OnePlus 5T review: A good thing gets even better

OnePlus 5T release date and price

The OnePlus 5T is new, but in terms of price, things stay roughly the same with just a slight hike. The smartphone costs $499 in the variant with 64GB memory and 6GB RAM. If you want more memory, namely 128GB and 8GB RAM, you have to fork out $60 more and pay $559.

OnePlus 5T design and build quality

The OnePlus 5T looks very familiar from behind at first glance - clearly, the appearance has only been slightly changed compared to its predecessor. The chic aluminium surface, which has been painted in three coats, has a nice surface and is relatively resistant to fingerprints. A new feature on the back of the 5T is the ceramic fingerprint sensor, which has has been moved from the front—because the edges of the display have been significantly slimmed down. The front of the smartphone is completely unadorned, only the front camera and the narrow grille above the earpiece interrupt the black glass surface, which is slightly bent at the edges.

Compared to the OnePlus 5, the 5T has only slightly increased in size, 2 millimeters in width and one in length—despite a 0.5 inch diagonal increase in screen size. The weight has increased by 9 grams. The camera protrudes from the housing, but the transition is a bit more fluid than with the OnePlus 5, and the processing of the new OnePlus 5T is excellent and offers no cause for criticism.

The characteristic sandstone surface of the first OnePlus smartphones is long gone, but OnePlus offers fans of the 5T a smartphone case with this rough texture. There are also sleeves in carbon and wood look as well as a bright red silicone cover that feels very comfortable. Unlike the OnePlus 5 covers, the OnePlus 5T covers all the edges and buttons of your phone, except for the slider, for better protection. The delivery package includes a transparent cover that does not look like much, but reliably protects the smartphone from damage. 

OnePlus 5T display

The OnePlus 5T's display shows the biggest difference to the previous model. The diagonal has grown from 5.5 to 6 inches and the aspect ratio has been changed to the more fashionable 18:9. The resolution of the AMOLED panel is 2,160 x 1,080 pixels, the corners are minimally rounded. The standard setting of the display is characterized by very strong colors. The sharpness is fine, but some other top smartphones can do it a bit better. The typical OLED blue cast is hardly pronounced in the OnePlus 5T.

The OnePlus 5T software offers a whole host of options for customizing the display. Five full picture modes are available in the System Preferences. The Adaptive Mode, in which the display dynamically adapts the display to the external conditions, is highly recommended, , although much paler than the preset mode. OnePlus now calls the automatic adaptation to particularly bright light Sunlight Display. Reading mode, which is easy on the eyes, can be set for selected apps and the intensity of the night mode can be regulated. So there are many possibilities to satisfy every taste.

The automatic brightness control of the OnePlus 5T is striking. It works well on the whole, but often with a slight delay. The minimum brightness level should also be slightly darker, e.g. for surfing the net in bed before falling asleep.

OnePlus 5T special features

The OnePlus 5T comes with a new feature, face detection to unlock the phone. This is basically as per usual with Android devices and although special sensors are not on board, OnePlus has apparently optimized the software considerably. With Advanced Facial Recognition, more than 100 points in the face are recognized and used to allow only the right person access to the smartphone. In the test, face recognition with the OnePlus 5T works excellently and almost lightning-fast. Even in the evening, the smartphone is reliably unlocked almost instantly, even when the lighting on the sofa is dimmed. Only when it really gets really dark does the front camera and thus the recognition reach its limits. But the OnePlus 5T doesn't get confused by hats, large headphones or a scarf. Apple's Face ID doesn't work much better on iPhone X either. Respect OnePlus, good work!

If you don't want to unlock your OnePlus 5T with your face, you can alternatively use the fingerprint sensor. It sits on the back, but works perfectly and quickly. However, the round sensor is only minimally submerged in the housing and thus does not always feel comfortable. It's easier to use a cover in this case.

OnePlus 5T software

Whoever thought that OnePlus was delivering the 5T directly with Android 8.0 Oreo was mistaken. OxygenOS 4.7.1 runs on the smartphone, which is based on Android 7.1.1 nougat. An update to a new version is already announced, but without date.

The operating system comes, as usual and loved by the fans of OnePlus, as an almost naked Android without bloatware and useless gimmicks. The look is chic and modern, the Google Assistant is available as language support. With App Priority, the frequently used apps on the OnePlus 5T are supposed to start very quickly. However, given the power of the smartphone, this shouldn't be a problem anyway.

