A great act is tough to follow and sometimes delivering two great devices in a row requires that you take a completely different approach with the successor. Now on its third "flagship killer" (with the OnePlus X taking a different path), OnePlus has taken on the tough task to mature from a business standpoint, while still retaining that ambitious "never settle" attitude that brought it where it is today.
Only time will tell if that works out, but it's beyond the point of this review anyway. What we are determined to find out here is whether the OnePlus 3 is worth your hard-earned cash.
On paper, the formula is right - match the specs of rivals and undercut their pricing. However, it is the approach towards the latter that has really changed this time around. Instead of going for an absurdly low price and being unable to sort out production, mandating stuff like the dreaded invite system, OnePlus has gone to reasonable levels this time and dropped the sales tricks.
Overall, the OnePlus 3 is best described as driven by pragmatic choices. There is nothing really unusual, bold or even remotely eccentric form a design standpoint - just a really elegant and thin metal unibody with very few things that may raise questions. The same goes for the specs. They have always been more than robust in OnePlus devices, but typically hand-picked and arranged for optimal performance, rather than just there for the sake of pure numbers.
Key features
- 5.5" Optic AMOLED display of 1080p resolution; 401ppi; Corning Gorilla Glass 4; Metal back
- 64GB model with Snapdragon 820 chipset (2x Kryo at 2.15GHz and 2x Kryo at 1.6GHz cores); Adreno 530 GPU
- 16MP f/2.0 main camera with OIS and phase detection autofocus, single LED flash; 2160p video at 30fps;
- 8MP f/2.0 front-facing camera, 1080p video recording at 30fps
- 4G LTE; Dual-SIM support; Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac; Bluetooth 4.2; NFC; GPS, GLONASS and BDS; FM radio; Fingerprint reader; USB Type-C connector
- Oxygen OS, based on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow
- 3,000mAh non-removable battery
- Fast battery charging: 60% in 30 min (Dash Charge)
Main disadvantages
- No microSD card slot
With a Snapdragon 820 SoC and Adreno 530 GPU, pushing pixels to an extremely power-efficient 1080p, 5.5-inch AMOLED panel, you don't expect any performance bottlenecks. If anything the 6GB of RAM put it ahead of the pack And with a Sony-made 16MP OIS camera imaging department holds plenty of promise too.
OnePlus 3 in official photos
All bases seem covered, but a modern smartphone, and particularly a flagship is more than a mechanical sum of its parts. Premium user experience goes beyond the things you can put on a specs sheet and we are yet to see if OnePlus managed to deliver it. Follow along on the next page, as we unbox the 3 and take a closer look at its exterior.
Unboxing the OnePlus 3
OnePlus definitely has its own signature when it comes to packaging and presentation. In a way, it is very clean and streamlined, like what you would expect form Apple or Xiaomi, with lots of white and uniform surfaces.
OnePlus 3 packaging
You do get that with the OnePlus 3 and its white rectangular two piece box. But, at the same time, the signature red color accents are still prevalent throughout. There is the big red OnePlus logo on the front as well as a thin red data cable. In fact, the whole bottom half of the box is painted in bright red.
It is also worth noting that OnePlus has spared no expense when it comes to the packaging. It is all done with a soft finish cardboard with a few neatly arranged compartments sliding effortlessly in place. The OnePlus 3 itself actually sits inside a plastic cradle instead of plain cardboard.
As part of the standard package, you get the aforementioned USB Type-C cable, as well as the company's new Dash charger. It is an extremely compact 4A unit that actually uses a custom version of Oppo's VOOC technology, which we still believe is the industry leader when it comes to fast charging.
OnePlus advertises a zero to 60% charge of the 3000mAh battery in just 30 minutes and to our surprise, we actually managed to get pretty close to those numbers. You definitely have to see it to believe it and it is all done without overheating. That being said, OnePlus also offers a car Dash charger. We got to test it out as well and it is equally amazing. Currently selling at EUR 29.95, it is a bit pricey, but well worth the money if you are on the road a lot.
Hardware
It is hard to find any obvious flaws in the appearance of the OnePlus 3. There is no denying it - number 3 is a gorgeous device. It is molded out of a single piece of space-grade aluminum, which combines strength with elegance and is just so great to the touch. Measuring only 7.3mm in depth, it ranks among the thinnest flagships out there and with a weight of 158 g, it is both surprisingly thin and light for a metal-clad phone.
The complete body measurements are 152.7 x 74.7 x 7.35mm and, thanks to the combination of smooth, rounded shapes and some sharp well defined edges, it is both easy to handle and elegant. Ii is offered in two finishes, Graphite and Soft Gold, both quite subtle in their appearance.
OnePlus 3 in the hand
Remember when we said the OnePlus 3 is a pragmatic choice? Consider the overall design language of the device and you will quickly see what we mean. There is not much really novel or too flashy about the phone's exterior and that is probably its biggest strength. Amid a sea of devices, desperately trying to stand out with things like detachable modules, case add-ons and, arguably, unnecessary curves and accents on all sides, OnePlus has decided to stick to a very restrained approach.
We have no doubt that the appeal of such a design is very dependent on personal taste and some have already described the OnePlus 3 as a bit boring. However, we tend to view it as a mixture of carefully adopted elements, like the back, which is airily similar to he HTC One M9 or the Huawei Mate S, and the bottom, which could easily be mistaken for an iPhone 6s.
OnePles 3 from the back side
The only beef we really have with the OnePlus 3 and again, we doubt it is universally shared, is the camera bump. It sticks out quite a bit, which is a natural side-effect of having a 7.35mm body. Had OnePlus kept to its traditional approach and smoothened out the rear, like on the original flagship killer and the OnePlus 2, the OnePlus 3 would have definitely benefited form a bit of extra battery.
While we are on the topic, the back of the unit is very clean. It has the camera bump in question and a single LED flash below it. The only other thing there is the neatly engraved OnePlus logo and a couple of antenna lines, the top of which hides a secondary noise-canceling mic.
Clean front side
The front of the OnePlus 3 is also about as clean as it can be. When the display is off it blends in with the surrounding almost perfectly. Side-bezels around the 5.5-inch panel are so thin at just 0.755mm, that the picture appears to almost float above the base. So, the wow factor is still there despite the lack of a curved display.
Controls well hidden
Despite its clean front panel, the OnePlus 3 actually has quite a few controls at the user's disposal, but they are hidden away quite well. In the typical company fashion, users are offered a full range of navigation customization options, including the choice between on-screen controls and the capacitive touch buttons. The latter are practically invisible when not lit and otherwise show up as single white dots.
