After several leaks, OnePlus has finally unveiled the OnePlus 5T, practically less than five months since the launch of the OnePlus 5, which was unveiled at a keynote on June 20, 2017.
However, the phone will start selling on November 21 priced at just $499, which will make it five months since its predecessor was made official. For this price tag, the OnePlus 5T gives you super slimmed-down bezels around the modern 18:9 screen that includes a new “Sunlight Display” feature, better-performing camera (low-light) and a brand new Face Unlock feature.
Here are the specs:
| Dimensions | 156.1 x 75 x 7.3 mm |
| Weight | 162 g (5.7 ounces) |
| Display | 6-inch AMOLED, 1080 x 2160 pixels resolution with Gorilla Glass 5 |
| Storage | 64/128GB |
| RAM | 6/8GB |
| Software | Android 7.1.1 Nougat with OxygenOS |
| Camera | Dual rear 16MP (f/1.7) + 20MP (f/1.7), 16MP selfie camera |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 |
| Connectivity | USB 2.0 Type-C, 3.5mm audio jack |
| Battery | 3300mAh, 5V 4A Fast Charging (Dash Charge) |
As the name suggests, OnePlus 5T is quite similar to the OG 5, only that the former gets an all-new taller display with smaller bezels and rounded edges. The 5T also comes with a few tweaks to the main camera and the fingerprint scanner has also been relocated to the back. Other than these, you’ll be getting what is already available on the 5, which is still great considering that it’s still one of the best phones on the market.
Some people might not be happy with the release of the 5T because it doesn’t bring many significant differences to the table when compared to the OnePlus 5. However, this is a great phone especially since it packs the latest flagship specs in a nice package yet priced affordably, something that should remind many of the good old Google Nexus days. The 5T, as noted, comes with super slimmed-down bezels, which obviously aren’t enough to accommodate hardware keys. The result of this is the loss of capacitive buttons in favor of software navigation keys, but it should be a welcome move unless you are into hardware keys.
You still get the same dual-lens camera module that was used on the OnePlus 5, but there are a few tweaks here and there. You’ll no longer enjoy the zoom effects like the 5, rather, the camera has now been optimized for low-light conditions thanks to an aperture of f/1.7. OnePlus also says that the OnePlus 5T camera comes with “Intelligent Pixel Technology” that averages four pixels into one in a bid to deliver better shots in low-light conditions.
Another strong reason to believe that OnePlus 5T isn’t such a significant upgrade over the 5 is that it comes with the same Android Nougat out of the box. It would have made a stronger case with Oreo out of the box, especially if Project Treble comes into the picture. Still, the software on the 5T is slightly tweaked to accommodate the new Face Unlock system, but it’s the same OxygenOS skin you know about.
As pointed out, OnePlus 5T will start selling in North America, Europe and India starting next week Tuesday. Like the OG 5, the 5T has two variants of 64GB and 128GB, with prices starting at just $499, just like the Google Nexus 6P back in 2015.
Many will agree that the 5T is everything that Google offered with the Nexus program. The phone comes with flagship specs and features, a premium design and is priced affordably. Hopefully, Google is paying close attention, especially at a time when the Android One program is just stepping up the game. Yes, you’ll be missing out on top-of-the-table features such as waterproofing and wireless charging, but at $499, there shouldn’t be any complaints, really.