Looking at the OnePlus 5, it’s hard to believe that the company that made it is less than four years old. This is a phone that manages to hold its own alongside flagship devices from companies that have enormous pots of money to spend on research, development and design, and a decade or more of experience making smartphones.
Yet OnePlus has managed to make one of the best phones of 2017, and keep the price lower than most of the competition.
OnePlus has always made impressive phones at sub-flagship prices, but with this iteration the Chinese company has learned from previous mistakes, and built on its successes, to create an all-round fantastic phone.
OnePlus 5 price and release date
- OnePlus 5 is more expensive than OnePlus 3T
- Two versions of the phone, starts at $479 (£449, around AU$630)
- Coming to US and UK, won't be released in Australia
The OnePlus 5 costs more than the OnePlus 3T did when that phone was on sale. That’s the hard truth about this new phone, but it’s partly because OnePlus has decided to use more premium materials for this handset.
OnePlus has opted to produce two versions of the OnePlus 5. The base model, with 64GB of internal storage and 6GB of RAM, will cost you $479 (£449, around AU$630).
The higher-end version, with 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM, is priced at $539 (£499, around AU$710) and that’s the device we’re reviewing here.
Whichever version you buy, it’s a big price jump compared to the OnePlus 3T, which cost $439 (£399, around AU$580) for the 64GB model and $479 (£439, around AU$630) for the 128GB version.
And bear in mind that OnePlus had already increased the price for that phone release – the OnePlus 3, released in June 2016, was only $399 (£329, around AU$450). If you’re looking to upgrade the OnePlus phone you bought this time last year, you’re going to be spending quite a bit more than you may have anticipated on the OnePlus 5.
Those who've watched the launch livestream will be able to buy it immediately online, using a code displayed on the screen. Otherwise you’ll have to wait until June 27 for the full online release.
If you live in the US or UK, OnePlus is having physical flash sales on June 21 and 22, so it may be worth seeing if you can get to one of those too – you can find out more on the OnePlus website.
In the UK, network provider O2 has exclusive rights to stock the OnePlus 5 in store, where it's available on contract. Paying £9.99 upfront and £40 per month for two years will get you the phone, unlimited calls and texts and 1GB of data.
Key features
- New premium design makes it the best-looking OnePlus phone yet
- Dual-lens camera also allows for lossless zoom, like the iPhone 7 Plus
Looking at the spec list for the OnePlus 5, you might think this is a rather limited upgrade, but there a few key features the company is pushing to make this the next phone you’ll want to buy, first and foremost of which is the new camera.
This is now a dual-lens setup that allows you to capture some attractive-looking 'bokeh' shots with artfully blurred backgrounds, as well as boasting a 'lossless' zoom feature, which essentially means that zooming in on subjects will only result in a negligible reduction in image quality.
This feature works in a similar way to the shooter on the iPhone 7 Plus, but here you're getting it on a more affordable phone. The aperture on the main sensor here is also impressively wide, and it means you’ll be able to take some of the best smartphone photos possible right now.
The design of the new phone feels like a big step up for OnePlus. It's still using the same materials as the OnePlus 3T – the body is made of anodized aluminum – but this is the slimmest and most attractive OnePlus phone to date.
OnePlus also wants this to be the most powerful phone on the market – and the good news is it's succeeded, with our testing showing it to have the strongest benchmarking scores of any device on the market at the time of testing.
Design
- Thinnest phone OnePlus has ever made
- There's still a 3.5mm headphone jack for wired headsets
- Only available in two colors – dark gray or deep black
The OnePlus 5 is the best-looking device the company has made to date. When you pick this phone up you can tell right away that it’s made with premium-grade materials.
The new handset has a more rounded design than previous iterations, which means it sits comfortably in your palm. It’s also the thinnest phone yet from OnePlus at 7.25mm – almost as thin as the iPhone 7, which is 7.1mm
It feels light in the hand – it weighs 153g to be precise – but not so light that you feel like it may blow away in a forceful gust of wind.
OnePlus is talking up the placement of the antenna bands here. According to a spokesperson the color has been specifically designed to try and hide the antenna bands for an unspoiled full-metal look, and when you do spot them they don't detract from the design of the phone.
On the right-hand edge of the phone sits the power button, with nothing else to interrupt the clean lines. The left edge features the toggle for silent mode, as well as the volume rocker.