As for the Home key, just like on the OnePlus 2, it is not really a button. It is a fingerprint reader that also recognizes a tap gesture. Performance-wise, it can only be described as blazing fast. It is one of the quickest and most accurate readers we have experienced to date, if not the very best. OnePlus has done such an amazing job in this department that we actually suspected some cheating, along the lines of not verifying the print and skipping the security. But we were wrong. The whole thing just works and does so blazing fast.
Left side on the device
On the left side of the OnePlus 3 we find a standard volume rocker, with the same metal finish as the rest of the unit. Right above it, however, is a rather uncommon control that you don't see that often in the Android realm. It is the Alert Slider, which can quickly toggle between the three basic notification states - Silent, Priority and All. The feature is also customizable and is something fans should already be familiar with from the OnePlus 2.
Right-hand side
Moving on to the right of the unit, we see the power button, done in exactly the same fashion as the volume rocker. Then there is the SIM tray. The OnePlus 3 is a Dual-SIM device, so the tray actually takes two nano cards. Sadly, neither of them is a hybrid and it is sad to see OnePlus skimping on expandable storage altogether.
Top side
To wrap our tour up, the top of the OnePlus 3 is absolutely empty, not even a secondary mic, which is on the back.
Bottom side
The bottom, on the other hand, is quite busy. Here we find the USB Type-C connector, which, sadly, only offers a USB 2.0 connection. We also have a single speaker grille, the main microphone and next to it, the 3.5mm jack. It is good to see that OnePlus hasn't given in to an emerging trend of late and kept this vital feature.
Display
The OnePlus 3 is equipped with a 5.5-inch screen, which still seems to be right in the sweet spot by current standards. The 1080p resolution has been among the most controversial aspects of said display and frankly the whole phone. This is actually a debate that we have had before on quite a few occasions, so we won't go into the whole QHD vs FullHD debate yet again. What we'll say, however, is that having a more power-friendly lower-res panel was definitely a conscious decision and like Carl Pei has said on several occasions, not one dictated by cost. Sure, the diamond pentile pixel arrangement probably wasn't the best choice, but you really have to be nitpicking to go so far as to criticize it.
The AMOLED panel in question comes courtesy of Samsung and is specifically made for the OnePlus 3, hence the Optic AMOLED moniker. Still, it looks just as gorgeous an any other Samsung Super AMOLED panel and unless you place it next to a QHD phone, the difference between the two is hardly noticeable.
Just to try and address the whole resolution issue in its entirety as best we can, yes, 1080p is a notable drawback when it comes to VR and that is truly ironic, considering the recent release of the OnePlus VR headset. However, the company has made it clear that from its standpoint, strapping a phone to your forehead is more of a gimmick than a viable approach to VR in its current form, and as such is not considered a priority.
Anyway, back to the Optic AMOLED panel. It offers a quite respectable 401ppi and at 433 nits at full blast, it is bright enough for most scenarios. As expected, blacks are deep and contrast is infinite.
| Display test | 100% brightness | ||
| Black, cd/m2 | White, cd/m2 | ||
| 0.75 | 598 | 799 | |
| 0.30 | 399 | 1334 | |
| 0.00 | 340 | ∞ | |
| 0.00 | 433 | ∞ | |
| 0.42 | 403 | 953 | |
| 0.00 | 338 | ∞ | |
| 0.00 | 353 | ∞ | |
| 0.00 | 391 | ∞ | |
| 0.47 | 442 | 940 | |
| 0.00 | 351 | ∞ | |
| 0.39 | 396 | 1021 | |
| 0.28 | 452 | 1609 | |
| 0.51 | 628 | 1227 | |
| 0.43 | 532 | 1238 | |
| 0.68 | 789 | 1158 | |
| 0.30 | 426 | 1444 | |
| 0.00 | 363 | ∞ | |
| 0.00 | 421 | ∞ | |
| 0.00 | 425 | ∞ | |
Sunlight legibility is superb. The panel on the OnePlus 3 surpasses most of Samsung's 2015 offers and is up to par with its current models.
Sunlight contrast ratio
- Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+
4.615 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
4.439 - OnePlus 3
4.424 - Samsung Galaxy S7
4.376 - HTC One A9
4.274 - Samsung Galaxy A3
4.241 - Samsung Galaxy S6
4.124 - Samsung Galaxy S6 edge
4.124 - Samsung Galaxy Note5
4.09 - Huawei Nexus 6P
4.019 - OnePlus X
3.983 - Oppo R7s
3.964 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016)
3.918 - Samsung Galaxy A5
3.895 - Samsung Galaxy J7 outdoor
3.879 - Samsung Galaxy J2 outdoor
3.873 - Samsung Galaxy A8
3.859 - Apple iPhone 6
3.838 - Samsung Galaxy A9 (2016)
3.817 - Motorola Moto X (2014)
3.816 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) outdoor mode
3.802 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016)
3.789 - Apple iPhone 6s
3.783 - Meizu Pro 5
3.781 - Microsoft Lumia 650
3.772 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
3.756 - Oppo F1 Plus
3.709 - Vivo X5Pro
3.706 - Apple iPhone SE
3.681 - Samsung Galaxy A7
3.679 - Meizu PRO 6
3.659 - BlackBerry Priv
3.645 - Apple iPhone 6s Plus
3.53 - Acer Jade Primo
3.521 - Microsoft Lumia 950
3.512 - Oppo R7 Plus
3.499 - Samsung Galaxy J7
3.422 - Meizu MX5
3.416 - Oppo R7
3.32 - Xiaomi Mi 5
3.24 - Samsung Galaxy J2
3.235 - Sony Xperia X Performance
3.234 - Motorola Moto X Play
3.222 - Huawei P9
3.195 - Lenovo Vibe Shot
3.113 - Motorola Moto X Force
3.105 - LG Nexus 5X
3.092 - Huawei Mate S
3.073 - Microsoft Lumia 640 XL
3.065 - Apple iPhone 6 Plus
3.023 - Sony Xperia X
2.989 - Samsung Galaxy Note
2.97 - Huawei Mate 8
2.949 - LG G5
2.905 - HTC One S
2.901 - Sony Xperia Z5
2.876 - Microsoft Lumia 550
2.851 - Sony Xperia Z3+
2.824 - Sony Xperia Z5 compact
2.784 - LG V10
2.744 - Xiaomi Redmi 3
2.735 - Sony Xperia M5
2.69 - Vivo V3Max
2.659 - Xiaomi Mi 4i
2.641 - Sony Xperia XA
2.609 - Xiaomi Mi 4c
2.574 - LeEco Le Max 2
2.567 - Microsoft Lumia 640
2.563 - Oppo F1
2.528 - Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
2.525 - Sony Xperia M4 Aqua
2.503 - Motorola Moto G
2.477 - Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus
2.473 - Huawei G8
2.471 - Sony Xperia Z
2.462 - Huawei Honor 7
2.406 - ZUK Z1 by Lenovo
2.382 - HTC 10
2.378 - Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016)
2.378 - LG G4
2.317 - HTC One E9+
2.305 - Alcatel One Touch Hero
2.272 - Lenovo Vibe K4 Note
2.254 - Sony Xperia C5 Ultra
2.253 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (MediaTek)
2.249 - Sony Xperia C4 Dual
2.235 - Motorola Moto G (2014)
2.233 - LG Nexus 5
2.228 - Huawei P8
2.196 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 2
