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OnePlus 5T First Impressions: Bezel-Less Display Makes Its Mark

OnePlus 5T with 18:9 ratio screen has been launched. Read here for features, price and availability. 

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OnePlus has unveiled its first ever smartphone, OnePlus 5T, that gets the in-demand 18:9 ratio screen. OnePlus 5T succeeds the OnePlus 5 as the current flagship phone from the brand, but luckily, you’re not going to be charged a premium for the improvements made.

OnePlus 5T will sell at the same price as the OnePlus 5 ie Rs 32,999 for the 64GB and Rs 37,999 for the 128GB variant, available from 21 November via Amazon in the country.

So, what’s new with the OnePlus 5T, and is it worth the hype and upgrade? While most of us felt it shouldn’t have come less than six months after the OnePlus 5, they’ve done it nonetheless. And, here’s our early impression of the OnePlus 5T.

You can also check out our first look Live with the device.

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Snapshot

OnePlus 5T:

  • Display: 6.01-inch 2160x1080 pixels Super AMOLED with Corning Gorilla Glass 5
  • Operating System: Oxygen OS over Android 7.1 Nougat
  • Processor: Octa-core Snapdragon 835
  • RAM: 6/8GB
  • Storage: 64/128GB (non-expandable)
  • Rear Camera: 16+20MP (both f/1.7 aperture)
  • Front Camera: 16MP
  • Other Features: Face Unlock
  • Weight: 162 grams
  • Battery: 3300mAh
  • Price: Rs 32,999/Rs 37,999

Design

The OnePlus 5T might borrow a lot from its predecessor, but design is where the similarity comes to an end. The 6-inch form size might sound bigger than the 5.5-inch OnePlus 5, but due to similar screen to body ratio, the 5T feels compact and easy to use with one hand.

The display real estate becoming longer has meant that the fingerprint scanner has moved to the back, just above the OnePlus logo, as you can see here. The bezels are really narrow, and it’s easy to see why OnePlus decided that the 5T with a bezel-less screen had to make its way in 2017 itself (not sure if the OnePlus 5 owners would agree with me though).

The USB Type C port retains its place at the bottom, where we also get the 3.5-mm audio jack (it’s become a common part of product launch presentations now).

The 5T is as slim and light as the previous one. With 7.3-mm thickness and weighing 162 grams, the phone will feel right at home in your palms. Design, for me, gets top marks alright.

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Display

OnePlus 5T gets a big screen at 6.01-inch with 2160x1080 pixels as its resolution. Corning Glass 5 should make sure the display manages to handle itself in delicate situations.

The display gets quality and contrast assurance from the use of Super AMOLED panel, and we don’t have to look far away (Galaxy Note 8) to know what it means for a display’s brightness, as well as sharpness.

During our brief time with the phone, there wasn’t much to fault the quality of display and its output. We couldn’t, however, watch videos or compare it with other phones’ display to make a concrete comment about it.

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Hardware, Software and More

OnePlus 5T packs the same Snapdragon 835 processor as the one in the OnePlus 5, and even the RAM and storage options remain the same at 6/8GB and 64/128GB respectively.

USB Type C remains, so does the 3.5-mm audio jack, while the fingerprint scanner goes to the back of the phone. Face Unlock is the newest addition to the 5T and OnePlus claims that you can unlock the device (which reads your eyes and nose mostly) in less than 4 seconds (again, yet to try that out).

The phone supports dual SIM like before, still doesn’t get wireless charging option, and no resistance to dust or water via IP68 (come on already, OnePlus!). And finally, OnePlus feels that with Dash charging, the OnePlus 5T can survive well with the unchanged 3300mAh battery unit.

OnePlus 5T comes with Android 7.1 Nougat right now, but OnePlus plans to roll out the Oreo update for this before end of 2017 (we hope you make it through, guys).

OnePlus 5 was anyway a pretty solid and fast phone, and with OnePlus 5T we expect nothing but the same.

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Camera

OnePlus has decided that the tele-photo lens option can wait, which is why the OnePlus 5T has been equipped with not one, but two cameras at the back, that offer f/1.7 aperture. This according to OnePlus means that the rear set of 16-megapixel and 20-megapixel snappers can now do better in low-light.

Also, the camera’s video stabilisation sees some improvement. How much we can’t say, but yes, worth giving that a try for sure.

The front shooter packing 16-megapixels has been retained. Not expecting any change in the output over there.

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What we Think

OnePlus 5T is a mid-year upgrade from OnePlus, just like what they did with the 3T last year. The company while launching the OnePlus 5 had promised there won’t be a 5T this year, but that’s not true after all.

But for what it’s worth, the OnePlus 5T with its 18:9 ratio screen does get a design upgrade, the addition of Face Unlock, packing the same yet impressive set of hardware, with some tweaking done on the camera front. You’ll have to wait a while before getting Android Oreo version of Oxygen OS on this one, but all in all, the 5T does a better job of justifying its induction.

Will the OnePlus 5 owners be tempted to make the switch? They could. But for OnePlus 3 or 3T users, the OnePlus 5T, for the same price as its predecessor, makes its mark.

Stay tuned for our detailed review in the coming days.

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