OnePlus 3T vs OnePlus 3: What are the key differences?

The OnePlus 3 is a solid smartphone, and one of the best smartphones of 2016. But five months on from the release of the OnePlus 3, there's a new model on the scene, called the OnePlus 3T.

The OnePlus 3T will start at $439 for the 64GB model and will launch on November 22.

See also: How Apple plans to make more money from its cheap iPhone

So what are the key differences between the OnePlus 3T and the existing OnePlus 3?

There are four major differences between the two handsets:

Processing power

The OnePlus 3 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset, which features a quad-core Kryo CPU, an Adreno 530 CPU, and 6GB RAM, while the OnePlus 3T is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 which has a quad-core Kyro CPU, the Adreno 530 CPU, and 6GB RAM.

On the face of it that doesn't seem like much of an upgrade, but the Snapdragon 821 has a big advantage when it comes to power consumption, which in turn means less of a battery hit and fewer worries about cooling. The thermal improvements also mean that there will be less need to throttle the chip during use, allowing the system to squeeze out more power.

So what seems like quite a modest upgrade is actually pretty significant.

Battery

Quite a significant bump here, from the 3000mAh battery found in the OnePlus 3 to the 3400mAh unit in the OnePlus 3T.

This upgrade puts the OnePlus 3T on par with the likes of the Google Pixel XL and Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, which have 3450mAh and 3600mAh battery packs respectively.

Camera

Surprisingly though, it's not the rear camera that gets the biggest upgrade, although the 16-megapixel rear unit with improved electronic image stabilization, 'Intelligent Pixel Technology' which reduces noise in low light, and a sapphire lens are all nice additions.

On the front, the 8-megapixel found on the OnePlus 3 is bumped to a 16-megapixel unit complete with "smile capture" technology.

If you want high-resolution selfies, this is the camera for you.

Price

Yes, all this comes with a price upgrade attached. The 64GB OnePlus 3 retailed for $399, while a OnePlus 3T with the same storage will set you back $439. There will also be a 128GB version offered at an as yet undisclosed price.

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