There’s only one speaker driver, and that sits at the bottom of the phone, next to the USB-C port and 3.5mm headphone jack… yes, despite all the rumors OnePlus has decided to retain the legacy headphone technology for the OnePlus 5.
OnePlus is also trying to sell us on what it calls the ‘Horizon Line’, the idea here being that half of the phone is cast in shadow while the other is in light. We're struggling to get on board with this, but it’s also easy to see that this is a beautiful-looking phone that feels elegant in use.
One shortcoming in terms of the design of the OnePlus 5 is that it’s not waterproof. A OnePlus spokesperson confirmed to TechRadar that it would survive a drop of rain if you need to use it outside, but it’s not IP-rated, and won’t survive a dunk like the Samsung Galaxy S8, Sony Xperia XZ or iPhone 7 will.
The OnePlus 5 is only available in two colors, and these are tied to the storage/RAM options. The 64GB/6GB version comes in Slate Gray, while the more expensive 128GB/8GB model comes in Midnight Black. So if you’re fussy about the color you want then you can’t be fussy about the power and storage you get under the hood, and vice versa.
Display
- The OnePlus 5 has a 5.5-inch Full HD AMOLED screen that looks great
- Makes for a display with 401 pixels-per-inch
The big headline display-wise is that OnePlus hasn’t decided to upgrade to a QHD resolution screen for the OnePlus 5.
Instead you get a 5.5-inch Full HD AMOLED display here. It seems to be the exact same tech we saw on the OnePlus 3T, and some will inevitably be disappointed by that.
The screen on the OnePlus 5 still looks beautiful, though. It’s a shame the company hasn’t opted for a higher resolution, but at 401 pixels per inch it looks great when you’re watching video, and as it’s AMOLED, blacks and other dark tones look great.
Corning’s Gorilla Glass 5 tech is also present to ensure you’re getting a fully protected screen, and to ward off scratches.
Interface and reliability
- Android 7.1.1 onbaord, should be upgraded to Android O
- OnePlus's overlay feels unobtrusive and useful
- No Google Assistant or equivalent voice technology
You’ll hear the term OxygenOS used when referring to OnePlus phones – this is the company’s own overlay that sits on top of the Android operating system. The OnePlus 5 is running the latest version of OxygenOS at the time of release, which is based on Android Nougat 7.1.1.
That means all the features rolled out by Google for Android 7 – for example, split-screen apps or the ability to switch your lock screen wallpaper – are here, alongside a few upgrades from OnePlus.
Of the companies that include an overlay on their phones, OnePlus takes a less-is-more approach to upgrading its skins, claiming to only add something when it’s entirely necessary to improve the Android experience.
When you boot up the OnePlus 5 you’ll appreciate the lack of bloatware, with only the OnePlus Community app included on this phone. You can swipe up from the bottom of the home screen to open the app drawer, which is now slightly opaque, so you don’t feel like you’re leaving the home screen.
All of the apps are clear and simple to identify, with all of them using their own logos, rather than the reskinned versions that overlays such as Samsung’s TouchWiz or Huawei’s Emotion UI use.
Everything just works on the OnePlus UI, and you’ll find it an attractive phone to use and simple to navigate if you’re used to Android devices. If you’re switching from an iPhone you may struggle a little, but it shouldn’t be a difficult adjustment process.
Reading Mode is perhaps the best upgrade to OxygenOS, and it’s something no other version of Android offers at the moment. You can configure certain apps to enter this mode, which filters out blue light and uses greyscale mapping to make reading easier on your eyes.
This has been shown to make it more comfortable to read, and it’s similar to the modes you’ll find on Kindle products and other ereaders. We used it within the Amazon Kindle app, and it certainly does make it a lot easier to read for long periods of time.
It’s particularly useful as it’ll automatically start up while you’re using the app, so you won’t have to turn it on manually.
Other new features on the OnePlus 5 include expanded screenshots, which enables you to drag down a page to capture a full screenshot, rather than just what you can see on the screen.
OnePlus also allows you to customize the vibrations of your phone, so you can choose exactly how subtle or otherwise notifications feel. There’s now a password-protected section in the files app, and there’s a Do Not Disturb mode for gaming that turns off notifications while you’re playing mobile titles.
It’s also worth noting how long OnePlus is likely to continue supporting this device. If it’s any indication, the OnePlus 2 won’t be receiving Android 7 software, and that device was released in the middle of 2015; that’s less than two years OS support for the OnePlus 2, and it may be something worth bearing in mind if you want a phone that will be supported for as long as possible.
