The flagship-killer or a flagship ?
Does it kill other flagships ? Or is it just another flagship ? Is it even a flagship ? A flagship-price ?
Where does this phone stand ? A budget-flagship ?
Although there is a regular jump in price as we have seen over the years, but still cheaper than 800-1000 dollar phones. It aims provide a flagship level experience/performance at considerable "cheap" price ? But does it ?
Powered by Snapdragon 845, you can bet it won't fail you in performance department. Will be "top notch" (Pun Intended😝)
Software - Oxygen OS is its one of the biggest strengths. Near stock experience sprinkled with useful features.
Updates - Well, its where OnePlus finds itself in murky water. The 2nd gen never made it to Nougat.
The OnePlus 3/3T are currently on latest android. Lets find out if they are updated for another year.
If the company wants to be seen as one of the big boys it has to be update a device for at-least 3 years. OnePlus doesn't have tons of phones, so shouldn't be hard for software team (granted they have quite a backing.)
A fine developer community at XDA.
Comes with a glass-back, I for one will miss good old metal days. Not a fan of glass backs.
A simple logic says if someone buys a phone for 500 bucks, he wont be buying a "pricey plate" (for wireless charging). If no wireless charging why are you even into glass backs. Its slippery,prone to break, and it attracts fingerprints. Doesn't even look that good (atleast to me). A better option would have been - ceramic. (If you want it to feel premium).
The company claims it's waterproof, you can take it outdoors in rain. No IP certified rating was mentioned. My guess - splashproof. (No immersion of some sort)
Finally the most controversial feature - "The Notch". Well TBH I don't really mind nor do I adore it. Its a trade off I can embrace for a couple of years (before we go truly bezel-less !). The only thing that bothers me is it ultimately looks like an iPhone (TBH which I do mind).Oh yes, its a "smaller notch", wuhoo. Another iClone. OEMs seem to have lost it (tired of complaining/ranting😒). Looks like the OnePlus has "finally settled" on copying design from the "fruitfone company".
Keeps the headphone jack. Thumbs up 👍 for that. But I don't really feel the need to brag about it and have a dig at other companies. Grow up OnePlus !
👎Notch and chin combo (meh !).
👎Single bottom firing speaker.
👎No IP rating.
👎Glass-back(for me)
Would you buy one or satisfy yourself with a last gen flagship of some "big" company ?
Cheers 😁 .
Does it kill other flagships ? Or is it just another flagship ? Is it even a flagship ? A flagship-price ?
Where does this phone stand ? A budget-flagship ?
OnePlus One
|
$300/€250
|
OnePlus 2
|
$329/€300
|
OnePlus 3
|
$400/€400
|
Oneplus 3T
|
$429/€440
|
OnePlus 5
|
$479/€500
|
OnePlus 5T
|
$500/€500
|
OnePlus 6
|
$529/€519
|
Although there is a regular jump in price as we have seen over the years, but still cheaper than 800-1000 dollar phones. It aims provide a flagship level experience/performance at considerable "cheap" price ? But does it ?
Powered by Snapdragon 845, you can bet it won't fail you in performance department. Will be "top notch" (Pun Intended😝)
Software - Oxygen OS is its one of the biggest strengths. Near stock experience sprinkled with useful features.
Updates - Well, its where OnePlus finds itself in murky water. The 2nd gen never made it to Nougat.
The OnePlus 3/3T are currently on latest android. Lets find out if they are updated for another year.
If the company wants to be seen as one of the big boys it has to be update a device for at-least 3 years. OnePlus doesn't have tons of phones, so shouldn't be hard for software team (granted they have quite a backing.)
A fine developer community at XDA.
Comes with a glass-back, I for one will miss good old metal days. Not a fan of glass backs.
A simple logic says if someone buys a phone for 500 bucks, he wont be buying a "pricey plate" (for wireless charging). If no wireless charging why are you even into glass backs. Its slippery,prone to break, and it attracts fingerprints. Doesn't even look that good (atleast to me). A better option would have been - ceramic. (If you want it to feel premium).