2.166 - OnePlus Two
2.165 - HTC One X
2.158 - LG Aka
2.145 - Archos 50 Diamond
2.134 - Xiaomi Redmi Note
2.119 - Xiaomi Mi 4S
2.095 - Acer Liquid X2
2.084 - Huawei P8lite
2.078 - Moto G 3rd gen max manual
2.026 - Xiaomi Mi Max
1.996 - Sony Xperia E4g
1.972 - OnePlus One
1.961 - Meizu m3 note
1.923 - BlackBerry Leap
1.892 - Meizu m2 note
1.892 - HTC Butterfly
1.873 - ZTE Nubia Z9 mini
1.759 - Sony Xperia U
1.758 - Asus Zenfone Selfie
1.68 - Motorola Moto E (2nd Gen)
1.675 - ZTE Nubia Z9
1.659 - Jolla Jolla
1.605 - Motorola Moto E
1.545 - Sony Xperia M
1.473 - Xiaomi Redmi 2
1.311 - Sony Xperia C
1.283 - Meizu MX
1.221 - Sony Xperia E
1.215
As for colors and accuracy, there are quite a few points to be made. Just like with resolution, the OnePlus 3 has already received quite a bit of criticism for not offering tuning to sRGB. This is yet another point Carl Pei had to weigh in on, by saying that sRGB is another thing OnePlus consciously decided not to gun for, due to its limited appeal to a broader user base. The company co-founder has also promised that the feature will be added as an option within the setting in a future OTA, but overall, the OnePlus 3 exhibits the same rich colors as we have grown used to seeing on AMOLED screens.
There is also a color tone slider present in the phone's display settings. It actually changes the screen's behavior quite a bit. In its default setting, the display is actually a bit dimmer with a maximum brightness on 404 nits and all the colors are a lot punchier. If, however, you are after a more color-accurate setting, pulling the slider all the way to the right produces the best results with an average deltaE of 6.0. This also brings the brightness up to the aforementioned 433 nits.
Connectivity
The OnePlus 3 is a Dual-SIM device, just like its predecessor. It takes two nano SIM cards, neither of which is a hybrid slot. As mentioned, a microSD is not an option.
There is LTE on board as well. It comes courtesy of Qualcomm's current flagship chip, the Snapdragon 820, which means Cat.6 speeds of up to 300 Mbps downstream and a rich combination of HSPDA and LTE bands, making the OnePlus 3 a truly global device.
There's a full set of a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi standards on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot and DLNA media sharing on supported TVs and PCs.
There is also Bluetooth 4.2 added to the mix, which is a small upgrade from the v4.1 in the OnePlus 2. Actually, the OnePlus 3 shares most of its communication capabilities with its predecessor with just minor upgrades like this.
Likewise, it also uses a USB Type-C port for charging, data and also USB host scenarios. Overall, USB Type-C is a safer choice now than it was last year, when the standard was still a rarity among devices. However, one thing that does already feel out of date is the USB 2.0 speed of the port. Still, it is not a massive drawback in most cases.
Battery
The OnePlus 3 is equipped with a sealed-in 3,000mAh battery. This is a fair amount of juice, but again, there could have been a little extra to go around, if OnePlus had stuck to their original flat back design approach. However, then we wouldn't have a device that is quite so thin and light.
The OnePlus 3 managed to clock in a respectable 66 hours of endurance rating. This actually falls in line pretty well with what we have seen from previous OnePlus phones - 61 hours total on the OnePlus 2 and exactly 66 hours on the original OnePlus One as well. This is an achievement, as the OnePlus 3 does have the smallest battery of the bunch.
It is great to see that the traditionally excellent call time has now become even better at almost 32 hours. Video playback has also received a major improvement. The weakest link seems to be browsing time.
As for charging, we already mentioned the excellent Dash charging technology that has become available via related Oppo and its industry-leading VOOC. OnePlus was also kind enough to include the necessary Dash adapter in the retail package. It is surprisingly compact and can pump out a whopping 4A / 5V, which adds up to 20W.
The technology also rules out drawbacks like overheating, which one could naturally expect at such a massive output. In fact, the Dash system is so efficient that it practically eliminated the need for overnight charging while we tested the device. 30 minutes on the socket consistently got us up to 60% from a dead phone.
The battery testing procedure is described in detail in case you're interested in the nitty-gritties. You can also check out our complete battery test table, where you can see how all of the smartphones we've tested will compare under your own typical use.
Oxygen 3.1.2 on top of Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow
The original OnePlus One came running on CyanogenMod but in the end OnePlus had to come up with an original launcher and drop the Cyanogen entirely. This is how the Oxygen OS was born and although the ambitious ROM has come a long way now that it is on version 3.1.2, little has changed on the surface and most improvements are behind the scenes.
The Oxygen launcher aims to bring a nearly vanilla Android experience enhanced only by few, but useful software tricks. Last year, when the OnePlus 2 was released android Marshmallow was still a project in development. However, the active Oxygen community had already managed to port a lot of its new features to Lollipop, like app permission management and drivers for the fingerprint reader and USB Type-C port. Now that all this comes standard in Android, we can only imagine the Oxygen team had a few things less on its plate.
Most of the Android interface is intact - it's the Material design and icons we first met in Android Lollipop. All vanilla Android fans will be pleased to find out OnePlus touched almost nothing as far as homescreens and menu visuals are concerned.
OnePlus added four very useful gestures, which are available on a turned off screen. You can double tap to wake it up, draw O to open the camera, draw V to toggle the flashlight on/off, or draw < > for previous/next track. Current OnePlus users will already be familiar with these and pleased to see they are untouched.
OnePlus gestures
This time around, the fingerprint reader is better than ever. It is still always-on and can be used for unlocking the phone without waking it up and as already mentioned, it is fast. In fact, it is so fast and precise that you could easily forget its there, which is a great achievement.
The lockscreen is the usual affair - it shows missed notifications. Swiping left or right will fire up the dialer or the camera.
