dailyO
Technology

OnePlus 5 first impressions: Android flagship smartphone worth the price

Advertisement
Sushant Talwar
Sushant TalwarJun 20, 2017 | 17:06

OnePlus 5 first impressions: Android flagship smartphone worth the price

Less than a year after the launch of the 3t, Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus is all set to take the market by storm with its latest smartphone – OnePlus 5. This latest flagship from the company was launched on June 20 (9.30pm IST) in the US.

OnePlus which teased its users over the past few weeks with countless leaks, officially announced the variants and pricing of the phone at the event in New York. However, Indian customers had to wait a bit longer as the smartphone's price for the country was announced at a special event in Mumbai. 

Advertisement

At the launch event, the company skimmed through the already known specifications but rather focused heavily on showing off the design, build and the performance of the OnePlus 5. 

The device carries the legacy of being a flagship killer and much like the 3T, which packed high-end specs – a Full-HD AMOLED display, 6GB of RAM, 64GB/128GB of internal storage and a 16-megapixel OIS camera – this latest addition to the lineup is a phone that is heavy on specs but at an affordable price. 

In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to say that with the OnePlus 5, the Chinese smartphone maker has come out with a product which is a high-end flagship phone in the truest form of the word. With the latest model, OnePlus is not only looking to eat into the market share of established smartphone makers but has come out with a device that is a true blood flagship in its own right. 

Unlike its predecessors, the OnePlus 5 cannot be ignored as a "knock off Chinese flagship pretender". It is a phone worthy of being in the same league as high-end phones from the Samsung's and HTC's of the smartphone world. 

Advertisement

Camera

OnePlus is partnering with DxO to bring substantially-improved cameras to its upcoming flagship. However, that's not where it plans to stop. OnePlus is also significantly upgrading the camera sensors on the upcoming flagship to improve its picture taking prowess. The new phone will feature an impressive dual camera setup at the back, similar to the ones found on phones like the iPhone 7 Plus, the LG G6 and the Micromax Dual 5.

OnePlus claims that the dual-camera unit found on the new phone is “the highest resolution dual-camera system on a smartphone today.” As far as the specs are confirmed, the main camera is a 16-megapixel Sony unit with an f/1.7 aperture lens while the second camera has a 20-megapixel Sony sensor with an f/2.6 “telephoto” lens. 

onepluscam1-copy_062017035507.jpg
[Photo: The Verge]

Design 

In terms of the design, this is a phone that draws inspiration more from iPhone 7 Plus – most notably antennas bands on top and bottom of the back of the handset – than the earlier phones of the OnePlus family. The dual camera setup at the back will also remind users of Apple's crown jewel. 

The phone sports a metal unibody design. There's also a fingerprint scanner housed in the home button on the front of the phone. And despite the phone's exterior also housing a 3.5 mm headphone jack, it still is the slimmest flagship from OnePlus.

Advertisement

What's under the hood? 

The OnePlus 5 is equipped with Qualcomm’s top-of-the-line 64-bit Octa-core SoC – the Snapdragon 835. It is the chipmaker's current flagship and is found in phones like Sony Xperia XZ , the US variant of the Samsung S8  and the recently launched HTC U11.

The powerful octa-core Kyro processor, along with the Adreno 540 GPU housed inside the 835 SoC is sure to make the phone a winner. 

 

835-cpu-copy_062017041623.jpg

The dragon has been paired with 6GB of RAM with 64GB of storage memory or 8GB of RAM and with 128GB of storage memory depending on the variant of choice.

Battery

The battery capacity has been cut down by a 100 mAh from 3400mAh pack found inside the 3T. But thanks to the power efficient 835 SoC found inside the phone, the smaller battery will not translate into real world performance loss, and would rather result in 20-30% longer battery life than the previous flagship from the company. The OnePlus 5 also has Dash Charging capabilities which can give you a full day's battery charge in just 30 minutes.

What is the display like?

Contrary to reports that pegged the flagship killer to sport a Quad-HD (2560 x 1440) panel, OnePlus has decided to bring the new smartphone with the same 1080p panel found on the 3T. The phone flaunts a 5.5-inch Full HD AMOLED display capable of pumping out 401 pixels per inch. The screen is covered with a sheet of Corning’s Gorilla Glass 5 to keep it safe from scratches and minor drops. 

Price

oneplus5-new-copy_062117012324.jpg

With market leading specs, the OnePlus5 is is retailing at slightly higher price point as compared to the 3T. The phone has been launched at a price of Rs 32,999 for the 6GB RAM, 64GB storage variant in Slate Gray colour, while the more expensive 8GB RAM, 128GB storage variant available in Midnight Black has been priced at Rs 37,999. 

The phone has been confirmed to be an Amazon exclusive and will go on sale on a first come first serve basis starting 4:30pm on June 22. 

The pricing falls in line with OnePlus'policy of increasing the price of their flagships every year. The OnePlus One was launched at Rs 21,999 in India, which went up to Rs 34,999 for the 128GB variant of the OnePlus 3T. Taking into consideration the increased cost of components and the company's pricing strategy for its previous phones, it is an understandable step by the Chinese smartphone maker. 

At the first glance, the price might look a bit steep for a "flagship killer" but compare it to competition in the market, the OnePlus 5 at the price and specs on offer would still represent a fantastic bargain.

Last updated: June 22, 2017 | 15:54
IN THIS STORY
Please log in
I agree with DailyO's privacy policy