OnePlus has come a long way since their inception nearly four years ago. The company has grown quite a bit and has released a total of six devices, with their seventh device on the way. That seventh device is expected to be the OnePlus 5T, an incremental upgrade from the OnePlus 5. With the OnePlus 5T, I think it’s time to give OnePlus another shot.
The company stormed onto the scene with the ever-popular OnePlus One, but it was limited to an “invite only” system. I was fortunate enough to obtain a OnePlus One with an invite a few months after its release and it was quite impressive. It was a no-compromise device that rivaled the Galaxy S5 at half the price. Although I ended up moving on from the OnePlus One to jump to the Nexus 6, it still was one of my favorite devices of all time.
Since the One, I have owned every OnePlus device except from the 5. They were all in my pocket as my daily driver at one point or another, but none struck me as feature-packed as the OnePlus One. The only device in my opinion that came close was the 3T. I actually sold my Pixel XL to purchase the 3T because I was missing the customization ability. With a OnePlus device I could also choose from a stable of custom ROMs or stick with OxygenOS. Out of the box OxygenOS has much more freedom than stock Pixel software. Although I loved the custom ROMs and overall customization, my one issue with the 3T was camera quality. It was something that I sorely missed from my Pixel XL.
Fast forward five months and I am back on a Pixel XL, deciding what my next device will be. There is a handful of good devices out there, but they all have their downfalls. The Pixel 2 XL has a great camera, but lackluster display and costs $850+. The Essential Phone has a great build, a lackluster camera priced, but priced at a tempting $500. I am looking to the OnePlus 5T to meet them in the middle.
We don’t know exactly when OnePlus will debut the 5’s successor, but it is expected to be sometime soon. For me personally, this device will fix all my dislikes with the OnePlus 5. I’m not saying the 5 was a bad device, but I am not the biggest fan of a front-facing fingerprint sensor. Plus, if I was going to upgrade to a phone in 2017, I want it to have slimmer bezels like the S8 or G6.
The OnePlus 5T is expected to look like the newly announced OPPO R11s which can be seen above. Since the device is expected to feature a 6 inch 18:9 display, there is no more room for the finger print sensor on the device’s “chin”. With the slim bezels, the fingerprint sensor will be relocated to the back of the device. My two small issues with the OnePlus 5 have already been solved.
Now I know there is more to a company than hardware, and that’s where I am gambling that OnePlus will change. Even though the OnePlus 3/3T were released last year, they are only slated to receive one major software update (Android Oreo). That is disappointing for a company that has an operating system so close to stock Android. Even though OnePlus devices are updated quite regularly, I would like a definitive statement on how many Android OS upgrades the device will receive. Even if it was two years of support, that would be okay. Just make an official statement on matter and stick to it. Regardless of OnePlus’ stance or promise on software updates, there will always be a ton of custom development over on the XDA Forums. Heck, the OnePlus One is still receive OS upgrades and has a working version of Android Oreo. It doesn’t make or break my decision about the device, but it would definitely making purchasing the OnePlus 5T that much easier.
With the OnePlus 5T, it’s time to go back to OnePlus
At the end of the day, a solid running phone is all I ask for. With the issues other manufacturers are running into, it seems the OnePlus 5T is the safest bet. It doesn’t come with IP67/68 certification, but that isn’t a big deal to me. Would I like it? Of course, but I’ve never actually dropped a phone in water. It won’t have a QHD display, but I don’t need one; I don’t use my phone for VR.
What the 5T will come with is a decent sized battery that lasts more than a day. Even in the case I need to charge it, Dash Charge can do that in minutes, rather than hours like other phones. It will also have great performance due to the Snapdragon 835 processor coupled with 8GB of RAM. The camera won’t be Pixel 2 level, but I’m sure it will be more than good enough for the average point-and-shoot photographer. Lastly, the design of the device will fit right in with other devices in 2017.
The OnePlus 5T has already convinced me to give OnePlus another shot. Seeing where other manufacturers are falling short, OnePlus looks to improve an already solid device. When the OnePlus 5T gets announced, I will be pre-ordering the device right away.