OnePlus 3 (64GB) [Grade A]

Build Quality and Looks – Simple and Elegant

A unique feature about the OnePlus One and Two was the Sandstone rear panel. This allowed the phones to be gripped properly, unlike the smooth metal phones that we have today. But OnePlus decided to go with a space-grade aluminum unibody for the OnePlus 3.

The phone is really slippery to hold onto and OnePlus is offering a wide range of back covers for the OnePlus 3 which improves the grip. But nevertheless, the phone looks amazing and sleek. It is only 7.35mm thick and the well-defined edges make it look good.

Screen – AMOLED but not QHD

Termed as a ‘flagship killer’, the OnePlus 3 comes with a 5.5-inch optic AMOLED panel. It is coated with Corning Gorilla Glass 4 for that added protection. But the resolution is still the same at 1080x1920 pixels. A bump in the screen resolution would’ve worked in its favor, but it is one of the better displays that we’ve seen.

Hardware and Performance – Blazing Fast

The obvious chipset choice for a flagship in 2016 is the Snapdragon 820. The same is found within the OnePlus 3. But in terms of RAM, the company has decided to stray from the rest of the other smartphone makers. While most of them are offering 3GB or 4GB of RAM, OnePlus has gone ahead and packed in a mammoth 6GB of LPDDR4 RAM in the OnePlus 3.

Camera – Good pictures, Lackluster Video

The 16MP rear camera on the OnePlus 3 produces quality images that you would expect out of a flagship. It makes use of the IMX298 sensor which is found on a lot of other devices like the Mate 8, Xiaomi Mi5, Nubia Z11 and more.

The camera comes with a single LED flash, which is a bit of a disappointment. A dual tone LED flash would’ve made the low-light images a lot better with natural lighting. Pictures taken in well lit conditions turn out great with a lot of details.

OS and Software – Oxygen OS is as close as you can get to stock Android

Oxygen OS is pretty much like stock Android. Yes, there are a few added features, but it is pretty close to stock Android found on the Nexus devices. The fingerprint scanner is amazing in terms of efficiency and unlocks the phone in a jiffy. The phone can also be unlocked while the screen is off with the fingerprint scanner.

Battery – Slightly on the lower side, but DASH Charge helps a lot

The 3,000mAh battery on the OnePlus 3 offers enough juice to run for a single day. But when it is combined with some heavy gaming, internet browsing and videos, you will probably run to your charger more than once. Luckily, OnePlus has included the DASH charge technology which consistently provides more than 60% of charge within 30 minutes on a dead phone.

Verdict

The OnePlus 3 is definitely a great flagship for 2016 and for the company. It offers 6GB of LPDDR4, which not many smartphones offer, at least at this price range. There are smartphones that have come out recently with 8GB of RAM and the Snapdragon 821, so that is definitely not good news for OnePlus. Even though it cannot be termed as a ‘flagship killer’, it is a beast of a phone for the price it comes for.