The lockscreen
The Oxygen launcher is incredibly clean and very close to vanilla Android indeed. There are, however, a few notable tweaks. For instance, the launcher has a feature called Shelf, which takes the form of your leftmost homescreen. Here you can see the weather, your most used apps, and frequent contacts. You can also add widgets here and change the header image. When you first setup the phone it asks if you want to use Shelf. You can also disable or enable it later through the homescreen settings menu.
The homescreen • Shelf and custom widgets
The notification shade is standard as well. You can lower it with a single swipe from anywhere in the UI and an additional one will reveal the quick toggles. You can also use two fingers to bring down the whole thing in a single swipe. As for the toggles, they include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Night Mode, Airplane mode, screen auto-rotate, flashlight, location on/off, the option to cast the screen, Hotspot toggle and now also a color invert quick shortcut. These can all be rearranged and hidden easily. Of course, you can also adjust the brightness of the screen and go into the settings menu too.
The notification shade
The app switcher has a neat card interface that allows you to select the app you need by swiping up or down. You can close apps by swiping left or right, or by hitting the dedicated button on the top right corner of each card. Google Chrome, which is the default browser, no longer presents each tab as a view in this interface, but it can still be enabled in Chrome settings. The bottom of the tab switcher also has three convenient toggles - one to clean resources, one to empty the list and the last one to quickly go to the app manager and edit things like permissions and notification privileges.
Finally, Google Now is summoned by tap and hold on the Home key on any interface.
The task switcher • Google Now
OnePlus has always put great emphasis on customizability and like previous models, it is still woven right into the device from hardware, all the way to software. We already mentioned that Oxygen OS lets you easily chose between using the phone's capacitive keys or on-screen controls for navigation. Not only that, but you can also remap and rearrange said controls respectively - the Menu and App Switcher keys can be reversed, plus you can assign them custom actions upon tap&hold.
The notification LED colors are also configurable. OnePlus has even included an alternative theme - Dark mode, which changes the color scheme of the entire UI to a more power-efficient dark shade. Besides battery improvements, opting for Dark mode also has the added benefit of accent color customization - an otherwise unavailable option.
Some neat extra settings • App permissions
Powerful Snapdragon 820 SoC and 6GB of RAM
Performance has always played a vital part of the signature OnePlus mix. The original "flagship" killer rose to popularity with the promise of high-end specs at a reasonable price tag and that core principle still holds true with the OnePlus 3.
However, there is one important note to be made here. Building an excellent hardware platform doesn't necessarily mean putting in only the most powerful and consequently most expensive parts you can find. This might leave you with quite a lot of big numbers for marketing, but it doesn't automatically make for a good device or good performance.
There is a lot more to it and OnePlus has always been cautious of that fact. Hence, as with the physical aspects of the device, its spec are carefully arranged to be the most reasonable choice to meet OnePlus' vision for a perfect device. The OnePlus 3 has already fallen victim to a lot of criticism for its 1080p panel, as well as seemingly excessive 6GB of RAM, but there is a good reason behind both, which we will mention in a bit. But most-importantly, they were conscious decisions made towards creating a phone to cater primarily to fans of the brand and its signature ideology.
Now, with that rant out of the way, we will start of by stating the undoubtedly subjective, but also undeniable fact that the OnePlus 3 is fast. In fact, we could even go as far as to say it offers the most fluent and snappy Android experience we have seen to date. A lot of this has to do with the powerful Snapdragon 820 SoC, which along with the Adreno 530 is often used to power high-end QHD mobile devices, while on the OnePlus 3, it is left with a lot of breathing room thanks to the FullHD resolution. Of course, software plays a major mart in the mix and OnePlus has definitely lived up to its great reputation in this area as well.
But enough with subjective opinions. If its synthetic benchmarks you're after, we have plenty of those as well and, spoiler alert, the OnePlus 3 is a true powerhouse all around.
We start of with pure CPU performance and GeekBench 3. There were really no surprises here, as there are currently only a few chips out there that can even come close to the raw compute power of the Snapdragon 820 and its Dual-core 2.15 GHz Kryo & dual-core 1.6 GHz Kryo setup. The Samsung Galaxy S7 and the Huawei Mate 8 seem to be enjoying better multi-core optimization with their respective custom chipset solutions. However, as far as Snapdragon 820 devices go, we can clearly see the OnePlus 3 blows away contenders like the Qualcomm-powered Galaxy S7 and the Xiaomi Mi 5.
GeekBench 3 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- Samsung Galaxy S7
6360 - Huawei Mate 8
6323 - OnePlus 3
5520 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (SD)
5420 - Xiaomi Mi 5
5358 - Samsung Galaxy S6
5215 - LeEco Le Max 2
5026 - OnePlus 2
4429 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
4140 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (S650)
3570 - LG G4 (final)
3522 - Sony Xperia Z3+ final
3402 - Xiaomi Mi 4c
3321 - Oppo F1 Plus
3242 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016)
3061 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016)
3039 - Lenovo Vibe K4 Note
2745 - OnePlus One
2663 - ZUK Z1
2341 - OnePlus X
2297 - Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016)
1437
Single core reveals the very same situation, which really means OnePlus has managed to squeeze every last bit of power from the chip and has really created the perfect benching environment with the almost stock Oxygen OS.
GeekBench 3 (single-core)
Higher is better
- OnePlus 3
2383 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (SD)
2345 - Xiaomi Mi 5
2305 - Samsung Galaxy S7
2170 - LeEco Le Max 2
2118 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (S650)
1573 - Oppo F1 Plus
857 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
745 - Lenovo Vibe K4 Note
628 - Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016)
471
Moving on to something a little bit more compound, there is AnTuTu 6. It also take into account things like storage performance and RAM and the OnePlus 3 has a lot of the latter. It is one of the first phones to employ a whopping 6GB of RAM and, as already mentioned, has been criticized quite a bit for the bold choice.
Overall, criticism seems to fall into two arguments. The first claims that 6GB of RAM is just overkill and unnecessary, while the second attacks OnePlus's memory management of choice more directly, as users have been discovering that the phone doesn't tend to keep too many open apps in memory and rather drops them quickly.
Without going into too much detail, we will say that Carl Pei of OnePlus has already responded to both and the provided reasoning does sound perfectly fair. As per the latter, it was a conscious decision to limit the maximum number off apps in memory, in order to stop background tasks from piling up and draining battery. The setting can be easily changed and considering the Oxygen OS sources are already out, third-party ROMs with alternative RAM approaches are sure to follow as well.
And, before you criticize us in the comment section, let us note that we are aware how RAM works and that using more or it does not affect power usage. It is the apps that use it that eat at the power source through other things like CPU or network communications. And this naturally leads us to part of the reason why having 6GB of RAM is justified. It does not damage battery life, but does allow for future-proofing and even in the current state of Android and Oxygen OS, OnePlus claims certain apps like the Camera are already designed to take full advantage of the extra memory. So, it is all to benefit the end user and the experience.
