If you're looking for the best Android phone to buy this year, the best suggestion that comes to mind is the OnePlus 3. Now, this might not be as premium as your S7 Edge or Note series, however, the OnePlus 3 sticks to its company catchphrase of being a "flagship killer". Based on the reviews, it looks like OnePlus isn't lying. Indeed, the OnePlus 3 is a major flagship killer.
OnePlus 3 Review: Price
Before anything else, we should first lay out the most important edge the OnePlus 3 has over others - its price. It's worth mentioning that the new device from OnePlus is only worth $399. But as affordable, as the phone is, the company did not make a lot of compromises in building it. Sure, its display isn't as crisp as your Note 7 and even its storage is limited to what's already in it. However, as per GSM Arena's specs sheet, the OnePlus 3 kept all the important hefty specs in it. For half the usual flagship price, you'd get a powerful smartphone with 6 GB RAM, 64 GB storage, Snapdragon 820 chipset and a satisfying 16 MP/8 MP camera combo.
OnePlus just had to balance people's expectations with what they are capable of producing. For a price tag of $399, the OnePlus 3 is undoubtedly the best smartphone you can get. Not only does it have powerful specs, it is also a big improvement over its predecessor. The OnePlus 2 might have fell short in living up to its claims. However, the OnePlus 3 might be the one to re-claim the "flagship killer" title.
OnePlus 3 Review: Design
The OnePlus 3 improved so much when it comes to design. Its predecessor might not have been perfect when it comes to looks, but the OnePlus 3 has definitely upped its game when it comes to beauty. The device's premium uni-body design definitely showed how OnePlus has come a long way from being a smartphone newbie to a giant tech company who knows smartphones like the back of its hand.
Apart from the OnePlus 3's elegant design, the company also boasts of its ultra-fast fingerprint scanner. OnePlus claims that their phone's scanner is quicker than what Apple has. While this may sound a little too smug, Tech Radar seems to agree with the claim. The tech blog says that they did not have any issues with OnePlus 3's fingerprint scanner and it is generally impressively fast.
OnePlus 3 Review: Cameras
As a whole, OnePlus 3's cameras do take really good photos. The additional MPs given to it clearly helped make the outputs more vivid. According to OnePlus, you'll find it hard to take bad photos using OnePlus 3's camera. It has auto HDR, Dynamic De-noise and the ever-so-important Phase Detection Auto-focus. Furthermore, the device's camera also gives users a bigger control over the photos' settings since they can capture images in RAW format. With that, users are able to alter the images' white balance and ISO.
Technically speaking, OnePlus 3's camera is great. It may not be as near-pro as what the more expensive flagship phones have but it clearly isn't something you can complain about. For the OnePlus 3's selfie snapper, it comes with an 8 MP front cam which is pretty much better than what most of other flagship and midrange phones have to offer.
OnePlus 3 Review: Performance
The OnePlus 3 should be given credit for being one of the first smartphones to carry 6 GB worth or RAM. OnePlus' new phone is definitely pushing all of the flagship makers to up their game. The company claims that the 6 GB RAM of the OnePlus 3 helps the device to have better performance.
As per the company's claim, this extra power gives the OnePlus 3 an increase in performance of about 35 percent over its predecessor. It also gives the device about 40 percent increase in graphics performance over the OnePlus 2. Benchmark tests also show that the OnePlus 3 is doing just as good as you'd expect it to do. It was said that the device showed a score that sits in the middle of this year's flagship devices
OnePlus 3 Conclusions
Without doubt, the OnePlus 3 offers the best Android deal on the market. Generally, there's nothing to complain about. Technically, it isn't perfect. However, it comes with all the goodies you'd expect from the so-called flagship killer. There might be a a lot of other premium devices on the market but when it comes to price, no other premium smartphone can beat the OnePlus 3 at a $399 price tag.
