When was released it didn’t have Android 7.0 i.e. Nougat out of the box, instead it was running Marshmallow 6.0.1. But now it has been updated to 7.0( OOS 4.0.3) and so this review will be based on that android version.
// BUILD -
By now I’m pretty sure everyone knows how the 3T is built but still just to recap: Built with space-grade aluminium alloy, measuring 153 x 75 x 7.4mm and weighing 158g, the device feels amazing in hand. It doesn’t feel quite heavy but enough to feel the weight. It’s thin, thinner than I expected. This does make it look like a premium device but also makes it vulnerable to slipping. So I would suggest slapping on any of the nice looking OnePlus cases.
It comes in two color options, the Soft Gold and Gunmetal, and I personally love the Gunmetal. It’s darker and stealthier, not as stealthy as the matte black iPhone, but still looks pretty good( I honestly would have loved a matte black OnePlus) . The back has the darker antenna lines that run through the Gunmetal finish, the bumpy camera and the OnePlus logo.
The frame consists of the power/lock button on the right and the volume rocker and the amazing Alert Slider above it. + 1 for the Alert Slider but -1 for the placing the volume buttons just opposite the power button. The thumb sits perfectly on top of the power button while adjusting volume with one hand, and that leads to accidentally locking the phone. Not good. But the alert slider. it’s amazing. All phone manufacturers should implement that feature, period.
The top of the frame is clean while the bottom has a headphone jack, USB Type-C port, mic and mono speakers. ( Mono. why? ) The front has the earpiece speaker, front camera and sensor at the top and the haptic feedback fingerprint scanner and back and recents buttons.
// PERFORMANCE -
Housing the latest Snapdragon 821 chip and 6GB RAM, the 3T is amazing when it comes to performance. The time I spent with the device I didn’t notice any sort of lag, even in graphic intensive games, and no heating either. It does get a tad warm under the camera but that’s quite normal. The 6GB is more than sufficient for a smartphone but that might not be the case in the future with apps getting heavier and requiring more memory. So I’m happy that the 3T is already ready.
OnePlus devices run with the OnePlus’ own skin of android called the OxygenOS. It’s not heavy and filled with bloatware as the few custom skins are in the market but does add minor tweaks. These tweaks are not game changing in any way but it’s good to have these nice features ( more below) . The current version of OOS is 4.0.3 that is Nougat 7.0 and can be upgraded to OxygenOS Open Beta 3 ( 7.1.1) if you are the beta kind.
I have the 128GB version which is a little costlier but considering 4k video recording I don’t think the 64GB would cut it. So if you record videos and click a lot of pictures and have a big song and movies playlist, then you’re better with the 128 gigs.
The fingerprint scanner that is placed at the bottom below the screen is surprisingly fast and accurate. There are no lags between the finger touch and the phone unlocking and it rarely ever registers wrong. The only complain I have is its placement. I would have prefered it to be at the back of the phone with the capacitive touch buttons replaced by onscreen buttons. This would help increase screen size also leaving some chin room at the bottom to hold the device.
// DISPLAY -
The 3T has a beautiful 5.5in AMOLED FullHD display. Yes, I know there are qHD displays out there but still having an AMOLED 1920×1080 at that price is completely acceptable. The display isn’t bad at all, in fact it’s really good. The colors are more vibrant and everything looks sharp. There is an option in the settings to change the color mode to your liking.
// BATTERY -
The 3T has a 3400mAh non-removable battery which is a step up from the 3000mAh in the OnePlus 3. Having more juice means the battery should