I had a chance to get my hands on the latest flagship from OnePlus: OnePlus Five. Knowing the history of the device, I had set high expectations for this phone on performance, design, battery and especially the dual camera.
OnePlus Five was introduced in mid-2017 with huge hype. It is priced at Rs. 59,499 (6GB RAM & 64GB storage) and Rs. 69,499 (8GB RAM & 128GB storage). The price tag is higher compared to the previous generations; falling in the premium category. Can this flagship killer replace your flagship? Let’s find out!
Build & Design
OnePlus Five has a full aluminum unibody build with 7.25mm thickness. It is slimmer and lighter at 153 grams. The unibody does look and feel amazing with rounded edges. The phone is slippery to grab on; so, you might want to get yourself a back cover. The build takes inspiration from the previous OnePlus 3T.
The design is a different story. It shares similarities with the iPhone 7, few did mistake it as the iPhone 7 during the review. Dual camera placement and antenna bands on the edge makes it a copycat. Chinese manufacturers often implement Apple’s design in their own devices. OnePlus did lose few points with their fan base for not being original. Despite this, I loved the clean design even if it looked like an iPhone.
Performance & Gaming
OnePlus 5 is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC; featuring Octa-core (4×2.45 GHz Kryo & 4×1.9 GHz Kryo) processor and Adreno 540 GPU. It carries a 5.5 inches Optic AMOLED screen with a resolution of 1920*1080. The device has 6GB or 8GB of RAM along with 64GB or 128GB of internal storage. The company did not compromise in the hardware department.Juggling between task like gaming, multitasking or multimedia is smooth, quick and responsive. There is no lag during my time with the device. The battery holds itself marvelously during the gaming sessions. The device showed no heating issue despite using it for hours at a time. The phone did get warm while using the camera. In the end, OnePlus Five passes with flying colors in performance.
Juggling between task like gaming, multitasking or multimedia is smooth, quick and responsive. There was no lag noticed during my time with the device. The battery holds itself marvelously during the gaming sessions. The device showed no heating issue despite using it for hours at a time. The phone did get warm while using the camera. In the end, OnePlus Five passes with flying colors in the performance department.
Software
OnePlus Five comes with the latest Android Nougat with custom Oxygen OS. It gives a stock android feel without overpowering third-party features. This provides a clean & fun user interface. Small features like notification-light change, dark-themed UI is always appreciated. Some new features like Night Mode, Reading Mode, Alert Slider, and Gesture Control sets the device in its own class. You can easily or fully customize the device’s way & feel to suit your preference. This makes your OnePlus Five truly “yours”. The software side is packed with thought out features. OnePlus did a very good job regarding software optimization.
Camera
OnePlus hyped its “next flagship killer” with the introduction of the dual camera. The dual camera was their main selling point. The dual Rear camera is 16MP at f/1.7 and 20MP at f/2.6 with LED flash. This comes equipped with standard features like HDR, time-lapse, slow-motion, phase detection, autofocus and much more. It also supports 4K video recording at 30fps. The second camera allows for a 2x zoom. “Pro” mode will satisfy any camera enthusiast. It gives you complete control; playing with white balance, ISO, focus, etc. The camera only offers a software stabilization; a little disappointing.
It features a new “portrait” mode where it provides depth in a picture. Basically, it blurs out the background like the DSLR. The software is new but it isn’t accurate enough. The blur effect is not constant, mostly on the edges of the body in focus. The front camera is 16MP at f/2.0 with 1080p recording capacity. Both cameras work great at good lighting. In night time, it suffers. The common problems are grainy and noisy pictures. At the price point, OnePlus could have offered more.
Battery
3300 mAh might not seem large enough at first glance. The size is smaller compared to the previous generations. Surprisingly, the battery consumption is stronger than you think. Heavier tasks like gaming, multitasking or media consumption will not stop you. On average you’ll get 6-8 hours in heavy use without any heating issues. No doubt this will last you all day with one charge for average use. The device has ‘Dash’ charge capability. Thanks to the software perfection, the battery is the least of your worries.
OnePlus 5 Key Specifications
- Display – 5.5 inches (~73.0% screen-to-body ratio), Optic AMOLED capacitive touchscreen
- Resolution – 1080 x 1920 pixels (~401 PPI pixel density)
- Chipset – Qualcomm MSM8998 Snapdragon 835
- CPU – Octa-core (4×2.45 GHz Kryo & 4×1.9 GHz Kryo)
- GPU – Adreno 540
- OS – Android 7.1.1 (Nougat)
- Memory – 64GB/128 GB internal storage, 6GB/8GB RAM
- Primary Camera – Dual 16 MP, f/1.7, 24mm, EIS (gyro) + 20 MP, f/2.6, 36mm, phase detection autofocus, 1.6x optical zoom, dual-LED flash
- Secondary Camera – 16 MP, f/2.0, 20mm, EIS (gyro), 1.0 µm pixel size, 1080p, Auto HDR
- Battery – Non-removable Li-Po 3300 mAh battery
OnePlus 5 Price in Nepal(64Gb/128GB): Rs.59,499 / Rs.69,500
Final Verdict
OnePlus Five is one of the best smartphones in 2017. It comes packed with premium features; good enough to compare with the flagship. It excels at performance, hardware, software, and design. There was a huge hype surrounding its launch. The hype was too big even for its own good. If you are willing to overlook insufficient waterproofing, wireless charging and few mistaking it for an iPhone. OnePlus Five is still good and definitely for you!
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