OnePlus 5 Review

When the leaks started coming in around March, most people started waiting for the OnePlus 5, which was going to be an upgrade from the China-based company’s OnePlus 3 and 3T models. And they were right to anticipate it. For an Android phone, this latest OnePlus model packs a punch. Is that enough to forgo every other smartphone in the market for it? Read on and find out.

So, what’s new with the OnePlus 5?

The first thing people want to know when they hear about a phone is what are its specs, what is good about it, what doesn’t work and don’t forget, how much better is it than the previous model. No one would want to pay a few hundred dollars for a phone that duplicates another after all.

Here is what this flagship model has on its predecessors.

The first (and the most significant) upgrade of the OnePlus 5 from the 3 and 3T models is its processing power. Like flagship models such as Samsung’s Galaxy s8, this smartphone comes with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 chipset, which is more powerful and efficient than the OnePlus 3’s 820 quad core processor. This feature added to Shenzhen-based startup’s latest model makes it the single most powerful Android device on the market today.

Of course, better processing power is not the only thing OnePlus improved on with the OnePlus 5. The OnePlus 5 is larger than previous OnePlus models, with a stronger guerilla glass in case of those ‘accidents’ on the sidewalk. Apart from that, and the shifting of the back camera to the side (now it looks like a Samsung Galaxy s8).

Praise for the OnePlus 5

As you may have noted above, one of the most attractive qualities of this flagship OnePlus model is its processing power.

For those who like to take a lot of photos or save an entire collection on their phones, there is good news. The OnePlus 5 has enormous storage space (64/128 GB) and enough RAM to handle running applications without a hitch. The only downside is that the memory is not expandable, not that many people will care about that.

Another thing the OnePlus 5 has going for it is that its ergonomic design means it is easier for people to carry. And of course, the feature that has many people seeking this product out- it is cheaper than most flagships on the market but carries almost the same impact. It is even better than some more expensive models in some aspects. For instance, its 3,300mAh battery capacity has a few hours on iPhone 7 Plus’s 2,900mAh.

The Downside

While the OnePlus is powerful, it makes a lot of compromises to back that power up. One of the biggest drawbacks of this model is that though it is well-designed, it is also plain-looking. That it cannot work after hitting the water is also painful to think about, not to mention the problems with the screen (jelly scrolling) and problems with emergency numbers (it reboots when one calls 911 or 999).

Verdict

The OnePlus might be cheap, and it might be powerful, but these features do not really balance out the problems that the model carries. Problems with the screen when the phone is new are bad, and raise questions about all the nasty little surprises that will come up down the line.

Reference Links:

1. https://www.yahoo.com/tech/apos-oneplus-5-beat-android-185800000.html
2. http://www.knowyourmobile.com/mobile-phones/apple-iphone-8/23419/best-phones-coming-2017-iphone-8-samsung-galaxy-s8-plus-oneplus-5-sony-xperia-xz-premium-google-pixel-2
3. https://www.forbes.com/sites/ewanspence/2017/07/18/oneplus5-911-emergency-services-bug/#13dfec1610ef
4. https://www.forbes.com/sites/ewanspence/2017/07/05/oneplus5-jelly-screen-benchmarking-stereo-problems/#6b2cb4fe3f58
5. https://www.yahoo.com/tech/oneplus-5-vs-galaxy-s8-191541634.html
6. https://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2017/06/27/oneplus-5-vs-oneplus-3t-vs-oneplus-3-whats-the-difference/#1aa13f7b2d14