OnePlus 5 Hands on Review: Specs, Dual Camera, Battery
Being considered as one of leading brands from low-end market, OnePlus recently launched its most pricey flagship ever - the OnePlus 5. Unlike its last flagship OnePlus 3T, which is merely a updated version of OnePlus 3, OnePlus 5 comes with a new design and impressive specs that can complete with the high-end flagships. Let's look at the phone in more details.
Specs: 6GB/8GB RAM, Snapdragon 835 processor, Dual-SIM
The OnePlus 5 is powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, with two variants available: the base model with 64GB storage and 6GB RAM and the advanced model with 128GB storage and 8GB RAM. Do you really need 8GB RAM on your phone? Well, if you play video games a lot with your mobile phone, OnePlus 5 with 8GB RAM is clearly more speedy than its 6GB RAM variant.
Like OnePlus 3/3T, OnePlus 5 comes with metallic body, but in a thickness of 7.25mm, the new flagship is much thinner than its predecessors. As for software, OnePlus 5 runs on the company's customized OxygenOS, which is based on stock Android 7.1.1 Nougat. You can find a few customizations that's unavailable in stock Android: light/dark theme, reading mode, off-screen gestures to launch apps and more. And OnePlus 5 also supports dual SIM cards, a feature that is really needed for some users but is missing in many smartphone flagships.
However, starting at $479, a price that is much more affordable than many high-end flagships, OnePlus 5 could not have everything. What is missing in OnePlus 5 are waterproofing and expandable storage. And when QHD has become the mainstream, OnePlus 5 choose a 1080p 5.5-inch AMOLED display with a 16:9 resolution, which seems like a little old-fashioned.
Dual Camera System
OnePlus 5 is equipped with two cameras. Most flagships with dual cameras have the two lenses in the same resolution or the secondary lens in lower resolution, while the dual camera system in OnePlus 5 works in different way.
The main lens is 16 megapixels with an f/1.7 aperture and electronic image stabilization while the secondary lens is 20 megapixel with a smaller f/2.6 aperture and no electronic stabilization. You can switch between the two camera or use Portrait Mode to shoot a photos with two cameras and create a background blurring effect. Also, there is Pro mode, which enables users to adjust ISO, white balance, shutter speed, focus, and exposure as they like.
We couldn't say that OnePlus 5's cameras is better than others, but it is pretty good. The photos taken with the OnePlus 5 are well detailed, sharp, and quite natural in color reproduction.
Battery & Dash Charge
OnePlus 5 has a 3,300 mAh battery, which is slightly smaller than OnePlus 3T's 3,400 mAh battery, but is very impressive considering its 7.25mm thin body. And in the test, the 3,300 mAh battery is enough to last a day, even if you have played video game/watch video for a couple of hours.
And Dash Charge in OnePlus 5 is very impressive. The phone can get 60% charged in merely 30 minutes and it takes about 1.2 hours to charge the fully drained device to 100%.
Price
OnePlus 5 is offered in two variants. The base model (64 GB storage, 6 GB RAM) is in Slate Gray, pricing at $479 and with the enhanced model (128 GB storage, 8 GB RAM) costs $539 and comes in Midnight Black. It is much more expensive than its first generation, the $299 OnePlus One in 2014, but it is still more affordable comparing to the flagships of other brands like Samsung, LG, HTC, etc.
That's it. How do you like the new OnePlus 5? Leave your comment below.
