A Real Flagship Killer: OnePlus 3 Smartphone Review

[PAGETITLE=Introduction, A Tour Of The Hardware][Top Ad] It feels like only yesterday we took the OnePlus 2 for a test drive, and here we are with the OnePlus 3, primed for the same in-depth evaluation. Like the OnePlus 2 before it, the OnePlus 3 becomes OnePlus' latest flagship. At its website, OnePlus (redundant, I know) lists both the OP2 and OP3 as current models, although I couldn't imagine that the OP2 will remain there for long. The company also still sells the mainstream-focused OnePlus X, although it's recently been moved inside a nestled menu, suggesting that it might not be there for much longer, either. But enough about OP's older phones: let's tackle its latest hotness, the OnePlus 3: OnePlus isn't tossing around the "Flagship Killer" message this time around, which could be because the one and only model costs $70 more than the previous one, to sit at $399. Even so, the title is apt: for its price, the OnePlus 3 packs in many great features and a lot of performance. Or, in other words, the OnePlus 3 has the goods to satiate your desire for a top-tier phone. At the forefront of this performance is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, a quad-core model that features two cores clocked at 2.2GHz, and two clocked at 1.6GHz. The GPU has also been upgraded over the OnePlus 3, with this phone featuring the Adreno 530. OnePlus 3 SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 4-core CPU (2x2.2GHz + 2x1.6GHz) Adreno 530 GPU Display 5.5-inch 1080p (401ppi) AMOLED Storage 64GB Memory 6GB LPDDR4 Wireless Supports GSM, LTE, HSPA & CDMA EVDO Supports Dual-band 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, NFC Camera Front: Sony IMX179 8 megapixel (1080p/30) Rear: Sony IMX298 16 megapixel (4K/30) Battery 3000mAh Li-Polymer (Non-removable) Weight 158g Dimensions 74.7 x 152.7 x 7.35mm Et cetera Android 6.0.1 Support for 2 SIMs Uses USB-C (2.0) connector (standard USB plugs into PC) A notable feature the OnePlus 3 has that the OP2 doesn't, is NFC. While it's still baffling to me that the OP2 didn't have NFC (especially when some lower-end phones do), there's at least the upside that the company immediately corrected the omission with this follow-up. But, if you're planning to upgrade to the OP3 from OP2 and migrate settings, it won't be through the ease of NFC. It's also notable that this phone becomes the first (that I know of) on the market with 6GB of memory, something that I imagine could only be useful (at this point in time) for virtual reality, if you're wishing to view very high-resolution 360° images. For regular phone use, it seems very unlikely that many people would even exceed 2 or 3GB. But hey - it looks good on paper. Like the OP2, the OP3 is able to record at 4K/30, although its sensor has been replaced with a higher-quality one. The screen is also similar, a 5.5-inch at 1080p, giving us a ppi of 401. The OnePlus 3 is 17 grams lighter than its predecessor, as well as 2.5mm thinner - a major difference given we're talking about sub-10mm to begin with. At the expense of that, the battery has dropped from 3,300mAh to 3,000mAh, but to help negate that downside is the Dash charger, which helps the OP3 charge much faster than the OP2 (as we'll see later). With both phones in-hand, the OP3 is clearly thinner. Despite that, it doesn't feel brittle or weak. With one of the company's official cases, both widths are almost perfectly matched (at least, based on sight and feel). Because of the grittier back of the OP2, I feel like it'd be the "safer" phone to hold, but the OP3 feels better (even with the case). One thing that really sets the OP3 apart from the OP2 is that the camera protrudes out of the back; it's not (kind of) flush like it is on the OP2. To some, this might not be ideal, but it's done in the attempt to provide improved image quality. It's one sacrifice I'd personally make, because poor image quality from a camera drives me bonkers. Another change - and this is noticeable - is that OnePlus moved the headphone jack from the top to the bottom. This is going to be a love-it-or-hate-it change, but with such a design, the power/data cable and your headphones would plug into the same side; it's simply more elegant. I'd still prefer it at the top, but this is one of those decisions that simply can't please everyone. OnePlus even moved the position of the volume rocker; that's now located on the left side. This is another change I don't quite get, but lefties might appreciate it. Also on the left side of the OnePlus 3 is a notification button; while on the right side, there's the power, and SIM holder. The SIM holder on this phone is well-secured, requiring a pin to eject (OnePlus provides a tool in the box). Once your SIM card(s) are in place, you can slide the tray back in and they'll remain safe until you decide to pop them out again. OnePlus was super generous when it came to our sample, as it shot along all five of its cases for testing. All of them have the same smooth feel, but each one has a very different aesthetic. Most