As you know, OnePlus 5 is round the corner and expected to be launch most probably in the month of June. There are lot of rumors about the probable specification of this most anticipated phone of 2017. OnePlus and Qualcomm have officially confirmed that the upcoming OnePlus 5 will be powered by the latest Snapdragon 835 processor and will be the first device from the Indian perspective to boast of such a powerful chip.
So far, we have also heard and that the flagship OnePlus 5 will most probably feature a 5.5 inch full HD Display with Gorilla Glass 5 protection having a resolution of 1440×2560 pixels. It may come with 6GB/8GB RAM options with internal storage of 64/128GB which could be extendable. This phone is also expected to be mounted with 23MP rear camera and 16MP front camera for shooting selfies. This will definitely run on Android N with Oxygen OS on it. This phone is also rumored to get its juice from with massive 4000mAh battery with innovative Dash charging.
Going by above hardware specifications, one is compelled to ponder whether this phone will provide tough competition to the high-end phones of established brands which have been introduced recently.
I will restrict my discussions in this article to two premium smartphones launched recently. The first is LG G6 which flaunts a 5.7-inch QHD+ (2,880 x 1,440 resolution) FullVision display with Gorilla Glass Protection and for the first time ever in a smartphone, an 18:9 screen aspect ratio. Because of its narrow bezel, G6 fits comfortably in one hand, giving you a big screen experience without the inconvenience of a big phone. The LG phone looks quite attractive as it is made of is made of very refined aluminum and glass. The G6 take its strength from Snapdragon 821 Processor combined with 4GB LPDDR4 RAM and 64GB of internal storage which can be extended upto 2TB via microSD card. This phone is packed with 3,300mAh battery withQuick Charge 3.0.
On the camera front, the G6 has dual 13MP rear cameras, including a 125-degree lens on the wide angle to captures panoramic shots that regular phones cameras are not capable of. It also comes with an expanded 100-degree field of view with its 5MP front camera. I have been using this phone for quite sometimes now and its front and rear cameras have really mesmerized me. This phone is also IP68 certified for water and dust resistantce.
When we speak about Samsung Galaxy S8 then it can be said that this is another wonderful device from the stable of Samsung. I have a chance to use it for few minutes only but going by its specifications and reviews of established analysts, the S8 is an ultimate Android smartphone. The S8 and S8+ incorporate host of new features such as Bixby Intelligent Interface, Infinity Display, software buttons and multiple services and apps. These phones have bezel-less design to give you 18% more screen and form a smooth, continuous surface with no buttons or harsh angles which makes multi-tasking more convenient. The physical home key on the front has given way to a more intuitive soft key with a pressure sensor that is embedded under the display.
The S8 features a 5.8-inch Quad HD+ (2960 × 1440 pixels,570ppi) Super AMOLED with Infinity display and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. It is powered by Octa-Core (2.3GHz Quad + 1.7GHz Quad) Samsung Exynos 9 Series 8895 processor with Mali-G71 MP20 GPU. This phone has 4GB LPDDR4 RAM with 64GB storage extendable to 256GB. The S8 is packed with 3000mAh battery with fast Charging both on wired and wireless charging dock.
The S8 is mounted with 12MP Dual Pixel rear camera with LED Flash, f/1.7 aperture, OIS. It also houses 8MP auto focus front-facing camera with f/1.7 aperture and 80-degree wide-angle lens.
OnePlus 5 has the capacity to compete with above phones as far as hardware is concerned. Their is no denying the fact that usage experience of LG G6 and S8 is very smooth and optimisation of OS with hardware is top notch. Here both the phones have slight edge over OnePlus 5.
Now comes the pricing factor which is very crucial element for success of a phone. This is the reason I am not discussing here HTC phones which are very good phones but strangely over priced. Currently, LG G6 is retailing in India at Rs. 42,000 and Galaxy S8 for Rs. 58,000 on Flipkart. If OnePlus 5 is priced in the range of Rs. 35,000 to 38,000 then definitely it will be sleepless nights for LG and Samsung. But, Samsung and LG can heave a sigh of relief as their phones are available in every nook and corner of India because of their strong retail presence across the country. On the other hand, OnePlus phone will be available only on Amazon and in their retail store in Bengaluru.
I am not sure about the design of the upcoming OnePlus 5 but it is again rumored to be coming in an attractive color options as per currrent taste of the users. To be challenger of established brands, the upcoming OnePlus should not look like OnePlus 3. It definitely requires change in the design which I am sure OnePlus designers must have taken care of. They will definitely not settle with the existing design.
I have been using OnePlus 3 since its launch and is satisfied with its performance and its camera quality is already top of the range and with enhanced camera capabilites in the 5, OnePlus will definitely has a last laugh. Some of the images captured on OnePlus 3:
If OnePlus 5 is priced Rs. 35,000 for 64GB variant then I will be the first person to buy it! And if OnePlus can come out with exchange programme for the existing users of OnePlus 3 then it will be slicing on the cake!
By the way, OnePlus 3T is not being discontinued as reported in a section of the press and if you want to buy it then hurrry up as it is still available and will be available for purchase in India until later this year as confirmed by OnePlus. You can buy it from oneplusstore.in, Amazon.in and the OnePlus Experience Store in Bangalore.