Music, movies and gaming
- Headphone jack allows you to use wired headsets
- Super-bright, high-res display offers good screen for video
- Gaming is a joy thanks to the top-notch power
The first thing to note here is that you’ll be able to use a wired 3.5mm headphone jack with the OnePlus 5, unlike on some recent devices such as the HTC U11, Moto Z or even the iPhone 7.
That will be welcome news for many, and it’s something of a surprise that OnePlus kept the headphone jack for this device, as many rumors suggested it would be lost. We also used Bluetooth headsets with the phone, and the connection remained stable at all times.
Audio quality is crisp on this phone, but it isn’t anything particularly remarkable. The speakers on the OnePlus 5 are a little lacking compared to some of the other options on the market, and it’s quite easy to block them with your fingers while holding the phone.
We’d like to have seen OnePlus include some front-facing speakers here for when you’re watching video, but as long as you watch where you place your hands you won’t be particularly disappointed with the audio quality here.
Video on the OnePlus 5 looks good, although it won’t be as beautifully crisp as on the Samsung Galaxy S8, LG G6 or HTC U11, as the resolution isn’t as high as on those phones.
Full HD still suits the OnePlus though, and a super-bright AMOLED panel makes watching video enjoyable on the OnePlus 5. It’s also worth pointing out that this display has the traditional 4:3 aspect ratio most of us are familiar with, while some other flagship devices are opting for a more widescreen feel.
OnePlus hasn’t included much bloatware for watching video here – you'll be able to watch your own videos through the gallery by default, and there’s also YouTube and Google Play Movies if you’re a more dedicated consumer of video and movies.
Gaming on the OnePlus 5 is a polished and enjoyable experience, thanks to the impressive power of the Adreno 540 graphics processor.
OnePlus hasn’t put any games on the phone for you, but these are easy to download from the Google Play Store, and we tried out titles such as QuizUp, Real Racing 3 and Pokemon Go.
All of these worked slickly, and graphically intensive games look as good as you’d hope for on this device. It’s clear that OnePlus has done some impressive things with the processing power of its latest handset.
Benchmarks and performance
- Latest Snapdragon 835 chipset with either 6GB or 8GB of RAM
- Highest benchmark scores, but questions raised
OnePlus has managed to pack in the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 system-on-a-chip here, which we’ve seen in the HTC U11, Sony Xperia XZ Premium and some versions of the Samsung Galaxy S8.
This is processing power at the top of its game. Whether you’ll notice the difference between last-generation processing power and what’s in the OnePlus 5 on a daily basis remains to be seen, but make no mistake: this is a very powerful phone
Any game you want to run on this device will work smoothly, and most importantly fast. We ran some demanding apps, including, as mentioned, Real Racing 3, and the OnePlus 5 handled them with ease.
Depending on what model you buy you’ll either get 6GB or 8GB of RAM. For this review we’ve only used the 8GB version, but we reckon 6GB should be more than enough RAM to power your phone.
Most smartphones at the moment pack 4GB of RAM, and achieve similar benchmarking scores to this phone. So, turning to those all-important benchmarking scores, how does the OnePlus 5 compare to the competition?
In Geekbench 4 benchmarking we found the OnePlus 5 to be the fastest phone we’ve tested, with an average multi-core score of 6716. The Galaxy S8 Plus with an Exynos processor scored 6630, and that same phone using the Snapdragon 835 got a score of around 6000.
The Exynos-powered S8 Plus was previously our fastest phone in the world, although it's hard to see a difference in real-world speed between the new OnePlus and Samsung’s flagship device. OnePlus has previously struggled with optimizing its processor for top-notch performance, but it seems that with the OnePlus 5 it’s finally managed to do it.
Whether that 8GB of RAM is the thing helping, we don’t actually know. It does still feel like 8GB is overkill for this kind of device, but we’ve yet to see whether the 6GB version of the OnePlus 5 performs anywhere near as well.
There are reports though that the OnePlus 5 is cheating benchmarking tests to provide inflated results. We've approached OnePlus for comment and will update this review once the allegations have been cleared up.
Battery life
- 3,300mAh battery plus greater optimization gives solid battery life
- Can last around a day with auto brightness on
Battery life is one of the few areas where a flagship phone can stand out from its rivals in 2017, and the OnePlus 5 needs to be able to survive at least a full day on a single charge.
On paper, compared to the OnePlus 3T the OnePlus 5 looks like a downgrade, with the former sporting a 3,400mAh battery while the latter features a 3,300mAh battery.
