OnePlus 5T launched with 6-inch full-screen display, dual camera and face unlock

An enhanced portrait mode, a top-notch processor and the stunning edge-to-edge display at half the price makes the OnePlus 5T a serious contender to iPhone X.

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OnePlus fans from across the country lined up at PVR cinemas to catch a glimpse of the launch of the much-awaited OnePlus 5T. At PVR Chanakya Delhi, lines extended almost till the gate as fans came to watch and be a part of the launch – even if it was just the live telecast of the event in New York.

Five months after the launch of OnePlus 5, the Chinese smartphone maker has sprung another surprise, directly taking on the iPhone X and Samsung Galaxy Note 8 by launching OnePlus 5T.

While several features such as the processor of the OnePlus 5T remains the same as its predecessor, the smartphone offers key hardware and software updates that might make every OnePlus 5 buyer an agry and disappointed lot. These include a higher resolution, display, enhanced low-light camera performance, and numerous new software features.

What’s different?

Display and Design

At the first look, the smartphone has a sleek aluminum unibody with a stunning 6-inch Full Optic AMOLED Display with 18:9 aspect ratio. This is OnePlus’ first edge-to-edge display phone. However, the form factor of the 5T is similar to that of the OnePlus 5.

Another major change in the OnePlus 5T is that the smartphone maker has moved it fingerprint sensor the back. And what might strike a similarity with the currently popular iPhone X is that the 5T comes with a Face unlock feature. The company claims that it is one of the fastest on any smartphone with over 100 facial identifiers.

Camera

In terms of the camera, OnePlus has enhanced low-light camera performance in the 5T. The dual camera features the same main camera as the 5, but the secondary camera has been enhanced with a larger f/1.7

OnePlus has also added software improvements to Portrait Mode to improve noise reduction.

New Features:

The OnePlus 5T comes with a parallel application feature where users can create a shadow app of their social media apps such as Facebook, Twitter, Skype and log into two different accounts at one time.

For all mobile gamers, it has also added a Gaming DND feature that prevents notifications from appearing on the screen while a game is on.

Oxygen OS

OxygenOS’ new platform enables a more streamlined software development process, resulting in faster, more consistent updates guided largely by user feedback. The power efficiency too, has been increased by 20% in the new platform.

Price and Availability

OnePlus has kept the price of 5T unchanged at at Rs 32,999 for the 64GB version and Rs. 37,999 for 128GB.

“The price of our smartphones is a function of costs and the business model. So if costs are same, there is no reason for us to increase prices. Also, we don’t see 5T as a new product but only a new variant of OnePlus 5,” Vikas Agarwal, General Manager, OnePlus India says.

The OnePlus 5T will be available in an early access sale on Amazon.in, oneplusstore.in and OnePlus experience store in Bangalore on November 21 from 4.30 pm. OnePlus 5T open sales begin on November 28 in India along with EU and US market.

iPhone X killer?

A top-notch processor, 6 or 8GM of RAM, one of the best dual camera setups with an enhanced portrait mode and the stunning 6-inch edge-to-edge display at less than half the price of iPhone X, makes the OnePlus 5T a serious contender.

However, in terms of performance, only time will tell as users get their hands on the 5T and put all claims to test.

Should OnePlus 5 users consider an upgrade?

Vikas says no. “I don’t think OnePlus 5 users should upgrade to 5T. 5 is also a very good device and 5T is only and incremental upgrade. But if you don’t have a OnePlus 5, you should definitely consider upgrading to the 5T,” he adds.