It's worth noting that, after OnePlus was exposed once more to be discreetly harvesting user data without our permission, that our OnePlus 5T model has been confirmed to carry OPBugReportLite, a system app which collects user data and sends it to a sever in Singapore every 6 hours. Read all the details on this here.

OnePlus 5T performance

The OnePlus 5T has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 and 8 GB RAM—there's not much more you can do with a smartphone. The technical platform is identical to the OnePlus 5, which means that the performance of the T-model is also at the same level as its predecessor. That's not bad, on the contrary, because both OnePlus smartphones run brilliantly and show no weakness in performance. Nevertheless, the 5T doesn't have the leap in speed that most new top-of-the-range smartphones have compared to their predecessors. This is also reflected in the almost identical benchmark results.

So anyone who already owns a OnePlus 5 doesn't need to worry: The revised successor is no faster than the previous flagship. For pure performance reasons, the OnePlus 5 does not need to be discarded in favor of the T-model.

OnePlus 5T audio

With its mono loudspeaker on the underside, the OnePlus 5T doesn't shatter glass when it comes to sound. The sound is fine, but not outstanding. The smartphone does not come with headphones, so the OnePlus fan has to bring a headset with him. In the end, OnePlus customers continue to enjoy access to the headphone jack. The OnePlus 5T has three built-in microphones, which are used to suppress ambient noise, among other things.

OnePlus 5T camera

The OnePlus 5T has a front camera with a 16MPl sensor from Sony (IMX371) and an aperture of f/2.0. at first glance, the selfies don't look bad but tend to overexpose in bright light. The sharpness of the image should also be slightly better. With the OnePlus 5T, self-portraits are much better in good lighting conditions. The OnePlus 5T cannot offer a portrait mode for the front camera, such as that of Pixel 2 (XL) or iPhone X, for example.

More exciting is the main camera on the back, which has two lenses but is no longer equipped with different focal lengths like the OnePlus 5, but instead the second sensor, a Sony IMX376K, is supposed to provide better images in poor light conditions. The resolution of the low light sensor is 20MP. The main Sony IMX398 sensor has 16MP, the aperture is f/1.7 on both sides. The camera app looks tidy and at first glance comparatively simple, but also has a Pro mode with manual adjustment options.

The picture quality of the photos that the OnePlus 5T delivers is quite good. Colors are naturally reproduced, even if green tones occasionally have a clear blue tint depending on the incidence of light. The sharpness of the picture is good, but moving objects such as children playing are blurred sometimes. The overall picture dynamics are pleasing. Curious: Even after the optical zoom has disappeared, the camera app of the OnePlus 5T still has its own button for switching between normal and 2x zoom. But with the 5T, this is a purely digital solution.

Better in the low light range

In poor light conditions, the second sensor represents an improvement over its predecessor, so much is clear. However, the OnePlus 5T can't conjure up magic here either, and that's why you have to live with a lot of noise in low light. Totally useless pictures have become rarer, however.

In the specially created portrait mode, the OnePlus 5T creates a bokeh effect with a blurred background around the object in the photo. A button on the display always shows whether or not the camera of the smartphone detects a depth effect. This blur effect can look good, but it can also get on your nerves. In this case, the OnePlus 5T also saves a "normal" photo. However, there is no option to regulate the intensity of the blur as offered by Huawei.

We will take a closer look at the OnePlus 5T camera in comparison with other flagships, including the qualities of portrait mode and the bokeh effect. When this test is completed, we will link it here.

• More photos taken with the OnePlus 5T at full resolution 

OnePlus 5T battery

Like almost any current smartphone, the OnePlus 5T has a built-in battery that can't be replaced without completely disassembling the phone. This is regrettable from an ecological and economic point of view, but it is unavoidable at the moment for stylish, slim enclosures. 

The battery has a capacity of 3,300 mAh and thus always lasts for a good day and a half. Two days are also possible if you pay a little attention to consumption and don't play around with the OnePlus 5T too much. In the battery benchmark of PCMark, the OnePlus 5T achieves a few minutes more than the Galaxy S8, but about 40 minutes less than the OnePlus 5, while OnePlus adds a Dash Charge charger to the 5T, which quickly refills the battery. Charging takes only about half an hour from 0 to 60 percent, after which it takes less time. But in 90 minutes the battery will be back to 100 percent. The bottom line is that the OnePlus 5T can absolutely keep up with its competitors in the upper class when it comes to battery life.

OnePlus 5T technical specifications