OnePlus 5 Hands-on, First Impressions

OnePlus has just announced its latest flagship smartphone that sports high-end specs like the powerful Snapdragon 835 CPU, up to 8GB RAM, up to 128GB storage, and dual rear cameras. What we have on hand is the top of the line 8GB/128GB model.

While we prepare for the full review, here’s our hands-on and first impressions on the new OnePlus 5.

The OnePlus 5 has the same 5.5-inch Optic AMOLED display as its predecessor — the OnePlus 3T. Resolution and pixel density have also been carried over at Full HD/401ppi but the screen itself is now reinforced with a 2.5D Gorilla Glass 5 which is an upgrade from the previous model.

The front-facing camera is where it’s supposed to be and still features a 16-megapixel shooter. Other sensors, together with the loudspeaker for calls, populate this space.

Meanwhile, the fingerprint scanner is down below and is sandwiched between two capacitive buttons for Back and Recent Apps.

The handset has a unibody design and the rear has a matte finish. This is a very welcome approach since it doesn’t attract as much fingerprints and smudges as compared to having a glossy back. OnePlus was able to make the rear simple and neat by incorporating U-Type antenna bands up top and down below.

As more and more smartphones with dual rear cameras have now emerged, the company jumped on the bandwagon with two sensors offering a 16-megapixel Sony shooter with a wide-angle lens and a 20-megapixel telephoto lens. These should work in tandem to offer its users flexibility while shooting. Accompanying them is a dual LED flash for low light photography.

Checking its underside, we have a busy setup going on since the audio jack, USB Type-C port, and speaker grille are all situated here leaving the top side totally free and clean. The OnePlus 5 should have a decent audio at the least since it boasts HD Sound and Power Sound by audio experts from Dirac.

There are two slots both for nano SIM cards on the right side of the device. There’s no third tray and it isn’t a hybrid setup meaning you won’t get to expand your storage anymore. But with 64GB and 128GB options, casual users should be fine.

On the flip side, we have the volume rocker together with what the company calls the ‘Alert Slider’. It is basically a mute toggle with 3 positions for activating between Silent, Do Not Disturb, or Ring functions.

Inside, this ‘flagship killer’ touts Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 835 CPU with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. It features LTE connectivity up to Cat. 12, has NFC, and a 3300mAh battery that supports Dash Charge for quick charging.

OnePlus 5 specs:
5.5-inch Optic AMOLED @ 1920 x 1080 pixels, 401ppi
2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 5
2.45GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 octa-core CPU
Adreno 540 GPU
6GB / 8GB RAM LPDDR4X
64GB / 128GB UFS 2.1 Dual Lane storage
16MP f/1.7 Sony IMX398 + 20MP f/2.6 2x telephoto rear cameras w/ dual LED flash
16MP front-facing camera
Dual-SIM (Nano)
LTE-A Cat12
Wi-Fi 802.11ac, 2×2 MIMO
Bluetooth 5.0
NFC
GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou
USB Type-C (USB 2.0)
Fingerprint sensor
Dirac HD Sound
Dirac Power Sound
3300mAh battery w/ Dash Charge (5V 4A)
Oxygen OS based on Android Nougat
152.7 x 74.7 x 7.25 mm
153 g
Midnight Black, Slate Gray

We’re taking this smartphone for a spin so stay tuned for our full review with our verdict! As for the price, the OnePlus 5 6GB + 64GB (Gray) is priced at Php27,300USD 465INR 39,438EUR 443CNY 3,388 while the 8GB + 128GB variant (Black) is at Php32,000USD 545INR 46,227EUR 519CNY 3,971. See listing here.