Full screen displays seem to be the order of the day, along with face unlock, and it seems that OnePlus sensed this quite early. Never a brand to back off, they have gone ahead and upgraded their flagship, the OnePlus 5, with the latest features. Combine this with a smart pricing strategy, and you have a winner on the board.
Design and Build Quality
The OnePlus 5T feels just like its predecessor, a unibody finished in anodised aluminium. The sandblasted finish provides a premium feel. OnePlus has retained the power button, volume rocker and alert slider where it was in the OnePlus 5. The screen is protected by a 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 5. The phone measures 156.1 x 75 x 7.3mm and weighs 162g.
Key Features
The OnePlus 5T carries specifications almost identical to the OnePlus 5, except for a few improvements. The phone uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 Octa-core CPU, clocked at a peak of 2.45GHz, supported by an Adreno 540 GPU. The device runs on Oxygen OS 4.7, based on Android 7.1.1 (Nougat). The 5T is available in two variants, similar to the 5 — one with 6GB RAM/64GB storage and the other with 8GB RAM/128GB storage. The device uses Low-Power DDR4X type RAM. There is no provision for a memory card.
The main difference you are likely to note in the new 5T is the absence of the oval fingerprint sensor — Home button unit below the screen. The 6.01-inch, 1080p Full Optic AMOLED display now takes up the extra real estate freed by the button to offer an 18:9 aspect ratio. Instead, the ceramic fingerprint sensor has been moved to the back and reshaped into a circular touchpad. The dual rear cameras look the same, but are certainly different from the OnePlus 5. The primary camera is a 16-megapixel model while the secondary camera has a 20-megapixel sensor. Both cameras have a fixed aperture of f/1.7 and focal length of 27.22mm. The cameras are supported by a dual LED flash. The secondary camera has now been reconfigured for optimally recording low-light images. This camera merges the output from four pixels into one, creating an image that is cleaner with less noise. The camera now sports Portrait mode with depth effect and Clear Image zoom in addition to Pro mode, Time Lapse, Panorama and Slow motion. The main camera captures videos in 4K resolution at 30fps. The front camera is a 16-megapixel model with a constant aperture of f/2.0. It records videos with up to 1080p quality at 30fps. The display offers Adaptive mode, Reading Mode, Night Mode and Lift Up Display feature. The device now gets Face Unlock feature, which seems to be the trend with the latest flagship phones.
The OnePlus 5T uses a USB Type-C port and supports dual nano-SIM slot.
The phone features a 3.5mm audio jack. The device is powered by a 3,300 mAh non-removable battery. OnePlus has bundled a Dash charger (5V, 4A), the same that was included with the OnePlus 5. The 5T features a bottomfacing speaker and three microphones with noise-cancellation.
The phone is NFC-enabled and supports GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou and Galileo for location mapping.
Ergonomics
The OnePlus 5T is quite sleek and provides a comfortable grip with matte finished exteriors. The fingerprint sensor at the back is positioned optimally and is easy to reach. The Alert slider felt a little tricky without well-defined stops, but we wouldn’t consider this a negative since this is not something you would be using daily. The on-screen navigation buttons were very responsive and the interface uncomplicated and user-friendly. The camera felt intuitive too.
Performance
We received the 8GB RAM/128GB ROM version of the OnePlus 5T and this configuration makes it a performance powerhouse, just like the OnePlus 5. Graphic-intensive games are not a challenge for this device and we did not face any lag during the limited period that the phone remained with us. The Dash charger tops up the battery incredibly fast, making it a great help when you are in urgent need of a recharge. Face unlock feature worked like a charm and did not miss even once during our use. The camera reproduced JPEG images with excellent sharpness. The device controlled noise very well. It would be best if you keep the ISO at 400 or below, but ISO 1600 was also perfectly usable, though noisy. Colours appeared a little over-saturated. The camera can record Raw (DNG) images in addition to JPEGs if you need some additional control over the final image. The camera interface offers live histogram and level indicator in Pro Mode for better framing and exposure. 4K videos appeared smooth and punchy. Flash exposure was just about perfect for subjects in close proximity, not too strong, not too weak. Overall, a great performance.
Value for Money
The OnePlus 5T retails at an MRP of `32,999 in case of the 6GB/64GB variant and `37,999 for the 8GB/128GB model. This is quite competitive for this device. |SP
Final Score 88%
Design and Build Quality 18/20
Key Features 18/20
Ergonomics 17/20
Performance 18/20
Value for Money 17/20
PLUS
• Sleek and stylish design
• Face unlock
•Lot of processing power
• Great image quality
• Dash charging
• Smartly priced
MINUS
• None so far
VERDICT
The OnePlus 5T is arguably one of the most powerful smartphones available in the market today. Combined with some serious imaging capability, this device is certainly one of the best you can buy, and the price makes it extremely desirable.
Key Specifications
Dimensions: 156.1 x 75 x 7.3mm
Weight: 162g
Operating System: OxygenOS based on Android 7.1.1 Nougat
CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 (Octacore, 10nm, up to 2.45GHz)
GPU: Adreno 540
RAM: 6GB/8GB LPDDR4X
Storage: 64GB/128GB UFS2.1 2-LANE
Battery: 3,300 mAh (non-removable), Dash Charge (5V 4A)
Display: 6.01-inch, 1080P (1080 x 2160 pixels), 401ppi AMOLED
Cover glass: 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Display features: Adaptive mode, Reading Mode, Night Mode, Lift Up Display, Ambient Display
Rear camera: 16 megapixels
Sensor: Sony IMX 398
Aperture: f/1.7
Focal Length: 27.22mm
Secondary camera: 20 megapixels
Sensor: IMX 376K Flash: Dual LED
Flash Video: 4K resolution at 30fps
Slow Motion: 720p videos at 120fps
Video: 1080p resolution at 30fps