The processing tech used inside this phone is newer though, and much more efficient in terms of power consumption, and we think you’ll notice that in day to day battery life.
The OnePlus 5 will keep pace with a lot of the devices you’ll find on the market today. We typically found it lasting us the full day, maybe dying at around 10pm with hard use.
For one day we used the phone with the brightness cranked up to full and it died around 8:30pm, which wasn’t good enough. We then tried auto brightness, which was a lot better – if you stick to auto brightness you’re a lot more likely to make it to the end of the day with some charge left in the tank.
During our battery test, where we turn the screen up to full brightness and play a 90-minute Full HD video clip, the OnePlus 5 only lost 12% of its charge. That's slightly better than the OnePlus 3T, which lost 13%, and noticeably better than the Samsung Galaxy S8, which lost 19%.
There’s fast-charging tech here – OnePlus’s version is called Dash Charge – which means you’ll be able to pump some juice into your phone very quickly if you need to. OnePlus continues to claim that it's fast enough to get you a full charge in the time it takes you to get a shower, but that’s not strictly true.
Unless you're taking a long and relaxing bubble bath, you’ll likely only get enough charge for a few hours – but it’s certainly better than your phone dying on you when you need it.
For those times when you really are gasping for battery life the OnePlus 5 also comes with a battery-saving mode; we found that this really restricted what apps we could open, but it will prolong battery life on the phone and that’s all you need when you’re clinging onto the last dregs of power.
OnePlus isn’t offering the best battery life on the market here, but it’s a similar level to most of the flagship competition, and unless you’re a power user you’ll probably get through a whole day of using the OnePlus 5 and still have a little leftover before you plug in overnight.
Camera
- First OnePlus phone to feature a dual-lens camera
- 16MP + 20MP lens on rear offer lossless zoom feature
- 16MP front-facing camera
Perhaps OnePlus’s crowning glory, the camera has been through a number of improvements for the OnePlus 5. OnePlus has been criticized in the past for its lack of innovation in this area, and it’s now delivered a dual-lens sensor.
The two sensors that comprise the rear camera are made by Sony. The primary camera is 16MP, and there’s also a 20MP telephoto lens.
The main camera lens has a super-wide aperture of f/1.7, which ensures that photos are bright without being overexposed. The telephoto lens then has an aperture of f/2.6.
Unlike on the Huawei P10, however, where one of the sensors is monochrome for improved contrast, the two color sensors here are designed to offer improved zoom performance, enabling you to zoom in on subjects with minimal loss of image quality.
During our testing we found this to work very well, and if you’ve always been disappointed with the zoom on your phone camera you’ll likely be pleasantly surprised by what the OnePlus 5 is able to do here.
That said, it’s not going to give you the same level of zoom quality as a DSLR, and it’s not going to revolutionize the way phone cameras work – but it’s a very useful feature to have when you want to shoot objects that are far away.
The OnePlus 5 rear camera also comes with a Portrait mode, which allows you to get beautiful shots of people using the two-lens setup. It means you can place your subject in the foreground of the image and then blur out the background, complete with attractive 'bokeh' effects.
This is especially useful when you’re taking shots of people, but you can use it on objects as well. It allows you to create some interesting effects, but you can’t make as many tweaks to the image after you’ve taken it as you can on the Huawei P10.
On Huawei’s device you can adjust which areas are in and out of focus after you’ve taken the image, but here you’ve got to wait for the camera to focus, and there’s no changing the focal point later. That’s a bit of a shame, but if you get it right the first time you won’t be disappointed with the Portrait Mode.
If you’re a camera fan, there’s also the Pro mode on the OnePlus 5, where you can deep dive into the camera settings. This allows you to play around with the focus, white balance, ISO and much more.
There’s also a useful spirit level-like feature within Pro mode, which displays a green line to make sure you’re keeping your photos straight – we found it a useful feature when shooting subjects such as architecture.
This is only available in Pro mode though, so you won’t be able to combine the level feature with Portrait mode, although it's less essential for people shots.
As on previous OnePlus phones you can also shoot in raw with the OnePlus 5, allowing you to tweak your photos further when you upload them to your computer.
Swipe left in the camera UI and you’ll be greeted with video recording on the OnePlus 5. You’ve got four quality options here: 720p, 1080p, 1080p at 60 frames per second or 4K video recording.
