X
Tech

iPhone X, Galaxy Note 8 cost about $1,000: So is $499 OLED OnePlus 5T a serious rival?

The newly launched OnePlus 5T also offers Pixel XL 2-type specs at just over half the cost.
Written by Liam Tung, Contributing Writer
oneplus-5t-product-11.jpg

The new OnePlus 5T, left, comes with several improvements over the recent OnePlus 5, right, including a better display.

Image: Andrew Hoyle/CNET

If you can't stomach the $1,000 price tag of the Galaxy Note 8 and iPhone X, OnePlus' six-inch OLED 5T with dual cameras could be worth checking out.

OnePlus has made a number of external improvements to the recent OnePlus 5, introducing slimmed down bezels and soft navigation buttons to make way for a larger six-inch, 18:9 aspect ratio OLED display.

For this reason it's also moved the fingerprint reader to the back and, chasing the iPhone X, has introduced facial-recognition unlock. Unlike the iPhone X, the OnePlus 5T's face unlock can't be used to make payments.

The OnePlus 5T retains the OnePlus 5's 16- and 20-megapixel dual cameras, but swaps out the 20MP telephoto lens for a low-light sensor and brings a new portrait mode to challenge camera features on the iPhone and Pixel 2.

One Plus has carved out a solid base with tech-savvy consumers, offering flagship features for far less than better-known rivals.

Even though OnePlus flagship prices have crept up with each new release, the new phone is still about half the cost of Samsung's and Apple's latest flagships and just over half the cost of Google's Pixel XL 2, which offers very similar specs.

The OnePlus 5T will go on sale on November 21, starting at $499 in the US, £449 in the UK, and €499 in the rest of Europe.

The 64GB model comes with a hefty 6GB of RAM while the 128GB model with 8GB RAM costs $60 more.

The phone runs on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 SoC, and will ship with Android 7.1.1 Nougat, though an Android 8.0 Oreo beta will arrive in late December. Presumably its arrival means the OnePlus 5T won't benefit from Google's work on Project Treble.

The OnePlus 5T isn't water-resistant and doesn't support wireless charging. However, OnePlus says a half hour charge will give the 3,300mAh battery enough power to last a full day.

Given that so many new phones are dropping the 3.5mm headphone jack, it's worth noting that the OnePlus 5T has one.

Previous and related coverage

OnePlus 5T hands-on: Love the screen, good cameras so far, CNET

The new phone goes on sale Nov. 21, starting at $499 or £449.

OnePlus: We'll fix flawed app that lets attackers root our phones

OnePlus will roll out a fix for a serious flaw in a diagnostics app that some argue shouldn't even be on devices.

OnePlus 5 review: Dual rear cameras, fast CPU and great battery life

There's a lot of competition among 'flagship-killer' smartphones, but despite a price rise the OnePlus 5 is arguably leader of the pack.

Editorial standards