OnePlus 3T Review : The Best Flagship Smartphone at an Affordable Price

OnePlus 3T Dual SIM Review With its recent step into the US market, the OnePlus is already making waves in the country, offering high-end Android smartphones at very affordable prices. The Chinese manufacturer entered the US and European markets with OnePlus 3, which was later discontinued to pave way for their latest flagship, named OnePlus 3T. OnePlus 3T features all the goodies of an Android flagship smartphone, that you could see in the ones manufactured by Samsung, LG or HTC. But the one factor that distinguishes the OnePlus 3T from its competitors is, of course, the price tag. The device is now sold for $449.99 at the on-going “Women’s History Month” sale on GearBest, after an impressive 49% off on the original price.

OnePlus 3T: First Impressions

OnePlus 3T Review The OnePlus 3T has the same build and design as the original OnePlus 3. If you were impressed by the design of the OnePlus 3, then the 3T wouldn’t make any changes against your likes. The smartphone feels premium in the hands, thanks to the aluminium metal unibody design.

Even with a bigger battery, the OnePlus 3T sports the same dimensions and weight as that of its ‘younger brother’. Overall, I’m profoundly impressed by the external design of the OnePlus 3T.

OnePlus 3T: Design and Build Quality

OnePlus 3T Design Review As I have already mentioned, OnePlus has played safe and retained the design and build of the OnePlus 3 in the OnePlus 3T. Just like its forerunner, the OnePlus 3T is manufactured from single-piece anodized aluminum alloy, measures 152.7 x 74.7 x 7.4 mm dimensions and weighs 158 grams. Adding to the Graphite and Soft Gold color options, the new OnePlus 3T is also available in a new color – Gunmetal Gray.

The smartphone features a fingerprint right below the large 5.5″ screen and an astounding 16 MP selfie camera above it. Moving on to the right, there’s a power button and the dual Nano-SIM slot. You can find the volume rocker button and the nifty alert slider on the left side of the device and speaker setup on the bottom.

OnePlus 3T: Display

OnePlus 3T Display Review Just like the design, the display of the latest OnePlus 3T is also same as that of the OnePlus 3. It sports a 5.5 inch Full HD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. The display produces incredibly vivid and natural colors.

Custom-engineered gamma corrections create a more natural viewing experience, while a dual-polarizing layer ensures clarity, even in bright sunlight. The display promises deep blacks, bright whites, and authentic color reproduction, all at a fraction of the power consumption.

OnePlus 3T: Performance

The OnePlus 3T boasts a more superior processor when compared to its sibling. The smartphone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, along with a massive 6 GB RAM and 64 GB / 128 GB internal storage configurations. Unfortunately, there is no provision to expand the memory beyond the fixed internal storage, as it does not have a microSD slot. Looking at the specs themselves, one could simply guess how impressive the phone could perform, in terms of gaming and multi-tasking.

The handset can handle any task super-smooth, be it gaming or video editing. In our review, we have tried running graphics-hungry games like Asphalt 7: Heat, Half-Life 2, and Modern Combat-4; and other apps like Adobe Premiere Clip and Microsoft Office Mobile, and the device did not pop any issues.

For a price of $450, we are not aware of any device that can beat the performance of the OnePlus 3T. In terms of gaming and performance, this Chinese device would stay head-to-head with the premium offerings from Google (Pixel and Pixel XL), Samsung (Galaxy S7) and HTC (HTC 10). Therefore, the OnePlus 3T would likely give these manufacturers a run for their money.

OnePlus 3T: Battery Life

OnePlus 3T Battery Review The OnePlus 3T phablet is backed by a decent 3,400 mAh battery. This is a pretty impressive upgrade from the 3000 mAh battery, on the OnePlus 3. One of the many things I liked about the phone is that, the addition of a bigger battery has not made the phone any bulky than its predecessor.

The handset supports Dash Charge, that will charge your phone from 0 to 60 percent in just 30 minutes. This is even faster than the Google Pixel fast charging technology.

On a moderate use, the device will provide enough juice to take you through a day and beyond.

OnePlus  3T: Camera

OnePlus 3T Camera Review On the rear side, the handset sports a 16 MP camera, just like we have seen on the OnePlus 3. It is a Sony sensor featuring 1.12 μm, an aperture of f/2.0 and supports 4K video recording capability. The rear camera comes with EIS (Electronic Image Stabilization) and a sapphire glass protection to avoid scratches.

On the front, there’s the same 16 MP sensor so that you take all your selfies in high definition. Additionally, the front camera has got this feature that binds the pixels together, creating bigger pixels to capture more light, detail and color without noise.

OnePlus 3T: Quick Recap of the Specs

  • Display – 5.5 inch Full HD display
  • Battery – 3,400 mAh
  • Processor – Qualcomm Snapdragon 821
  • RAM – 4GB | Internal Storage – 64GB / 128GB (no Micro-SD slot)
  • Camera – 16 MP (rear), 16 MP (front)
  • Connectivity – Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth v4.2, 2G/3G/4G, GPS
  • Ports – 2x Nano SIM slots, 3.5 mm headphone jack, Type C port
  • Sensors – Fingerprint sensor, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
  • Colors – Soft Gold, Gunmetal Gray (new), Graphite

Pros

  • Great design and build quality
  • Fast charging technology – Dash Charge
  • High quality pictures with 16MP rear camera
  • Great looking sefies with the 16MP front camera
  • Gorilla Glass 4 protection
  • Outstanding battery backup
  • Full HD 5.5 inch display
  • Smooth gaming; thanks to powerful GPU
  • Dual SIM support
  • Very responsive fingerprint sensor
  • Lots of RAM (6 GB)
  • High value for money

Cons

  • no microSD slot, so storage cannot be increased
  • Battery not user-replaceable
  • No FM radio

OnePlus 3T: Why Should You Buy?

If you’re looking for a high-specced smartphone, but can’t spend all the money in your pockets for the same, then you should definitely get the OnePlus 3T. It has got all the specifications that could be found on premium devices like Google Pixel, Samsung Galaxy S7, HTC 10, but with a lower price tag.

Be it gaming or video-editing or daily activities like browsing the web, reading emails and news, this handset can handle any task with ease; thanks to the Snapdragon 821 processor. Also with the addition of 6 GB RAM, multi-tasking has never been this easier and quick before. Adding to the goodies, the OnePlus 3 phablet can now be purchased for a highly discounted price of $449.99 (after 49% off), from the on-going “Women’s History Month” sale on the popular e-tailer site GearBest.