Back to AnTuTu, considering all this, the OnePlus 3 unsurprisingly managed to top the chart.
AnTuTu 6
Higher is better
- OnePlus 3
141764 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (SD)
132849 - Samsung Galaxy S7
132084 - Xiaomi Mi 5
131758 - LeEco Le Max 2
129461 - Huawei Mate 8
91609 - Samsung Galaxy S6
79038 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (S650)
75051 - ZUK Z1
54884 - Oppo F1 Plus
51299 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
49094 - Lenovo Vibe K4 Note
38359 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016)
35689 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016)
35134 - Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016)
27487
Basemark OS II and Basemark OS 2.0 scores further cement the OnePlus 3's stellar overall performance.
Basemark OS II
Higher is better
- OnePlus 3
2677 - LeEco Le Max 2
2494 - Xiaomi Mi 5
2444 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (SD)
2045 - Huawei Mate 8
2033 - Samsung Galaxy S7
2004 - OnePlus 2
1942 - Samsung Galaxy S6
1769 - Xiaomi Mi 4c
1464 - Sony Xperia Z3+ final
1410 - OnePlus X
1290 - ZUK Z1
1285 - OnePlus One
1196 - Oppo F1 Plus
1114 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
999 - Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016)
576
Basemark OS 2.0
Higher is better
- OnePlus 3
2365 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (SD)
2352 - Xiaomi Mi 5
2180 - Samsung Galaxy S7
2128 - LeEco Le Max 2
2063 - Huawei Mate 8
2017 - Samsung Galaxy S6
1674 - OnePlus 2
1622 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (S650)
1537 - Xiaomi Mi 4c
1233 - OnePlus One
1230 - Sony Xperia Z3+ final
1226 - OnePlus X
1213 - ZUK Z1
1178 - Oppo F1 Plus
1092 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
1007 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016)
833 - Lenovo Vibe K4 Note
729
Moving on to graphics, it is hardly surprising to see that the Adreno 530 copes a lot better when tasked to only push pixels in 1080p resolution, as opposed to QHD. Consequently, the OnePlus 3 mostly matches each and every one of its Snapdragon 820 rivals at off-screen rendering performance and blows them away on screen.
GFX 3.0 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)
Higher is better
- Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (SD)
49 - OnePlus 3
46 - Xiaomi Mi 5
45 - LeEco Le Max 2
44 - Samsung Galaxy S7
38 - ZUK Z1
28 - Samsung Galaxy S6
24 - OnePlus 2
22 - Sony Xperia Z3+ final
21 - Huawei Mate 8
18 - Xiaomi Mi 4c
15 - LG G4 (final)
15 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (S650)
14 - OnePlus One
12.1 - OnePlus X
9.9 - Oppo F1 Plus
7 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016)
5.7 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016)
5.7 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
4.9 - Lenovo Vibe K4 Note
4.2 - Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016)
1.8
GFX 3.0 Manhattan (onscreen)
Higher is better
- OnePlus 3
45 - Xiaomi Mi 5
43 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (SD)
29 - ZUK Z1
28 - LeEco Le Max 2
28 - Samsung Galaxy S7
27 - OnePlus 2
22 - Sony Xperia Z3+ final
21 - Huawei Mate 8
18 - Xiaomi Mi 4c
15 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (S650)
14 - Samsung Galaxy S6
14 - OnePlus One
12.9 - OnePlus X
10 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
9.5 - LG G4 (final)
9.4 - Oppo F1 Plus
7 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016)
5.7 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016)
5.7 - Lenovo Vibe K4 Note
4.2 - Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016)
3.8
GFX 3.1 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)
Higher is better
- Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (SD)
32 - OnePlus 3
31 - Xiaomi Mi 5
30 - Samsung Galaxy S7
28 - LeEco Le Max 2
28 - OnePlus 2
16 - Sony Xperia Z3+ final
16 - Xiaomi Mi 4c
10 - Huawei Mate 8
10 - LG G4 (final)
9.9 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (S650)
9.1 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
7.2 - Oppo F1 Plus
3.3 - Lenovo Vibe K4 Note
2.6
GFX 3.1 Manhattan (onscreen)
Higher is better
- OnePlus 3
30 - Xiaomi Mi 5
29 - Sony Xperia Z3+ final
17 - OnePlus 2
16 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (SD)
16 - Samsung Galaxy S7
15 - LeEco Le Max 2
15 - Huawei Mate 8
11 - Xiaomi Mi 4c
9.7 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (S650)
9.1 - LG G4 (final)
5.6 - Oppo F1 Plus
3.3 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
3.2 - Lenovo Vibe K4 Note
2.1
Basemark X
Higher is better
- LeEco Le Max 2
33874 - Xiaomi Mi 5
33110 - OnePlus 3
32715 - Samsung Galaxy S7
32345 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (SD)
32160 - Samsung Galaxy S6
27169 - OnePlus 2
21937 - Sony Xperia Z3+ final
20767 - Huawei Mate 8
15593 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (S650)
14732 - ZUK Z1
13596 - OnePlus One
13129 - Xiaomi Mi 4c
12096 - OnePlus X
10572 - Oppo F1 Plus
6204 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
5383 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016)
5210 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016)
4947 - Lenovo Vibe K4 Note
4072 - Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016)
2180
But, it is the OpenGL ES 3.1 test that really let the OnePlus 3 shine. The frame rates look almost playable.
GFX 3.1 Car scene (offscreen)
Higher is better
- OnePlus 3
18 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (SD)
18 - Xiaomi Mi 5
17 - LeEco Le Max 2
16 - Samsung Galaxy S7
15
GFX 3.1 Car scene (onscreen)
Higher is better
- OnePlus 3
18 - Xiaomi Mi 5
17 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (SD)
10 - LeEco Le Max 2
8.8 - Samsung Galaxy S7
7.9
Basemark ES 3.1 / Metal
Higher is better
- Samsung Galaxy S7
732 - OnePlus 3
625 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (SD)
624 - Xiaomi Mi 5
580 - LeEco Le Max 2
517 - Samsung Galaxy S6
311 - Huawei Mate 8
311 - Xiaomi Mi 4c
248
Contacts and telephony
Not much has changed in regard to the core set of app within Oxygen OS since its last major update.Current OnePlus owners, as well as most stock Android fans will feel right at home.
The contacts manager features tabbed interface, which displays all contacts and the favorites. You can sync with multiple accounts including Google and Exchange. A button to add a new contact is constantly present in the bottom right corner - you can choose which account to sync the new addition with.
Contacts app • The Phone app and its dialer
The phone app comes with a tabbed interface for speed dial, recent calls and all contacts. The dialer is invoked by taping on its dedicated key and supports smart dialing.
