OnePlus smartphones have undoubtedly become a dream product for the plenty of people. Recently, the company presented a new flagship with exceptional specifications; 8GB of memory, a high-end processor, 5.5-inch AMOLED display with Gorilla Glass 5, and dual camera. In this guide, we will introduce you to the OnePlus 5, an excellent smartphone with plenty of capabilities.
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Who is OnePlus
OnePlus was founded in December 2013 by former Oppo Electronics vice-president Pete Lau and 24-year-old engineer Carl Pei.
The company's goal is to produce high-performance mobile phones at significantly lower cost than the competition.
After six months, in May 2014, the company released its first model, OnePlus One. The company itself, along with many reviewers, would describe it as the "Flagship Killer."
At first, OnePlus One was only available through the company's invitation system. OnePlus wanted to control the number of devices produced. Surprisingly, this tactic worked wonders on making the phone popular among users.
So, while they expected to sell around 100,000 devices, the actual sales figure reached 1,000,000 units.
The cost of OnePlus One was initially at $299. Its performance was similar to Samsung Galaxy S5 and HTC One M8, which were available at a significantly higher price.
With the enormous success of OnePlus One, the company proceeded to produce OnePlus Two. The first presentation took place on 27th of July 2015, and the product was released on August 11 of the same year.
OnePlus sold out 30,000 units of the OnePlus 2 within 64 seconds in China.
On October 29, the company revealed OnePlus X, a lower-cost model. Even in that case, though, people had to go through the invitation system to buy the phone.
On June 14th of 2016, the company announced OnePlus 3, the first model without an invitation system.
After six months, OnePlus introduced a renewed version of OnePlus 3, OnePlus 3T. It was the company's first device available in Europe and North America without enormous waiting times.
OnePlus 5, the latest and most expensive device they've ever made, was unveiled on June 20, 2017.
It was said that the company omitted number four because it is considered as unfortunate in China (Tetraphobia).
OnePlus 5 Specifications
The OnePlus 5 specifications make it one of the top Android mobile devices on the market, regardless of price category. Let's take a closer look.
Processor
OnePlus 5 runs on the Qualcomm MSM8998 Snapdragon 835 chipset. This processor is Qualcomm's fastest chipset as of this writing.
We will also find it on Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus, Samsung Galaxy Note 8, Xiaomi Mi6, LG V30, Nokia 8, and other known flagships.
Snapdragon 835 uses two quad-core Kryo processors at 2.45GHz and 1.9GHz. It is also smaller than the predecessor, Snapdragon 821, due to the 10nm lithography.
Compared to the Snapdragon 821, 835 has achieved efficiency up to 30% in performance and 40% in battery consumption.
It also supports Quick Charge 4, which could offer five extra hours of use with only a 15-minute charge.
Beyond the processor, Adreno 540 gave 25% better graphics performance than its predecessor.
The Spectra Image Signal Processor (ISP) supports up to 32 megapixels with zero shutter lag.
Last but not least, the X16 LTE modem provides up to 10 times faster 4G speeds than the first generation.
RAM and internal storage
Usually, a smartphone lags because of low RAM capacity. At the same time, adding extra RAM is impossible.
OnePlus 5 has two versions. The first comes with 6GB DDR4 RAM and 64GB of storage and the second has 8GB RAM and 128GB of storage.
OnePlus is the first company which incorporates 8GB of RAM into their smartphones.
Unfortunately, like the other company's smartphones (except OnePlus X), OnePlus 5 does not support any memory card.
Of course, 64/128GB of internal storage is adequate for any regular use, so that we can bypass the lack of a memory card slot.
Screen
OnePlus 5 has a 5.5-inch display, which classifies it in the phablet category. At the same time, the screen covers 73% of the device's surface.
The display technology is Optic AMOLED, with a Full HD 1080x1920 resolution and 401 PPI pixel density.
The screen glass is Corning Gorilla Glass 5, the newest and most durable glass of Corning.
Camera
It was a matter of time for an Android device to copy iPhone's 7 Plus dual camera.
Thus, the new OnePlus 5 has the same type of dual camera system, only with higher resolution image sensors.
We will find a primary 16-megapixel wide-angle lens with f / 1.7 diaphragm and a secondary 20-megapixel f / 2.8 aperture lens.
In fact, we can achieve a 2X optical zoom with this setup, and the device also features a dual-LED flash.
According to the company, OnePlus 5 can focus 40% faster than the previous model.
Furthermore, the front camera has a 16 MP f / 2.0 lens, ensuring perfect selfies.
Connectivity
OnePlus 5 supports all new WiFi standards, 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac, and Bluetooth Class 5.
As in the previous model, the device supports the USB 2.0 standard through a Type-C port.
OnePlus 5 comes out with a Dash type charger. This means that the device can be charged to 60% in just 35 minutes, while it needs another 45 minutes for a full charge.
This delay happens to avoid battery damage and also limit the heat level during charging.
As soon as it reaches 75% of the battery capacity, the voltage drops in half, and at 85% the voltage drops further.
The only downside of the Dash charging is that we must use the charger that OnePlus provides, as it's a patent-pending. Third-party chargers will work to charge the phone but without the Dash features.
It's worth to notice that Dash charging is the closest thing we can find to the ideal charging for a longer battery life.
