OnePlus 5T Review

OnePlus 5T was one of the much-anticipated smartphones of 2017

The OnePlus 5T was launched in November 2016 and marked the introduction of a 6-inch "Full Optic AMOLED Display" with an 18:9 aspect ratio to deliver a more immersive viewing experience.

NEW DELHI: As the name of OnePlus 5T suggests, the phone is an updated version of its previous smartphone. Known for providing smartphones which have a balance of latest technology at a very competitive price point, this phone was one of the much-anticipated smartphones of 2017. The first and foremost thing that you look at is its price. The phone comes at almost half the price of phones likes of the Galaxy S8, Google Pixel and iPhone X but provides quite similar features. The base model of OnePlus 5T comes with 6GB RAM and 64GB storage costs just Rs. 32,999. At Rs. 37,999 you get the 8GB RAM/128GB storage variant. In a time of increasing ‘social media influencer’, the phone gives a handy feature which lets you get parallel apps. A user will be able to login to the same social media profile with two different accounts. DISPLAY: Speaking about the screen, the 6-inch Full Optic AMOLED is one of the highlights of the OnePlus 5T. The 6 inch AMOLED display is of 18:9 aspect ratio and if you are an avid gamer then you are going to enjoy the experience. The comes with sunlight display technology which essentially is there to offers excellent readability even in direct sunlight. We saw that depending on surrounding lighting conditions, the screen was able to auto adjusts the contrast level. The near to border-less screen gives it a very geeky feel. The phone comes with a matte finished back which makes it feel smooth and premium but at the same time, when used for long time, gets finger marks all over it. CAMERA AND DESIGN: Just like its predecessor, the OnePlus 5T comes with a 16MP+20MP dual camera setup. During daylight, the photographs taken looked sharp and crisp with plenty of details but in low-light conditions, we experienced a lot of noise. The camera at the back works pretty well but the bump is which protrudes is irritating. The bump shouts that over the course of usage I will be smudged or scratched. Stabilization while shooting videos works pretty good but we got to see a lot of noise in low light conditions. That being said, a majority of smartphone still struggle with this problem so this is the best camera in the market at this price range. The phone feels very light so it is great for one hand usage. It is similar in size and weight to the LG V30 and iPhone 8 Plus. The phone continues to go with the premium metal unibody design of the phone and the gently-curving rear helps in nicely placing the phone in the palm. PROCESSOR: OnePlus 5T come with an Octa-core Snapdragon 835 chipset bundled with Adreno 540 graphics and a solid 8GB of RAM so you know that phone will not budge under pressure. If you’re browsing, multitasking, watching videos, or playing intensive games this phone will work like a horse. The company retained its 3.5mm headphone jack so you can plug in your headphones without the need for a clunky adapter or super expensive wireless headphones. After Apple released its face ID feature in the iPhone X, 2017 became the of face unlock feature. The OnePlus 5T also uses this mode of unlocking the phone. It works well as it quickly unlocks the device but its super-fast (0.2 seconds) fingerprint scanner is the true show stealer. It works faster than you expect. In this variant, the sensor is now shifted to the back of the phone. BATTERY: The OnePlus 5T is backed by a 3,300 mAh battery with Dash Charging support and the company claims that with half an hour of charge the phone can last a full day. During Dash charging, rather than increasing voltage, the current is increased. This helps in keeping the device cooler. The bigger display of this phone did not affect the battery as it worked pretty much same as the OnePlus 5. After intensive usage, the phone battery lasted for about 11 hours so the battery which is powered by dash charging is pretty solid. FINAL VERDICT: The OnePlus 5T is a perfect phone for all those planning to shell out an amount of Rs 35,000 and want to experience essential and high-end specifications from a smartphone. It has a brilliant display, camera, performance, and build quality. OnePlus 5T is not just an alternative to high-end phones but it is their full-fledged replacement. Here are a few tips and tricks that we discovered while using this phone - 

• Screen Calibration – Choose between default, sRGB, DCI-P3 and adaptive mode, which creates a more comfortable viewing experience and adjusts color temperature based on ambient light. (Settings > Display > Screen Calibration)
• Music control: draw || with two fingers to play or pause music. Draw < or > for previous or next track
• Picture Capture with Fingerprint Sensor – From the viewfinder screen, you can take a photo or selfie by long pressing the fingerprint sensor. (To enable: Settings > Gestures > Long press to take a photo)
• Swipe Fingerprint Sensor for Notification Shade – Swiping down on the fingerprint sensor can pull down the notification shade. (To enable: Settings > Gestures > Swipe fingerprint for notifications)
• Full-Display Notification Shade and App Drawer Access – Swipe up or down anywhere on the screen to access the notification shade or app drawer.
• Screen Off Gestures – Easily manage the most commonly accessed features of your phone without unlocking your screen. (To enable: Settings > Gestures > Screen off gestures submenu)
• Drawing letters O, V, S, M and W can activate assigned apps or functions such as opening the flashlight
• Lift Up Display – Wake up the ambient display when you pick up your phone or take it out of your pocket. (To enable: Settings > Display > Ambient display and Lift up display)
• Hidden Navigation Bar – When in-app, the navigation bar automatically disappears for a more immersive viewing experience. Once the bar is hidden, a swipe up from the bottom of the display will restore the navigation bar. (Settings > Buttons > Hide the navigation bar)

SPECIFICATIONS: Weight: 162g Dimensions: 156.1 x 75 x 7.3mm OS: Android 7.1.1 Screen size: 6.01 inches Resolution: 1080 x 2160 CPU: Snapdragon 835 RAM: 6GB/8GB Storage: 64GB/128GB Battery: 3,300mAh Rear camera: 16MP + 20MP Front camera: 16MP