OnePlus has has stuck to its typical design approach and like its sibling, the OnePlus 3 also has a single loudspeaker on the bottom. However, this time around it lacks a bit behind the OnePlus 2 and the original OnePlus in terms of loudness. It gets the job done and sounds fine, but we wouldn't count on it at parties.
| Speakerphone test | Voice, dB | Ringing |
Overall score | |
| 66.5 | 62.1 | 66.2 | Below Average | |
| 66.2 | 64.8 | 66.8 | Below Average | |
| 65.8 | 66.0 | 66.5 | Below Average | |
| 66.3 | 66.2 | 65.9 | Below Average | |
| 66.0 | 64.3 | 70.1 | Below Average | |
| 66.7 | 66.6 | 67.7 | Average | |
| 65.9 | 66.3 | 70.7 | Average | |
| 69.7 | 66.6 | 67.2 | Average | |
| 64.5 | 71.0 | 68.9 | Average | |
| 68.1 | 66.3 | 73.7 | Good | |
| 66.9 | 67.2 | 74.0 | Good | |
| 66.5 | 66.6 | 75.8 | Good | |
| 68.7 | 66.6 | 75.7 | Good | |
| 62.4 | 71.0 | 77.8 | Good | |
| 74.7 | 66.6 | 72.3 | Good | |
| 73.2 | 66.6 | 77.5 | Good | |
| 74.8 | 73.5 | 80.2 | Excellent | |
| 75.7 | 73.5 | 80.7 | Excellent |
Messaging and text input
Messaging is pretty much as straightforward an affair as on every other droid out there. The generic Email app is being decommissioned in favor of the Gmail app. If you tap on its icon, it will tell you the Gmail app is the client that will handle all your emails from now on.
Messages app • Gmail • Google Keyboard
As expected, the default Google keyboard is on board as well. It offers two sleek-looking skins - Material Dark and Material Light. It is now smart enough and supports things like Gesture typing, but if you would rather go with a third party for this feature, SwiftKey is also on board by default.
Apps
Google Chrome is unsurprisingly the default browser in the new OnePlus 3. Its design matches the material look and feel of Android.
Google Chrome
One of the Chrome's strengths is its ability to seamlessly sync with the desktop version, using nothing but your Google account. This allows you to open an article on your PC and finish reading it on your mobile phone. It also syncs your bookmarks and favorite sites.
OnePlus has opted to use most of the Google app suite on the OnePlus 3, but there are a few exceptions, like the dedicated File app, Gallery and Music player. The usual organizing tools are present as well - there is the massively capable Google Calendar, a neat Calculator, and Clock (alarms, world clock, timer, stopwatch).
Calendar • Calculator • Clock • Files
Multimedia
Like we were saying, OnePlus has opted to include the standard Google app suite in the handset, but also hasn't skipped on developing a few basic apps itself. The Gallery app is one of them. You can just as easily browse your photos and videos through Google Photos of even the Files app, but Gallery also act as the only built-in video player.
Gallery app
Available video decoders include Xvid, DivX, H.263, H.264 AVC (MKV files), and MPEG-4. The app will play most major file formats, though serious video fans should certainly seek out a more capable solution from the Google Play, as the lack of AC3 audio support is quite limiting. Subtitles aren't supported either.
Basic video playback
The app also photo gives you a number of options. You can share stills, set them as wallpaper or contact photo, or edit them. The built-in Photos editor is incredibly powerful too.
Powerful editing features
As for music playback, again there are two options. The default Oxygen OS Music app is rather basic, but it does offer a few sorting options, as well as a bit more advanced things like tags and favorites.
Music player
However, Google Play Music is still loaded on by default and it is a good thing too. It has come a long way and even if you don't intend to subscribe to Google's streaming service, it still offers bells and whistles like album art, powerful searching algorithms and also the neat ability to upload you own tracks to the cloud and stream them for free.
Google Play Music • Audio equalizer
Oddly enough, you can only access an equalizer from within Google Play Music. Also, it appears to be a lot simpler than the MaxxAudio one that was included in the OnePlus 2. There is no mention of Hi-Fi or any other advanced audio tech either.
Audio output starts off brightly, is only decent with headphones
The OnePlus 3 went off to a flying start in our audio quality test. When used with an active external amplifier, it got top marks for clarity and had very high loudness for one of the more impressive showings out there.
Unfortunately hooking our standard headphones set did quite a lot of damage - the loudness plummeted to only average, stereo crosstalk rose significantly and frequency response got a little shaky. Intermodulation distortion crept in too, so it's not the best in this case and certainly some way behind what we consider flagship standard in 2016.
And now here go the results so you can do your comparison.
| Test | Frequency response | Noise level | Dynamic range | THD | IMD + Noise | Stereo crosstalk |
| OnePlus 3 | +0.01, -0.03 | -93.4 | 93.5 | 0.0039 | 0.0068 | -94.4 |
| OnePlus 3 (headphones) | +0.28, -0.58 | -92.8 | 93.0 | 0.022 | 0.486 | -51.5 |
| Sony Xperia X Performance | +0.01, -0.04 | -95.2 | 90.0 | 0.0038 | 0.011 | -95.1 |
| Sony Xperia X Performance (headphones) | +0.23, -0.17 | -93.2 | 89.3 | 0.0078 | 0.174 | -64.9 |
| LG G5 | +0.01, -0.04 | -92.6 | 92.6 | 0.0051 | 0.0096 | -93.3 |
| LG G5 (headphones) | +0.05, -0.01 | -92.2 | 92.3 | 0.0029 | 0.037 | -50.7 |
| Xiaomi Mi 5 | +0.01, -0.03 | -95.3 | 95.1 | 0.0034 | 0.0065 | -95.1 |
| Xiaomi Mi 5 (headphones) | +0.01, -0.03 | -95.2 | 95.1 | 0.0027 | 0.013 | -71.5 |
| Samsung Galaxy S7 | +0.01, -0.04 | -92.5 | 92.6 | 0.0027 | 0.0078 | -92.7 |
| Samsung Galaxy S7 (headphones) | +0.05, -0.05 | -91.9 | 92.1 | 0.0044 | 0.063 | -73.4 |
| +0.03, -0.04 | -93.5 | 93.5 | 0.0016 | 0.0075 | -73.2 | |
| +0.10, -0.06 | -93.8 | 93.9 | 0.0030 | 0.101 | -68.2 |
OnePlus 3 frequency response
You can learn more about the tested parameters and the whole testing process here.
