OnePlus announced the latest flagship from its stable—the OnePlus 3. The device has a jaw-dropping spec-sheet, which pronounces itself to be one of the fastest smartphones for an affordable price. Though the device is built with care, has a powerful internal hardware and has a sweet price point, it still fails to impress us when comparing it to the likes of other flagships from Samsung and Apple. However, those who are considering upgrading to a new smartphone, the OnePlus 3 is a really good choice.
When comparing the OnePlus 3 with other smartphones having similar specifications, the OnePlus 3 only has three segments where the device can overpower a user’s choice.
RAM: While the OnePlus 3 sports a whopping 6GB of RAM, the only other contenders are the ones from LeEco and Lenovo. RAM is one of the most important needs of an operating system and with Android being one of the most popular ones out there, 6GB of RAM is one of the best you can opt for. However, in a few years, you will see 6GB of RAM being puny—the same that happened to the desktop computer a decade ago. Well, we have heard that LeEco is now working on an 8GB RAM version too. Anyways, coming back to the OnePlus 3, having this phone is bliss as you would be able to call apps faster than any phone (probably) available today.
Performance: Multitasking apps is what people do as most users have shifted their entire office to the small palm-sized device. However, a test recently done to gauge the practical real-life performance of the OnePlus showed that the OP3 failed against a Samsung flagship with 4GB of RAM. The reason for the failure could be proper RAM management by the operating system. OnePlus’ future updates could probably see these set right. But for now, it seems like the OnePlus 3 with 6GB of RAM is still underperforming as compared to a Samsung Galaxy S7 with just 4GB of RAM.
Display: OnePlus 3 was expected to sport a 2K display by many. However, OnePlus opted to use an AMOLED full HD display instead. Probably cheaper now, and low on power consumption, AMOLED displays are favoured. But with VR taking over in the (very) near future, will OnePlus 3 actually fit the space? Never—VR headsets that require the phone to be slapped on to the front use a pair of magnifying lenses that will ruin your VR experience. For experiencing and enjoying a true VR video or game, you definitely need something better than 1080p resolution displays. Even 2K displays are not good enough and you can see pixels on that pretty clearly. So OnePlus 3, not great for VR.
Camera: With OnePlus 3 having a 16MP camera powered by a Sony IMX 298 sensor, 6-lens with OIS and an f/2.0 aperture, it definitely seems like one of the best out there. However, when comparing it to the flagship S7, the cameras results are with a 50-50 situation. One performs better in different segments. We could say that the camera of the OnePlus 3 is good enough, but online reviews and comparisons have claimed that the Samsung Galaxy 7 just cannot be beaten. The only area where the S7 was beaten by the OP3 (marginally) was the selfie camera. Check out some image comparisons done by PhoneArena.
Battery: OnePlus 3 ships with a 3000mAh battery, similar to the OnePlus 2 and slightly lower than the Samsung Galaxy S7. But this Phone makes a vast difference—with the Dash Charge. The charger is unique, and has capabilities to charge the phone to 100% from almost Zero in less than 45 minutes. Additionally, you can also use the phone while charging and still have no loss in charging and charge time. The phone also has managed to get rid of heating while charging due to the technology the OnePlus 3 is using. However, OnePlus 3 has eliminated the much needed wireless charging, which is offered by the Samsung series. This could possibly have been a great option to have, but not necessary.
Operating system: The OnePlus 3 operates on its custom Oxygen operating system. While most smartphones out there are using their own operating system based on Android, almost all of them, apart from the Nexus and then Motorola, are offering faster upgrades. While OnePlus is definitely offering updates faster than what Samsung would do, OnePlus presently still has an operating system that is not fully optimised. It is completely based on stock Android, does not include too many bloatware (like the Samsung), and definitely easy to operate and customise.
Build: OnePlus 3 is built with a beautiful, lightweight, aluminium unibody, the device does look great. However, the OnePlus 3 is not waterproof and dustproof—which most users today are definitely in need of. Even Apple hasn’t, but Samsung and Sony have taken care of this.
Price: Well, everything boils down to the price after all. The OnePlus 3 is selling at almost half the price as compared to any other flagship devices out there. However, the OnePlus 3 does deny features that the bigger brands like Samsung, Sony and some others offer. For example, if you put a 2K display on it, have a waterproof body, throw in wireless charging and a curved display, you can estimate the price demand that OnePlus put in front of you.
Verdict: Well, as we mentioned earlier, if you are looking for a new smartphone as an upgrade to your older handset, the OnePlus 3 fits the slot. With a price of Rs 27,999, the device is a great option for those looking for a high-end smartphone. However, if you are a person who frequently keeps changing your smartphone every year, we suggest you hold on a little while as LeEco is also rumoured to be launching an 8GB RAM smartphone soon. If price is not your concern, we would suggest opting for the Samsung Galaxy S7, S7 Edge, LG G5, HTC 10 or Sony Xperia X. Unless you are a fan of the OnePlus handsets, you also have options from LeEco and Lenovo at your disposal. However, if price is your problem, you could opt for other smartphones such as the Xiaomi Mi 5.
But do you actually need 6GB of RAM today? The answer could be ‘yes’, but not so early. With Android’s demand that keeps on increasing, we could soon see 4GB and 6GB RAM options as a norm. But as for now, unless you are really going to switch to Android N (which you definitely won’t till the end of this year)’, you really don’t need 6GB of RAM. But again, it is a ‘nice-to-have’ feature that is prepared for anything thrown at it. Well, the OnePlus 3 certainly seems future-ready as far as performance is considered.
