Although OnePlus already held one event earlier this year in June for the release of its OnePlus 5 flagship, the company held another event today to release an upgraded version, the OnePlus 5T.
Although the OnePlus 5 was fairly well received when it was released, there was one major aspect holding it back: its bezels. It’s true that not all flagships have chosen to follow the bezel-less trend frequently seen in new smartphones released this year, but even so, it would appear that big-bezeled devices are already considered outdated compared to its bezel-less competitors. The OnePlus 5T employs a new 6-inch Full Optic 18:9 AMOLED “bezel-less” display, making it look more like a modern 2017 device.
For the most part, the rest of the 5T’s design doesn’t stray from the 5 with its matte aluminum housing and dual rear-facing camera. However, due to its larger display, the OnePlus now features its fingerprint sensor on the back of the device. OnePlus 5T also utilizes double tap to wake and a new Face Unlock feature.
The device’s internals primarily stay the same too. The OnePlus 5T features a Snapdragon 835 processor, 6 or 8GB of RAM, 64 or 128GB of internal storage (no microSD support), 16-megapixel f/2.0 front-facing camera, 3,300 mAh battery, 3.5mm audio jack, DashCharge, and Android 7.1.1 running on OxygenOS (will have beta access to Oreo sometime in early December for the 5T; OnePlus 5 users will receive Oreo in 2018).
The rear-facing camera did undergo some changes. As mentioned, the OnePlus 5T keeps the dual rear-camera setup, but the secondary “telephoto” lens in the OnePlus 5 is now a 20-megapixel f/1.7 camera with the same 27mm field of view as the main 16-megapixel f/1.7 camera. This change was made to improve the quality of low-light photos. Portrait mode, a popular feature of smartphones with dual cameras, will still be a feature of the 5T despite the change.
The OnePlus 5T has a starting price of $499 for the 64GB model, and costs $559 for the 128GB model. The phone will launch on November 21, just in time for the holiday season.
Although the changes in the 5T are incremental, they make a big difference with its larger display and ability to better take low-light photos. The OnePlus 5T’s $499 starting price is a breath of fresh air among flagships that can cost a lot more. Overall, it seems like a solid option for those in the market for a new phone.
Readers, what are your thoughts on the new OnePlus 5T? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