Powerful 16MP snapper
So, we have already established that the OnePlus 3 offers a series of well thought-out decisions concerning both design and hardware all ultimately culminating in a stylish and powerful device. And with an affordable price tag of EUR 399, one has to wonder where the experience will come short. The camera was naturally our first guess, but once we got to test it out it became obvious that almost no corners were cut in this respect either.
Sure, the OnePlus 3 might not be quite up to par with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S7, but it is a solid snapper that performs consistently and reliably under all conditions and seldom requires more than a single try to capture the desired shot. It utilizes the Sony IMX298 sensor, which might not be the company's cutting edge offer, but is still good enough to power some other excellent flagship camera experiences, like the one on the Xiaomi Mi5 and the Huawei Mate 8. The very same sensor is also found in the Oppo R9 and R9 Plus, the ZTE Nubia Z11 family as well as the Vivo Xplay 5 and the XPlay 5 Elite that we recently reviewed as well.
The 16MP camera has an 1.12µm pixel size and and aperture of f/2.0. It is also OIS-enabled and has a single LED flash at its disposal. As for the selfie snapper, it is nothing too fancy, but still offers a respectable 8MP resolution with an f/2.0 aperture.
First, lets look at the camera experience itself. The default OxygenOS app is based on the stock Android solution and is about as straight-forward and streamlined as it gets. On the surface, it even looks to be missing some features and there are a couple of things we would have liked to see, like still resolution control and perhaps some filters. However, those do seem to be the only absent puzzle pieces.
Simple camera interface
Other than that you have the most important toggles close at hand - flash, HDR and Oxygen OS's HD mode in stills and only the LED control under video. The quick setting button next to the shutter release holds a few extra things, like aspect or video resolution control, the self timer and the grid. And as for more advanced things like geotagging, save location and shutter sound - they are hidden away in the settings menu. There is even a RAW support, so the camera is undoubtedly full-featured.
Extra camera modes
There are also quite a few modes for you to experiment with. Besides the usual Photo and Video, there is also Panorama for stills, Time-lapse and Slow motion for video, all of which we are going to post samples of in a bit. Then there is the powerful Manual mode. It offers granular control over ISO, contrast, shutter seed and focus and it works really well. We particularly like the fact that a convenient auto setting is still left in all the sliders.
Powerful Manual mode
Quality on the OnePlus 3 stills is definitely up to par with 2016 flagship standards. They offer plenty of detail while keeping the noise levels reasoable. The color balance is decently accurate, with a slight warm tint from time to time. We can't really ask more of the OnePlus 3. It has managed to make proper use of the Sony IMX298 sensor just as well as the Xiaomi Mi5 or the Huawei Mate 8. It is a very solid camera experience and that's about as good as we hoped.
OnePlus 3 samples
Auto HDR worked great during our testing and managed to kick in just in time. The processing itself is also very mature, definitely not too excessive. We also appreciate the on-screen notification whenever Auto HDR kicks in. This way you are always clear exactly what the camera app is doing.
HDR off • HDR on • HDR off • HDR on
HDR off • HDR on • HDR off • HDR on
Since the weather is so nice out, we couldn't miss our chance to take the OnePlus out on a field tip and get some real-world samples from it. The typical shoot once, capture the moment type of photos that uses are most likely to take and again, we were impressed with the consistency with which the device produced satisfactory results.
OnePlus 3 samples
Up close, the OnePlus 3 managed to impress with a lot of fine detail as well.
OnePlus 3 close-up samples
It is also clear that the OnePlus 3 does a great job processing foliage. Plus, manual mode makes it really easy to create impressive-looking blur effects.
OnePlus 3 samples
And if you happen to fancy a little bit of extra processing, the OnePlus 3 is more than happy to deliver upon request. The HD toggle in the camera app does just that - it enables some additional enhancement algorithms that try to recover some of the finer detail that might have went missing.
HD off • HD on
The effect is nice in broad day light, but quite subtle to really notice. However, in low light conditions, it does make a discernible difference. As already mentioned, you can think of it as an per-request extra processing mode. When turned on it tries to remove as much of the noise it can and then recover the detail. It works quite well, so much so that the low-light poster sample we selected for the database is shot with HD on. See for yourself.
HD off • HD on
But even outside the studio, the OnePlus 3 produced some excellent stills in less than favorable lighting conditions.
Low-light samples
A dual-tone LED flash would have been a nice improvement over the plane setup OnePlus has gone for, but, it is not really something most users will miss all that much.
Low-light samples
Panorama mode works great with practically no trace of stitching, misalignment or other artifacts.
OnePlus 3 panorama samples
The OnePlus 3 camera impressed outside, here it is in a controlled environment against some of the competition.
OnePlus 3: photo quality comparison
The 8MP front-facing shooter also performed admirably, considering its specs.
Selfie samples
Video
It hardly comes as a surprise that the powerful Snapdragon 820 has plenty of horsepower to deliver 4K video recording. The video recording UI is just as simple as its photo counterpart. You don't really get a whole lot of options, besides a grid and resolution control.
We were kind of disappointed at the lack of 60fps modes, but perhaps, it will come in a future update.
OnePlus 3 video record interface
The 2160p samples have a video bitrate of 42 Mbps, while audio is captured at 96 Kbps with 2 channels (stereo). The 1080p videos have a lower bitrate at 20 Mbps. However, considering the Xiaomi Mi 5 only managed 15 Mbps with the same camera tech, this is a significant improvement.
The amount of resolved detail in the 4K videos is high, but not the best we've seen. The colors are accurate, the contrast is high, while the dynamic range is a slightly above the average. The framerate is smooth and consistent at 30fps. Focus-hunting is kept at a minimum during recording.
1080p isn't quite as impressive. It can definitely use a bit more detail, but other than that,it is just as smooth an 4K. There, however, one major thing to be noted here. The OnePlus 3 has a wider field of view when shooting FullHD video and currently the camera viewfinder does not change to reflect that. This is definitely a nuisance when trying to frame a poster. Hopefully, it's a small bug that gets fixed ASAP.
You can also download the 4K@30fps (13s, 65MB) and the 1080p video (10s, 25MB) samples taken straight off the OnePlus 3.
Optical image stabilization is also present on the OnePlus 3, but it is definitely not the highly-praised 4-axis technology from the Xiaomi Mi 5. In fact, this is probably the camera's biggest weakness. The OnePlus 3 can't really handle shaking all that well.
The OnePlus 3 also offers Slow notion and Time-lapse modes for you to play around with. The former, however, is limited to 720p and take a significant blow to quality.
Finally, you can use our Video Compare Tool to see how the OnePlus 3 stacks against the competition when it comes to video capturing. We have included both the 4K and 1080p samples.
