The OnePlus is, as some of you may know, one of our favourites here at Goos3D. It seems like the world has taken note. Earlier this year, OnePlus was forced to suspend sales of the OnePlus 3 because of a surge in demand. Unfortunately, instead of waiting a year to bring out the latest model (as they should) the fellows at OnePlus have decided to launch the OnePlus 3T. Sadly it’s the exact same phone as the standard 3 with a slightly better battery and bigger pricetag.
Now don’t get me wrong the old motto “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” comes into play here. If you aren’t already the proud owner of a OnePlus then, by all means, go for it. But if you are one of the many with the OnePlus 3 keep your money firmly in your pocket for now.
So what is all the hullabaloo anyway?
Design
After a couple of different styles used in the previous models, it seems to us like OnePlus now have a “type”. The OnePlus 3 and 3T are shockingly similar in design, so much so that you would be forgiven for not being able to tell them apart like Apple’s 5 and 5s, oh and SE models. But hey, at least a couple new colours are available with gunmetal grey and “soft gold” now a thing.
Literally, everything else about the design is the exact same, but I guess if you have a case for the OnePlus 3 then you won’t need to buy a new one.
Moving on!
Display
We may have mentioned that this phone is much the same as the previous model, so no prizes for what that means for the display. It’s the same.
Again although it’s particularly lazy to release a phone with no real improvements the display was a big part of the OnePlus charm. Bright and sharp display with this fancy dual polarising layer designed to make the phone’s screen easier to see in the brightest. Also, a Gorilla Glass 4 graded screen protector comes installed as standard, which is a nice little touch.
Software
OnePlus’ custom Os, OxygenOS has been touched up slightly for the OnePlus 3T. For anyone who has not seen it, basically its Android but slightly more user-friendly. The system contains elements such as on-screen buttons to take you back and to the homepage alongside resized app icons to make the phone look cleaner and more uniform.
One thing did really bother us about the software though. Ever buy a Sony or Samsung and look at the storage out of the box and notice a good chunk is taken out with crap bloatware? Well, 15GB of the OnePlus 3T is just that, bloatware crap. A bit annoying but to be fair the phone does come in 64GB and 128GB models so you would still have plenty of room for activities.
But taking all this into consideration the OnePlus 3T did get the Google Assistant AI rolled out in the latest update. Again a nice little touch.
Camera
Finally, something that actually sets the OnePlus 3 and 3T apart. The latest model is rocking out a 16MP camera on the front and back. That is some serious selfie action going on right there.
As vain as it sounds just think about which camera you’re using more on your phone these days? Snapchat (link to that post), Skype and all the rest are all front camera heavy so it makes sense for manufacturers to pick up on this. Only the 2017 Samsung A5 and the iPhone 7 Plus have phones with front facing cameras matching the main body. Wonder how long this will take to change.
For budding photographers, the manual mode has been added to the OnePlus 3T to give the phone’s owners access to settings you typically only get on a DSLR. You can change the white balance, ISO, focus and shutter speed to fit specific needs for an image. To be honest most of us will never use that but its something specialist and for people into that kind of thing it’s a great selling point.
Again, like the OnePlus 3, the OnePlus 3T’s rear camera is covered by a protective layer of sapphire glass to prevent it from scratching.
Battery
Again same as the One Plus 3 but we won’t whine about that because the battery was outstanding anyway. The Dash Charge technology can charge the battery up to 60% in just 30 minutes. Great when you’re rushing out for a sneaky pint on a Friday night.
Dash Charge works by shifting the power management processes of the phone to the adapter so the OnePlus 3T doesn’t get hot when charging. Reckon we know of one brand at least who could have taken this advice. Fast charging while ensuring safety, such a simple idea.
Conclusion
It’s grand sure. To be honest, it’s a bit disappointing that not much has changed between this and the previous model which is very Apple of them. The exact company OnePlus has been going after since the beginning. The only real difference of note is the camera which is quite good.
The big pain is the price though the OnePlus 3 hit the market for €329 while the OnePlus 3T starts at €439 for what is essentially the same phone. Still a smashing phone but we can’t help feeling a little disappointed. Bad form lads, bad form indeed.
