According to OnePlus, the OnePlus 3 will be a flagship killer, just like the rest of the company’s flagship devices have been described.
This description has been at the heart of the success the company has managed over its short period of existence in the smartphone industry. OnePlus comes in with smartphones that pack some of the best hardware specs, but at very affordable prices, something that is synonymous with other Chinese OEMs.
Very few can disagree with the fact that Samsung Galaxy S7 is one of the best phones available on the market right now. But with OnePlus 3 poised to come in as a 2016 flagship killer, here’s how these two compare. Remember that OnePlus has yet to unveil the successor to last year’s OnePlus 2, thus, details regarding the company’s next flagship are based on leaks, rumors, and speculations.
Design and display
Samsung Galaxy S7 is a sleek combination of glass and metal that gives the phone a look that no other Galaxy S series has seen before. The brushed metal sides and the curved rear make the phone feel silky, soft and sweet.
On the other hand, OnePlus did not disappoint with last year’s flagship. The shape and grip the phone offered were loved by many, however, it seems OnePlus 3 will be a major upgrade from the OnePlus 2 as far as design is concerned, at least according to the latest leaks.
When the phone is unveiled, expect something very similar to the new HTC 10 or even an iPhone, with an all-metal unibody expected, but the angular aesthetics of the OnePlus 2 will be visible from a distance. Most probably, the upcoming OnePlus 3 will feature a larger form factor as compared to the Galaxy S7, however, things like water resistance and dust proof are yet to be determined if they will feature on the flagship. Just like the Galaxy S7, expect a fingerprint sensor, but you might miss out on things like microSD card support, among others.
A look at the display, we already know that Galaxy S7 has a 5.1-inch Super AMOLED QHD panel with a pixel density of 577ppi. The panel offers bold, detailed and sublime views that OnePlus 3 will definitely struggle to beat or even emulate. However, given that this device will be coming in as a flagship killer, it doesn’t mean it will have better specs on offer. We might end up with an IPS LCD QHD panel for the next OnePlus flagship, but with a slightly larger display panel. However, with the OnePlus X featuring an AMOLED panel, we might also see this continued on the new phone. This is further seconded by the fact that the company recently unveiled a new OnePlus Loop VR, a device that will need QHD resolution to deliver impressive VR experiences.
Performance specs, camera and battery capacity
Samsung Galaxy S7 is powered by the latest Android Marshmallow, which is the same OS that is expected to power the upcoming OnePlus 3. As for the hardware specs, the latter phone is rumored to be coming with the same specs as the Galaxy S7 – a Snapdragon 820 SoC, Adreno 530 GPU and 4GB RAM. This should mean these two devices will end up with almost the same performance levels.
OnePlus 2 has an acceptable camera, however, you will get far much better options in this niche than what the phone has to offer. The main camera stands at 13MP with f/2.0 aperture, dual-LED flash, laser autofocus and OIS on board. As for the OnePlus 3, rumors are rife that the phone will pack a 16MP rear snapper with better aperture. However, the company might stick with 8MP for the front-facing camera, but with a better aperture.
Coming to the battery capacity, you get 3000mAh on the Galaxy S7, which is even less than what the OnePlus 2 offers. If anything, the upcoming OnePlus might ship with at least the same battery size as its predecessor or up it to 3600mAh, same as the Galaxy S7 Edge.
Pricing details
At the moment, a new Samsung Galaxy S7 will set you back about $670. Although we can’t tell the price of the OnePlus 3, expect it to be around the same as the launch price of last year’s OnePlus 2, which was $329. In essence, you will be getting a flagship phone at half the price of not just Samsung Galaxy S7, but also the likes of HTC 10 and LG G5, just to name but a few.