OnePlus 3: video compare tool (2160p)
OnePlus 3: video compare tool (1080p)
Final words
OnePlus has been releasing devices like clockwork during the two or so years since it was established. Their first made a splash that the successor had a hard time matching. Fair enough, it just didn't have the element of surprise on its side. Their third though is surprisingly good. No pun intended and no hidden meaning implied.
A lot of the newbie enthusiasm and "flagship killer" mentality might be gone, but on a positive note, so have the many hurdles of guerrilla marketing and an overstressed production and distribution cycle.
Don't get this wrong though. The OnePlus 3 still follows closely the core OnePlus formula and, just like its siblings, manages to match the performance of current flagships at a lower price point. It is both well built and powerful enough to impress on every level. Plus, what you get this time around is a much more "mature" offer, which you can pick with ease without having to stick through the invite system.
OnePlus 3 key test findings
- One of the thinnest metal-clad devices currently out with a 7.35 mm aluminum chassis. That limits the battery size, but good software optimizations make up for it. Side bezels are almost non-existent.
- Very comfortable to handle and offers a great deal of control options with capacitive buttons, on screen controls, a dedicated alert slider and gestures, all customizeable.
- The display is still very sharp at 401ppi, despite its 1080p resolution. That, combined with Samsung AMOLED technology, retitled Optic AMOLED makes for great power efficiency. Sunlight legibility is good so is color accuracy and at 433 nits, the panel is reasonably bright.
- Connectivity is good with Cat.6 LTE and Dual-SIM. Local connectivity is also good, NFC is present. No expandable storage though.
- Battery time is great. At 66 hours of endurance rating, it manages to match and even top its predecessors, despite the 3,000 mAh battery. Call endurance is particularly good.
- Oxygen OS 3.1.2 is fast and very clean, almost stock. It features only a few OnePlus additional features, like gestures. Most core apps come from the standard Google package.
- Performance is amazing thanks to the powerful Snapdragon 820 SoC and 6GB of RAM. The latter might still be underutilized, but improvements are on the way. Thanks to the 1080p display resolution, the OnePlus 3 achieves high frame rates even on demanding OpenGL ES 3.1 tests.
- Loudspeaker performance is Good, although not spectacular in any way.
- Wired audio is excellent- loud and with very little distortion even with headphones
- The 16MP main camera performs great and consistently. Detail in stills is plenty, colors are vivid, the dynamic range is good and noise is kept at bay even under bad lighting conditions. There is an additional HD mode that enables some extra post-processing and works really well, especially in low light. The front-facing snapper performs adequate for its specs.
- 2160p video looks great. 1080p could use some work. The viewfinder in the latter has an inaccurate FOV and needs to be fixed ASAP. OIS performance is not great.There is no 60fps mode.
After spending some quality time with the device and digging a bit deeper into the ingredients and formula behind it, we are also happy to report that unlike many other players on the mobile scene, big or small, OnePlus hasn't fallen victim to the typical catch-up routine and is still taking its own approach to things.
Choices like the 1080p panel might seem odd at first and could deter many potential buyers, but the great thing is that the OnePlus is comfortable with its decision. To reiterate a point we made at the start, the OnePlus 3 is simply driven by rational choices, closely following the manufacturer's concept of a perfect device and more importantly, that of its dedicated fan base. And frankly, catering to them alone is more than enough for the still growing company to thrive.
That said, we should note that the OnePlus 3 doesn't hold a universal appeal. There are lots of valid reasons why a buyer could want things like a higher-res panel, expandable storage, dual speakers or perhaps a more custom approach to Android - all not a part of the OnePlus 3. There are options out there that could potentially be a much better fit for the above needs.
Now, the OnePlus 3 is in a strange boat, considering the low-price-for-high-specs approach. But unlike previous generations, the Chinese OEM is no longer alone in its niche and other rivals have been going for the same mix.
We actually reviewed two such offers recently. One is the LeEco Le Max 2 - and excellent 5.7-inch phablet with the same impressive Snapdragon 820 plus 6GB of RAM combo, a QHD panel, a 3,100mAh battery with great endurance and a worthy 21MP camera. Overall, you seem to be getting everything the OnePlus 3 offers, all down to the aluminum body for even less money - $350. However, software optimization and support are still a bit of a gamble with LeEco.
The very same actually applies to the vivo XPlay 5 and its Elite sibling as well. These hold the extra allure of a curvy display and you do have to spend quite a bit extra to get the Snapdragon 820 SoC in the Elite trim, but other than that, even in the basic EUR 490 one, you get mostly the same formula: a 5.43-inch QHD Super AMOLED panel, 4GB of RAM and a capable octa-core Snapdragon 652 SoC.
LeEco Le Max 2 • vivo Xplay5 • vivo Xplay5 Elite
The ZUK Z2 Pro by Lenovo is an even closer match for the OnePlus 3. For around EUR 440, you get a 5.2-inch, FullHD, Super AMOLED panel, and the same 6GB of RAM plus Snapdragon 820 combo. The same goes for the ZTE Axon 7 - Snapdragon 820, 5.5-inch, QHD AMOLED panel and 4GB or 6GB RAM, plus 64GB or 128GB storage. However, the software concern still stands.
Lenovo ZUK Z2 Pro • ZTE Axon 7
If you are feeling less adventurous and would rather go for a more mainstream option, Samsung has a few offers that fit the bill. Although the Korean giant has a hard time matching the aforementioned options in a price to specs comparison. But with all the marketing and exposure, it is easy to see where the extra cash goes. And the
You can easily go for a Galaxy A5 (2016) or even a Galaxy A7 (2016) depending on how much you shop around and be within budget. Both will land you with a FullHD Super AMOLED panel and a metal body, but also considerably more midrange internals. The Galaxy A9 (2016) manages to shink the performance gap a bit, but for a good EUR 150 or so more than the OnePlus 3.
Then again, you can always go for the company's flagship - the Galaxy S7. It will even top the OnePlus 3 in terms of camera and looks but it will cost you dearly.
Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016) • Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016) • Samsung Galaxy A9 (2016) • Samsung Galaxy S7
Xiaomi also has quite an alternative to the OnePlus 3. The excellent Xiaomi Mi 5 flagship, which we mentioned on several occasions throughout the review. It can be yours for anywhere between EUR 280 and EUR 440 or so and if you don't mind the slightly smaller 1080p LCD panel, you could potentially get an even better camera experience and a lot more storage for your money.
Xiaomi Mi 5
The OnePlus 3 as the product of a now grown-up start-up is a sentiment that has prevailed ever since the phone's release and we have to admit, it fits the bill perfectly. There is nothing overdone or flashy, no innovation for its own sake about it and yet, it is really something special and not quite mainstream.
But probably the best thing about the OnePlus 3 is that this dualistic nature doesn't really leave much room for major dilemmas. If it is right for you you'll know it and there's little to no fine print.
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