The OnePlus 5 is officially out and for a flagship the handset really is a killer buy. The external is drop-dead gorgeous as it is a near-doppelganger to the iPhone 7 Plus and the internal is a beast, in fact even better than what the Samsung Galaxy S8 can offer. The big question: Is it a good buy?
If the comparison is against the host of premium flagship rivals currently out in the market then the answer is a resounding yes. The OnePlus 5 starting price alone of $480 is hard to resist when the nearest competition is at $650 for the iPhone 7 and $720 for the GS8. The OP5 out-specced both handsets so for many users, especially the advanced and power segments, the choice is easy.
But how about when buyers need to pick between the latest and greatest from OnePlus and the company's most recent flagship bet - the OnePlus 3T? How the 3T will stack up?
Hardware-wise, there is little argument OnePlus' 2016 flagship bet will be overwhelmed by the OP5. The latter now boasts of Snapdragon 835 chip that is paired with up to 8GB RAM as main engine. The 3T has the Snapdragon 821 with 6GB of maximum RAM support. So it's easy to see which will emerge the faster and more efficient solution.
The truth is everything about the OnePlus 5 is a winner in a face-off with the OnePlus 3T. The only known advantage of the latter is a battery that is a tad larger, which in many cases is easy to overlook.
Or buyers can also consider that the OnePlus 3T is cheaper, which is true for the device's original sticker price of $440 and even now. The OP5 will retail at $480 for the 64GB memory/6GB RAM configuration and $540 for the 128GB memory/8GB RAM variant. To be sure, the 3T will see price cuts from OnePlus and retailers just so to keep the remaining stocks moving but soon enough the inventory will dry out.
And according to OnePlus, the 3T has reached the end of its production cycle so there is no plan to manufacture the device. More affordable the handset maybe but the truth is the OnePlus 3T will soon be hard to find and the best hope would be the pre-owned market.
In the end, it is the OnePlus 5 that is the better deal right now and if its maker will deliver on the promise that the handset will soon be bumped up to Android O then taking it home will be easier to recommend, 9to5Google said.