The company claims it's waterproof, you can take it outdoors in rain. No IP certified rating was mentioned. My guess - splashproof. (No immersion of some sort)
Cameras - The primary rear camera is 16 MP Sony IMX519 with f1.7 aperture. It has OIS. 4K at 60fps. Even offers slow-mo albeit at 480fps (dunno whether its 720p/1080p). The second camera is 20 MP Sony IMX376K again with f1.7 aperture. The front snapper has 16 MP Sony IMX 371 with f2.0 aperture and electronically stabalized.
Finally the most controversial feature - "The Notch". Well TBH I don't really mind nor do I adore it. Its a trade off I can embrace for a couple of years (before we go truly bezel-less !). The only thing that bothers me is it ultimately looks like an iPhone (TBH which I do mind).Oh yes, its a "smaller notch", wuhoo. Another iClone. OEMs seem to have lost it (tired of complaining/ranting😒). Looks like the OnePlus has "finally settled" on copying design from the "fruitfone company".
Keeps the headphone jack. Thumbs up 👍 for that. But I don't really feel the need to brag about it and have a dig at other companies. Grow up OnePlus !
Other features:
- A 6.28 inch AMOLED screen 👍, with 1080p resolution. (I feel it should be bumped up, but i can live with it, don't really mind that much).
- Oxygen OS 5 on top of 8.1 (Android P-beta coming shortly)
- 64/6GB the base model starts at $529, 128/8GB one is priced at $579 and the 256/8GB variant goes all the way upto $629.(phew!).
- The Alert slider 👍.
- 3300 mAh battery coupled with Dash charging.
- comes in Midnight Black(sort of matte-like), Mirror Black,and a Silk White color. I personally like the matte look one.
A few pitfalls:
👎Not many service centers available here in India.👎Notch and chin combo (meh !).
👎Single bottom firing speaker.
👎No IP rating.
👎Glass-back(for me)
Can we call this phone a budget-flagship ?
Price wise, I don't know in what territory this guy stands ? Who exactly are they targeting (apart from enthusiasts)? Its a pretty tough spot for the company. They want to make the jump to the flagship price (doing it slowly). At the same time dubbing this phone as "flagship-killer". Its like identity-crisis altogether. Being a flagship isn't always about performance. Yes, performance is a big part of it. But it isn't the end of it either. Certain other aspects like brand value,aesthetics,originality, innovations,something extra/something cutting-edge (feel me?). A superior performance SoC and a camera with stupid portrait/"bokeh" shots doesn't make a flagship phone (That's playing safe). But then again you can say what are other companies doing ? Maybe we have arrived in a phase where innovations seem stagnant. A calm before storm (secretly referring to AR/VR). Lets see what next year brings.
A few extra bucks will get you Pixel 2(last years flagship) which comes with guaranteed updates and if you want to save some, plenty of other options like Nokia 7 Plus(Android One) or a Nokia 8(last gen flagship). Or you can even get yourself an honor phone if you are into that sort of UI(which I find cluttered and hideous.) Samsung S8 also received a price cut. Plenty of options !
A few extra bucks will get you Pixel 2(last years flagship) which comes with guaranteed updates and if you want to save some, plenty of other options like Nokia 7 Plus(Android One) or a Nokia 8(last gen flagship). Or you can even get yourself an honor phone if you are into that sort of UI(which I find cluttered and hideous.) Samsung S8 also received a price cut. Plenty of options !
Would you buy one or satisfy yourself with a last gen flagship of some "big" company ?
Till then.
This is Rahat signing off.
Have a nice day.
Goodbye. Cheers 😁 .
Finally would you recommend 6 or not?
ReplyDeleteDepends on device you currently own.😀
ReplyDeletePixel XL?
ReplyDeleteGo buy it. I still miss my OP2 and it was above them all. I loe the camera in S6Edge (have that one), but i love how they move. You won't regret it.
ReplyDeleteThe OP5 is hell of a wonderful phone for me by now. The glass-back (which you don't like) is SUPER classy to me. About the notch, first I got really bothered by it, but a few days later, it seems even invisible to me. BTW I'm from China, not too many people know this brand, but as time goes, more people get to know it, which is a really great thing to OnePlus.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review!