How to Get a Longer Battery Life For Laptops, Smartphones, or Tablets
Battery
The battery has a 3.300 mAh capacity, and it's non-detachable. We have to point out that it is 400 mAh bigger than the one in the iPhone 7 Plus.
According to the Endurance Rating of the GSM Arena page, a full battery charge lasts up to 83 hours with mixed-use, which is a higher score than iPhone 7 Plus and LG G6, but a bit lower than the Galaxy S8.
Sensors
OnePlus 5 features a fast fingerprint sensor built into the Home Button.
It is also equipped with an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a proximity sensor, and a compass.
Dimensions
The device's dimensions are 154.2 x 74.1 x 7.3mm, and it weighs 153 grams. OnePlus 5 is slightly thinner than previous models.
Oxygen OS
As we know, OnePlus 5 is an Android smartphone. It is compatible with the vast majority of Android apps, but its operating system is not "pure" Android.
OnePlus has developed OxygenOS, an Android variant with some additional options and settings.
Changes include gestures, built-in Night Mode and color balance settings, custom button functions, and more.
Currently, OnePlus 5 uses Oxygen OS 4.5.10, based on Android 7.1.1.
Unboxing
OnePlus 5 comes in a minimal package with red details.
On the back side, we will find the device's details. In fact, most of them are in Chinese. Also, the packaging promotes the dual camera, which is one of the most significant selling points of the OnePlus 5.
Once we open the package, we will find the device, and below there's a postcard from OnePlus.
By lifting the postcard, there is the Dash charger along with a USB-C cable.
In total, we will find the smartphone, the charger along with the charging cable, a SIM needle to insert the SIM cards, some stickers, a OnePlus card, and two manuals in Chinese.
First impressions
The device is very sleek and beautiful. The aluminum frame combines perfectly with the Corning Glass. The screen comes with a pre-installed screen protector.
On the back side, we will find the two cameras in the same location as in iPhone 7 Plus. However, right and left edges give a taste of Samsung Galaxy S8.
On the left, there are the volume buttons and an additional "slide" button to instantly mute notifications.
On the other side, we will find the power button.
At the bottom, there's the speaker, the charging socket, the microphone, and the standard 3.5mm headphone jack.
While holding the OnePlus 5 for the first time, it left us with an excellent impression.
First boot
The OxygenOS supports multiple languages.
OnePlus 5 is like other Android devices, so it's straightforward to use and set.
For the few days that we have been testing the device, there were several times that we needed to update the OS.
Benchmarks
As we have seen before, the performance of a smartphone is subjective, while specifications are just numbers. In the image below, you can see some benchmarks that evaluate the smartphone's performance.
Performance table
We also compared the OnePlus 5 with other flagship smartphones (iPhone 7 Plus, Mi6) as well as with its older brother, the OnePlus 3.
As we can see, OnePlus 5 got the highest score in several benchmarks. It is evident that it's a worthy "opponent" of the more expensive iPhone 7 Plus.
However, we can't overlook the fact that the cheaper Xiaomi Mi6 got the highest score in three of the tests, and it was close to the rest of the results.
OnePlus 3 has the lower scores, showing that OnePlus made several improvements to their new model.
Camera performance
A good camera is a prerequisite for buying a new mobile, especially for a smartphone that competes with even more expensive devices.
At the same time, most users are not professional photographers and do not want to mess up with adjustments. By using the device in default settings, the result was satisfactory.
The OnePlus 5 dual camera renders realistically in close-ups.
Here you can find the picture at full resolution.
In micro-photography, in an objectively tricky subject such as a spider's web, OnePlus 5 offered a great result.
Here you can find the picture at full resolution.
It also works exceptionally well in low light conditions.
Here you can find the picture at full resolution.
The built-in camera application offers several features, while Pro allows us to shoot better photos.
Here you can find the picture at full resolution.
As for the video, we can shoot footage up to a 4K resolution. Unfortunately, the device does not have optical image stabilization but only software stabilization.
We have to say that the OnePlus 5 is equipped with one - in fact two - of the best cameras out there.
Price
We would like to thank GearBest for providing the 128GB version with 8GB RAM for this review.
This version comes at a price of 569.99$.
The smaller version, with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, comes at a price of 509.99$.
The device is available in three colors: black, gray, and gold.
Please note that the above prices change over time.
In the official OnePlus page, the version with 8GB RAM and 128GB of storage costs 559€, without the shipping fees.
Conclusion
OnePlus's mobiles are undoubtedly on the top of the market. Especially when a flagship smartphone comes out with a massive 8GB of memory, a high-end processor, and a 5.5-inch bright AMOLED display with Gorilla Glass 5.
Besides, the Chinese device has a premium metal - glass combination along with three cameras.
As we have seen, the price is also tempting for the features and capabilities it offers. The phone can beat leading smartphones of Samsung and Apple giants, which cost 300$ - 400$ more.
OnePlus' work on the dual camera is impressive. The shots are fast, and the pictures are great, where they can compete for those of iPhone 7 Plus.
However, when it comes to making the most of both back cameras, OnePlus probably has yet to learn a few things from Apple.
If you are looking for a flagship at a reasonable price, then OnePlus 5 is a great deal.
What is your opinion on OnePlus 5?
Do you happen to own the OnePlus 5 or intend to buy it? Let us know in the comments below.
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