4K video won’t be useful to you unless you have a 4K device on which to play the videos you shoot, but the other three modes work well, enabling you to record video that looks as good as that from most other flagship phones on the market today.
There are also time-lapse, slow motion and panorama modes, which all do exactly what they say and work with relatively little fuss.
We did find a quirk with the OnePlus 5 though, as it appeared to stop saving videos after shooting the first few. We tried resetting the phone, but the same thing happened – after the first few videos, the OnePlus 5 refused to save any more.
The OnePlus 5 we had in for review was running final software, so we hope this bug gets fixed quickly with an update.
On the front of the OnePlus 5 is a 16MP selfie shooter. A lot of the features of the rear camera are available here, although you won’t be able to use the Portrait mode.
This phone will be capable of giving you some of the sharpest selfie shots on the market, and it can also record video in 1080p, which is a big benefit if you plan to record your face often.
Camera samples
Verdict
OnePlus has achieved great things with the OnePlus 5, improving on a phone line that previously focused on low prices to produce a fantastically optimized powerhouse of a handset that offers one of the best Android experiences on the market.
The company may have increased the price here, and fans of the brand will be disappointed by that, but it's now offering a fully rounded device that blows much of the competition out of the water – and while the price may not be as low as previous OnePlus devices it is still much lower than the rest of the competition.
Who’s this for?
The OnePlus 5 is still a phone that's designed for fans of the brand, and perhaps more so than ever, sporting a truly premium design and all of the features we’ve come to expect from the high-end yet cheap handset.
But this is also a device for anyone who's looking to spend a little less without losing out on some of the best features out there.
The OnePlus 5 isn’t as beautiful as the Galaxy S8, or as easy to use as the iPhone 7, but it offers much of the same experience for around $250/£200/AU$300 less than those devices – and that makes it worth snatching up.
If you’re looking for a device that can shoot phenomenal images, run the latest games and apps with ease, and look great at the same time, you just found it.
Should you buy it?
The OnePlus 5 features everything most of the other flagship phones right now have, but at a lower price than most of those handsets.
It doesn't have the fantastic audio quality of the HTC U11, or the Infinity Display and Iris scanner of the Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8 Plus, but it does pack great power, a versatile camera system and an attractive design.
If you want a phone that can do everything well, but which doesn't cost as much as most of the other big name handsets, it's hard not to recommend the OnePlus 5.
Don’t love the look of the OnePlus 5? Here are some other phones you may want to buy:
Samsung Galaxy S8
Before you go any further, know the Samsung Galaxy S8 is a lot more expensive than the OnePlus 5. It’s around $730/£690/AU$1,200, which is significantly more than the latest from OnePlus, but it offers a lot more for that extra money.
Samsung's Infinity Display makes this phone look completely different to anything on the market. It’s essentially all display on the front, and it looks absolutely beautiful, and remarkably better than the screen on the OnePlus 5.
The top-of-the-range internals are all here too, but you also get the benefits of an iris scanner, a fantastic 12MP rear shooter and a waterproof design.
- Read our Samsung Galaxy S8 review
Huawei P10
OnePlus's fellow Chinese phone manufacturer, Huawei, also opted for a dual-lens snapper on the rear of its latest flagship phone.
The Huawei P10 comes with a 5.2-inch Full HD display, and offers up the latest from the company's processor software too, to offer top-of-the-range spec that’s similar to the OnePlus 5's in a few ways.
This is a phone that's difficult to buy in the US, but if you live in Australia or the UK you’ll be able to buy it now – and you may find it an acceptable alternative to the OnePlus 5.
- Read our Huawei P10 review
iPhone 7 Plus
The latest phone from Apple has failed to set the world alight, but it’s still a stunning handset that offers the best iOS experience yet.
It runs the latest iOS software, has a dual-lens rear snapper similar to the OnePlus 5's and comes with some incredible spec and a striking design.
This won’t fit in your hand as well as the OnePlus 5, though, and it'll cost you a touch more than the latest phone from OnePlus.
- Read our iPhone 7 Plus review
OnePlus 3T
OnePlus stopped selling the 3T a few weeks before the release of the OnePlus 5, but you may still be able to find it through some sources.
In the UK, you can still buy the OnePlus 3T through the O2 network, and it may be the same story with other networks around the world.
The design isn’t as premium as that of the OnePlus 5, and you won’t have access to that dual-lens shooter on the rear, but it does cost a lot less.
- Read our OnePlus 3T review
First reviewed June 2017