How OnePlus 5T Enters the Smartphone Market
OnePlus has carved a niche in the competitive smartphone market by offering high quality hardware at great prices. The company’s latest phone, OnePlus 5T, is no different, offering the kind of technology you’d expect from the latest Apple or Samsung device, but for half the price.
The new Android smartphone, which was unveiled on Thursday morning, costs just $ 500. It’s a steal when compared to the iPhone X ($ 1,000), Samsung Galaxy Note 8 ($ 929), or even the Google Pixel 2 ($ 649) and Pixel 2 XL ($ 849). But will the OnePlus 5T really stand up to these big-name brand devices? Let’s take a closer look at what OnePlus has to offer.
Camera
Your smartphone’s camera is probably used more often than any other feature on the device. With that in mind, the OnePlus 5T features dual lenses on the back (16 and 20 megapixels) with an emphasis on low-light and portrait photography. OnePlus has also included fast autofocus and electronic image stabilization to reduce shake in your videos.
The iPhone X offers a similar dual-camera setup (it quickly became the industry standard), but it also has optical zoom – OnePlus can’t do that. Apple’s new front-facing camera can also capture portrait-style selfies, another feature missing from the OnePlus 5T.
Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8 also matches the competition, with a pair of cameras on the back, optical image stabilization, and its own version of portrait mode called Live Focus. Google actually only stuck with one rear camera with the Pixel 2 and 2 XL, but it manages to recreate portrait shots using dedicated software instead of an extra lens.
Overall, Apple continues to lead the way in smartphone photography. But if you’re picking between Android devices, the OnePlus 5T looks just about on par with the competition.
Screen
The OnePlus 5T follows the 2017 trend of removing bezels to make room for larger displays. The new phone houses a massive 6-inch OLED screen in the same body as the previous model, with edge-to-edge design on the sides and thin bezels at the top and bottom.
Samsung is following a similar path with the Galaxy Note 8, offering an even larger 6.8 OLED panel with minimal bezels, just like the 6-inch Pixel 2XL. Google’s smaller Pixel 2 has a 5-inch screen and rather thick bezels that are hard to forgive.
As for the iPhone X, Apple has managed to remove nearly all of the bezels around its 5.8-inch OLED display. The only catch is the awkward notch at the top of the screen, but if you can live with that, the rest of the design will be pretty sleek.
Battery and charging
The OnePlus 5T has a 3,300mAh battery that will last all day without any problems. According to the company, if you start to run out of charge, you can charge “daytime energy” in just 30 minutes.
Samsung is offering the same 3,300mAh battery with the addition of fast wireless charging, although the company hasn’t said exactly how fast the device will charge. Apple also offers wireless charging for the iPhone X, as well as 2617mAh fast wired charging (50% in 30 minutes).
The Pixel 2 (2700mAh) and Pixel 2 XL (3520mAh) also have fast charging, but they don’t support wireless. Google claims you can get an impressive 7 hours of battery life with just 15 minutes of charging.
All four phones should perform well when it comes to battery life, although if you absolutely need wireless charging, you’ll have to rule out OnePlus and Google.
Face recognition
OnePlus has added a face-scanning camera to unlock its new phone, but it’s not as advanced as Apple’s Face ID on the iPhone X. Instead, it’s closer to the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, which uses pattern recognition. So it’s not that secure, but it still works very fast – according to OnePlus, it takes less than 0.2 seconds to unlock.
The OnePlus 5T also retains the fingerprint sensor, but moves it to the back of the phone. Meanwhile, Google doesn’t offer any kind of face-scanning protection on the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL.
If you want the best possible facial recognition, Apple is the way to go, but if you don’t care, you better stick with Google. Otherwise, Samsung and OnePlus are in a solid middle ground.
Headphone jack?
Yes, the OnePlus 5T has a headphone jack. This is great news if you’re not ready to ditch your old headphones in favor of Bluetooth. On the other hand, Samsung has also kept the auxiliary input on the Galaxy Note 8. So you have options.
Apple ditched the headphone jack last year with the iPhone 7, and Google followed suit this year with the Pixel 2. We don’t expect either company to change course anytime soon (if ever).
Final thoughts
Overall, the OnePlus 5T holds up well to the competition, and at a fraction of the price. If you really need Face ID or wireless charging, this phone is not for you. Otherwise, it’s definitely worth considering when the OnePlus 5T launches on November 21st.