FPS presets. Making matters worse, the smartphone cannot run the title at Ultra FPS preset even with the graphics settings toned down. Correspondingly, the device can only run the game at 30FPS, irrespective of whatever graphics preset you opt for.
CoD Mobile
CoD Mobile is a high-octane FPS game that, for the most part, runs fairly well on the OnePlus 10R. In fact, prospective buyers eying the handset will be able to run the game at Very High graphics and Very High FPS settings, or High Graphics and Max FPS preset. What’s more, you can further improve the game’s aesthetics by enabling features like anti-aliasing, bloom, real-time shadows, and ragdoll effects as well. Correspondingly, you can, in fact, run the game at 60FPS on the phone without toning down the in-game graphics all that much.
PES 2021
PES 2021 runs adequately on the OnePlus 10R too. The game doesn’t offer a lot of visual tweaks but, you can choose from two different video quality presets. I tested the title with the graphics set to ‘High’ and the in-game frame rate locked at 60FPS and the OnePlus 10R obliged jauntily. Rest assured, PES 2021 is a stellar game to run on the 10R, especially if you are a fan of the sport.
Genshin Impact
Genshin Impact is quite possibly, the most demanding game on the list and for good reason. In fact, the open-world RPG can tax even the most competent chipsets severely. Thankfully, the game allows users to tweak various graphics setting to ensure their device hits the 60FPS mark consistently. That said, for the purpose of the article, I ran the game with most, if not all of the settings maxed out (shadow quality was set to low, and motion blur was disabled).
Understandably, the smartphone struggled to run the game at 60FPS through and through and I noticed that the FPS would drop down to the mid-thirties when I was exploring the wilderness near Whispering Woods, or plowing through enemy camps. Be that as it may, the game was more than playable and you can net higher in-game FPS if you tone down some graphics presets too.
Nimian Legends: BrightRidge
Gamers looking to play an offline adventure title will find plenty to like about Nimian Legends: BrightRidge. For one, the game looks stunning and the title offers a wide array of graphical tweaks too. Correspondingly, you can thoroughly customise the in-game settings to leverage 60FPS gameplay on your preferred handset.
Speaking of which, the OnePlus 10R is more than adept at running the game. In fact, I noticed that the in-game FPS would rarely falter below 50FPS and that’s with visual presets like anti-aliasing and soft particle effects enabled. What’s more, I had even set the resolution to 1080p and opted to run the title with high-res textures and maximum draw distance and the highest terrain quality preset.
PUBG: New State
PUBG: New State didn’t leave me wanting for more from the OnePlus 10R either. In fact, you can run the game with Ultra graphics and Max FPS on the phone, which by the way, ensures that the title runs at 60FPS on the set. What’s more, you can even tone down the graphics setting to achieve 90FPS on the device, which is great.
Garena Free Fire Max
Gamers can enjoy Garena Free Fire Max at the best possible settings on the Dimensity 8100-backed OnePlus 10R too. To that note, the device can run the game at the High FPS preset and that’s despite enabling high-res textures and sliding the graphics tab all the way up to ‘Max’.
Asphalt 9
Asphalt 9 is not as taxing as some other games on the list and correspondingly, users can enjoy the title with the “High Quality” visual preset enabled on their OnePlus 10R. Now, the game does run at 60FPS on the set, however, I couldn’t find any setting within the in-game menu to tweak the same. Regardless, gamers with a penchant for the racing genre will find the title right up their alley.
Alto’s Odyssey
Alto’s Odyssey is among the rare breed of Android games that can make the most of a phone’s high-refresh rate screen. I say this because the game runs flawlessly at 120FPS on the OnePlus 10R. While the FPS did drop to the low hundreds every so often, the game is still among the most optimised endless runners available on the play store.
Shadow Fight 3
Much like Alto’s Odyssey, Shadow Fight 3 supports 120FPS gameplay on select devices too. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get the game to run at 120FPS on the 10R. Be that as it may, readers can still enjoy the title at 60FPS and that’s with the graphics preset set to Ultra, which is great.
Dead Effect 2
Dead Effect 2 is a relatively old title, however, the game’s graphics have held up well over the years. What’s more, the title offers a compelling campaign too, which should keep you glued to the screen too.
The icing on the cake is that the game runs superbly on the OnePlus 10R and users can max out all the graphics settings by choosing the ‘Extreme’ visual preset. Furthermore, the game runs at 60FPS too, which is great.
Dead Trigger 2
Dead Trigger 2 lets players mow down zombies in 120FPS glory on the OnePlus 10R. What’s more, users can enable the ultra-high graphics preset on the phone too.
Shadowgun Legends
Shadowgun Legends is a resource-hungry, FPS game that runs surprisingly well on the OnePlus 10R. The game allows users to cap the in-game FPS and choose from a handful of different graphics preset as well.
I managed to get the game running at the Ultra-High graphics detail, and with the FPS set to 60FPS.
Ronin: The Last Samurai
Much like Shadow Fight 3 and Asphalt 9, Ronin: The Last Samurai only allows users to choose from one of two graphics presets namely high-performance and high-quality. I opted to run the game with the high-quality textures enabled and was averaging 60FPS on the OnePlus 10R.
Marvel Future Revolution
Marvel Future Revolution is an extremely taxing game and with the title can bring the fastest SoCs to their knees, especially if you max out all of the in-game visual presets. Unsurprisingly, while the game can run at 60FPS on select devices, I couldn’t hit the target FPS on the OnePlus 10R.
Be that as it may, the game was running at around 50-54FPS and the frame rate only dipped below 45FPS on a couple of occassions. I did run the game with most of the settings maxed out, including using the “Max” graphics and “High” FPS presets and the device performed admirably. Furthermore, I was also utilising higher-quality presets for in-game textures, draw distance as well as visual effects.
Verdict
The OnePlus 10R is clearly adept at running most games at competent graphics and FPS settings. Now, the issues pertaining to popular BR titles cast a shadow on the smartphone’s otherwise impressive performance chops. Correspondingly, unless you’re an avid BGMI player, you will find little to complain about the OnePlus 10R’s gaming performance.
That said, a competing Snapdragon 888-backed device will still net you similar (if not better) FPS. More importantly, the SoC can run games like BGMI and CoD Mobile at better graphics and FPS settings too. All said and done, the OnePlus 10R is a capable gaming phone that deserves a second look.