people I've talked to have said that the carbon fiber one is the most attractive, and I might have to agree as that's the one I've been using. The gray wood-grain case is also pretty eye-catching, though. Another accessory OnePlus sent along was its Dash car charger, which retails for $30. Like the Dash wall charger included with the phone, this car charger is designed to replenish the OP3's battery-life quicker than any other out there. On the topic of charging, OnePlus claims that its Dash charger can push a phone from 0% to 60% in 30 minutes flat, and I'll spoil something right now: it's true. That's one of the reasons a ~10% loss on the battery capacity isn't going to matter that much, because even a short fifteen minute charge will add substantial life to the phone. Charging the OnePlus 3 is going to spoil you if you don't have another that charges just as fast. For reference: the OnePlus 2 charged from 0% to 35% in 30 minutes, and 0% to 18% in 15 minutes. [PAGEBREAK][PAGETITLE=A Tour Of The Software, Testing & Final Thoughts][Top Ad] One of the things OnePlus prides itself on is offering its customers as clean an OS as possible. While it does customize Android a wee bit, the effect is so modest that most who refuse to purchase an Android device that's not as "clean" as possible should still be fine with it. As with previous models, the OnePlus 3's main differentiator over truly stock Android is that it has what's called a "Shelf", a screen that can be accessed when the homescreen is swiped to the left that tracks most-used apps, calendar events, and the weather. Aside from the Shelf, I couldn't spot a single app installed on the OnePlus 3 that wouldn't be expected to be included with Android. Don't even want the Shelf? Hold down on a free area on the desktop, hit Customize, and voilà, that's taken care of in a few seconds. At first boot, Android itself will ask you to set up a Wi-Fi connection, log in, and so on and so forth, and following that, OnePlus' own setup will kick in. This setup consists of just two pages, which allows you to set up gestures or opt to use software buttons in lieu of the hardware ones. In the image carousel above, there are a couple of things to note. First is the shot of the memory usage, which shows that the phone has 5.6GB to use (and at that particular point in time, I sat around 1.4GB used). You can also see the default lock screen, which shows "Dash Charging" whenever you use the official Dash charger - just as a bit of added confidence that it is in fact charging as fast as possible. Since I forgot to screenshot the default desktop, I included my customized one. By default, the OnePlus 3 doesn't use the clock widget, but the layout otherwise is exact. Two icons will situate themselves at the bottom, surrounding the app dock button, while four more will be placed right above them. There is not much else to say here. If you know what Android looks like, then this is it - all without bloat, both aesthetically and app-wise. Testing The OnePlus 3. Since I still had the OnePlus 2 on hand, I decided to retest it fresh to compare to the latest and greatest OnePlus offers. To reiterate, the OnePlus 3 packs in a faster SoC, which includes a faster CPU and GPU, and it even has more memory, although I feel confident in the fact that that won't matter much (or at all) with these benchmarks. OnePlus 3 OnePlus 2 PCMark Work Performance 6602 4853 PCMark Storage Performance 3603 4198 Geekbench 3 Single-core 2357 1117 Geekbench 3 Multi-core 5503 4905 AnTuTu Benchmark 6.1.4 141317 81470 MobileXPRT Overall 544 312 3DMark Sling Shot ES 3.1 2550 1564 GFXBench Car Chase 18 FPS 10 FPS GFXBench Manhattan 3.1 30 FPS 15 FPS All benchmarks: higher is better As expected, the OnePlus 3 dominates across (most) of the benchmarks here. Wait a minute - "most"? That's right. Interestingly, the OnePlus 2 actually scored higher than its successor in PCMark's Storage test. Not by a great deal, mind you, but it's noteworthy nonetheless. In all other benchmarks, the OP3 rules the roost, with its faster CPU and faster GPU shining through in these numbers. In the graphics tests, the OP3's Adreno 530 proved 80% faster in GFXBench's Car Chase test, and 63% faster in 3DMark. The OP3 excels in the CPU-bound tests, too, completely obliterating the OP2 in MobileXPRT, with a performance delta unlike any I've ever seen in that particular test. As for wireless performance, I didn't think to test with LTE (I don't have a 4-bar signal from home), but I did test Wi-Fi. In the image carousel above is this image. That's right: the OnePlus 3 hit a ridiculous 250Mbps over Wi-Fi, something totally unexpected for phones anything lower than "top-end". Through ES File Explorer, I was able to transfer files at 10MB/s, which again is much faster than any other phone of this price-range (and lower) I've ever used. Performance isn't all that matters: battery-life does, as well. As I mentioned a couple of times before, the OnePlus 3...

A Real Flagship Killer: OnePlus 3 Smartphone Review

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Rob Williams