Coming out with a special or limited edition of a device without any brand tie-ups can be a tricky issue. Things are so much easier when you tie up with a brand, say, a film, a celebrity, or an event. The special edition of the device can use the colors associated with it, including graphics revolving around it, and even use part of its language. Making a standalone special edition is much tougher. With its Marble Odyssey variant of the OnePlus 11, OnePlus has opted to take the Special Edition Road Less Travelled, even by itself.

OnePlus 11 Marble Odyssey: Sticks to a Stone!

OnePlus has a good deal of history when it comes to special editions, but more often than not, these special editions came in the form of tie-ups, be it with the Star Wars and Marvel Universes, McLaren, or PacMan. But with the Marble Odyssey, it is pretty much on its own. There is no famous logo, color, or tagline to fall back on — just a shade of stone.

But what a stone it is. As its name indicates, the Marble Odyssey limited edition of the OnePlus 11 is inspired by marble and is exclusive to India. This element of marble-ness is mainly in terms of external design and packaging.

OnePlus 11 Marble Odyssey: Internally, OnePlus 11

Internally, the OnePlus 11 Marble Odyssey is exactly the same as the OnePlus 11 Titan Black or Eternal Green. You get the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, 6.7-inch Fluid AMOLED QHD+ display with 120 Hz refresh rate (dynamic), and triple camera lineup on the back (50-megapixel main, 32-megapixel portrait and 48-megapixel ultrawide) in collaboration with the legendary Hasselblad, a 16-megapixel selfie camera, and a 5000 mAh battery with support for 100W charging.

Even the software on the phone is the same – OxygenOS 13.1 on top of Android 13. We really wish OnePlus had done something marble-ish on the UI, but the Never Settling brand seems to have settled for the same UI as seen on its ‘normal’ flagship. The Marble Odyssey is, however, only available in a 16 GB RAM and 256 GB variant – the top variant of the OnePlus 11. Flagship performance is assured with that hardware on board.

OnePlus 11 Marble Odyssey: Packaged with a touch of marble

If the innards of this Limited Edition phone scream “OnePlus 11,” the outards are totally Marble Odyssey. This begins with the packaging. The device comes in a slightly off-white package that seems relatively normal, but opening it reveals an inner lining that resembles the lining of marble. Sitting in the middle of this is the box containing the phone itself, snow white with gold borders. Opening the box reveals a specially designed SIM extractor, and then comes the phone itself.

From the front, the phone is exactly like the regular OnePlus 11 – a tall 6.7-inch display with a notch in the top left corner. The sides are also metallic and have the same arrangement of buttons, alert slider, and ports. But flip the phone around, and you are in OnePlus’ version of Marble-land.

OnePlus 11 Marble Odyssey: Looks a lot like marble, even feels a bit like marble

OnePlus claims to have made the back out of a special “microcrystalline rock material,” with each device getting a different texture so that no two Marble Odyssey OnePlus 11 devices are exactly alike. This is not evident at first glance, as the device seems to have a shade that seems like a mild coffee. However, a closer look shows strands of red and even tiny sparkles on it, giving it a subtly elegant look. And it is these strands of scarlet and sparkles that actually give each Marble Odyssey OnePlus a different look, one that you might have seen on marble structures. You will not notice it unless you look closely, but no two devices are alike. The overall finish is very classy and understated. The camera unit is exactly the same as in the regular OnePlus 11 – large, circular, and with Hasselblad branding, but it looks more striking because of the much lighter background of the back from which it protrudes.

The appearance of the OnePlus 11 Marble Odyssey is not the only thing striking about it. The phone actually has a different feel from the glass and carbonate backs we get on most phones today. It almost has a pebble-like smoothness and coolness to it, and it reminds us of the days when OnePlus phones not only looked but felt different from the competition (remember the iconic Sandstone finish?). We think the brand missed a chance to strengthen further the marble impact with specially colored chargers and wires (you get a white charger and red wire) and a marble texture back cover (you get a surprisingly routine transparent plastic case), but even without that, the Marble Odyssey is a very classy and understated version of the OnePlus 11. Best of all, it is a OnePlus, with no affiliations, bearing no brand’s baggage but its own.

OnePlus 11 Marble Odyssey: Quietly elegant, cool, and not crazy expensive

Limited Editions normally end up with significantly higher price tags than their “normal” siblings. OnePlus has, however, not priced the Marble Odyssey too distant from the regular OnePlus 11. The OnePlus 11 Marble Odyssey is available in a single RAM and storage variant of 16 GB/ 256 GB and is priced at Rs 64,999, which is only Rs 3,000 more than the Titan Black and Eternal Green versions of the same RAM and storage variant.

Which brings us to the big question: is it special enough to go for? We think it is. This is one of the most distinct-looking smartphones in a market where premium is becoming increasingly predictable and innovation largely limited to hardware tweaks. It does not scream out its difference, but the eyes that see it closely and the hands that touch it will find it difficult to resist. It is not only the best OnePlus to buy right now but is perhaps the most quietly classy-looking Android flagship out there. And it is a cool customer too. Literally!

Buy OnePlus 11 Marble Odyssey