OnePlus 5 confirms itself as a valid alternative to the most popular smartphones on the market, with improved features, it does not forget the good things it had already been able to do, aiming straight to the future.
Now in our editorial office in a package worn out by the tests of the other newspapers, the new one OnePlus 5 and with it the great expectations on the quality of this muffler immediately caught our attention.
Having overcome the initial distrust of the state of the package, a circumstance that the buyers of the product will certainly not have to face, we immediately begin to become familiar with a high-end terminal but with an average cost, destined to make people talk about itself and worthily replace not only its predecessor.
An unstable grip.
The first impact with our developed tactile sensors is decidedly positive, the OnePlus 5, manufacturing name OnePlus 5 A5000, is pleasant to the touch, as well as to the eye.
The rear body at the beginning offers some perplexity due to the lack of grip that returns a marked sensation of sliding, but after having handled it for a few hours the grip returns rather firm.
However, it would be useful to carry out some tests with the device in conditions of particular excitement such as pulling out to drive a motorcycle with one hand, an operation that we can only hypothesize and that we certainly do not invite you to replicate as it is prohibited by the highway code.
Two sims yes or two sims no?
In any case, leaving out the excellent aesthetic sensations which, together with the taste ones, cannot be the subject of speculation, the investigation immediately entered the heart of the use and technical characteristics of this Android smartphone.
The first step is obviously the insertion of at least one sim, this is indeed a non-full active dual-sim terminal and one of the two nano-sim slots, if not used for a second telephone number, could be used for expansion memory via microSD.
For those who need to use the terminal with two sims, it is necessary to report that the housings do not differ in terms of technical characteristics, i.e. it is indifferent which of the two housings is in charge, but once both sims have been inserted it is necessary to select which is the main one. and which is the secondary one as only one of the two sims is able to navigate a 4G and to support calls simultaneously, while the second sim will be able to use the technology 3G e GPRS allowing you to make phone calls only and send text messages. The choice is not entirely acceptable, but it must be said that, from the menu, with a simple tap, it is possible to select sim 1 and sim 2, by switching the relative peculiarities.
Design and technical features.
Returning to the design, the model in our possession is made with a unibody body in black anodized aluminum, indeed, according to the manufacturer "Slate Gray", or slate gray which is actually the color of the rear body, while the front appears simply a rather elegant glossy black.
The other version available is "Soft Gold" with the gold-colored rear body and the front display bordered by a white frame which, more than the dark version, immediately makes you think of the iPhone 7 and today the new iPhone 8.
The top version is also available in the "Midnight Black" color but it is increasingly difficult to buy it as stocks are scarce, finally, from 2 October last, an "artistic" version signed by Jean Charles De Castelbajac with its unmistakable style and the pleasant coloring of the keys.
Among the noteworthy features, apart from the much heralded Horizon Line which "envelops the device creating beautiful shadows when placed in the light" but which in essence seems to create a "slimming" effect on the device - that is, it gives the impression of having tra hands an even thinner device than hers 7,25 mm - what appears to be a real strength of the OnePlus 5, is the quality of the materials and buttons, in particular, of the left button notifications regulator, which has three positions (three clicks) and is equipped with a reticular surface capable of returning a pleasant sensation to the fingertips.
The aforementioned key is a choice borrowed from the previous models, nevertheless it is a useful and quality confirmation, a choice that must be appreciated especially in a sector where the solutions appreciated by users are not always cultivated. The many covers in noble materials, wood and aluminum, further enhance the "body" of the OnePlus 5 and the side buttons, completing the aesthetic offer of the smartphone.
At the same level of quality is the central button equipped with fingerprint recognition, an ultra-fast reader with the two "touch" buttons next to it for navigation in perfect Android style, one dedicated to "recent", the other to return " back".
The latter, as well as being able to be reversed in the menu of the version of the operating system installed on the terminal OxygenOS 4.5 based on Android 7.1.1 "Nougat", can also be displayed at the base of the display as a navigation bar, a very useful feature for fans of the Google operating system.
What's inside?
The version of OnePlus 5 under test is equipped with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of ROM memory (internal storage memory), the fluidity of the operating system and of each tested application make us only pleasantly imagine the power of the other version on the market, with even 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of ROM memory.
The smartphone is equipped with a processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 , Octa-core with 10 nm construction technology, clock frequency up to 2,45 GHz; a "brain" that allows the OnePlus 5 to run every application launched, thanks to the interaction with the large amount of RAM memory, without any problem.
For the other characteristics, please refer to the manufacturer's declarations with the summary tables. For the weight and the characteristics it must be said that although it does not host one of the largest and most performing displays on the market - think of the new screens with a "wow" effect - this OnePlus 5 it is of the right size to be used without problems, despite the still generous display.
Gripped with the dominant hand only, it allows easy use without using the other hand, even in the act of writing texts or messages, a feature, the latter, a little forgotten by smartphone manufacturers, increasingly looking for something of "bigger" with the production of "Plus" and Phablet and / or Tablet versions.
The display is a Gorilla Glass 5 5.5 inch 2.5D Corning equipped with Amoled 1080p Full HD technology with 401 ppi resolution, despite being almost indestructible according to the manufacturer's indications, it is certainly not the best that can already be found on the market (think of Samsung's infinity display in terms of brightness and resolution or the upcoming arrival of the Super Retina HD of the new iPhone X ), yet, also in consideration of the price difference between the terminals, the screen quality of the OnePlus 5 pleasantly impressed us, the brightness stands out and the colors have a good color rendering.
The slight curvature, provided by the 2.5D Corning feature, well provides that slight sense of depth for which it was designed. Among the functions implemented in the operating system, noteworthy is the new reading mode that transforms the OnePlus 5 in a sort of e-reader like the most famous Kindle, this function, which supports the "night" mode, can be associated with one or more applications so that when you launch, for example, a pdf reader app, the mobile phone automatically switches to reading mode.
It seems superfluous to report that the version of Android preloaded on the new one OnePlus 5 has a very intuitive and well organized launcher, very pleasant, with everything you need at your fingertips and without too many frills.
With a simple touch from top to bottom you have a two-level status bar, with the first providing the latest news and an initial "taste" of the shortcuts for settings, the second, however, shows all the most used functions as well as system operating info.
The gestures are customizable and the touch has an excellent response, our preference is for the immediate elimination of the vibration at the touch of the keys, particularly unpleasant when combined with the sensation of sliding and the vigor of the vibration, intensified, in all probability, by the material used for the shell.
A lot of energy in a short time.
Before moving on to the fundamental quality that a mobile phone must have to be defined as such, or good reception, let's talk about the non-removable 3300 mAh battery inserted in the OnePlus 5.
The smartphone is equipped with a charger Dash Charge, which, using the connector Type-C, promises - and to be honest it keeps the promise very well - a quick recharge of half an hour to allow the use of the smartphone (in soft mode we add) for a whole day.
Il Dash Charge it is very useful as it allows even with only 10 minutes of charging to obtain enough energy to allow you the vast majority of urgent activities that may be required from a smartphone, with all due respect to bulky energy banks, charge banks and ultra fat cases with built-in batteries.
Nothing extraordinary or innovative, as fast charging is now present in terminals that cost half the price, but it is certainly a winning choice to be implemented as a "standard" for the future.
Don't miss that call.
So we come to the reception, the test was carried out mainly in an area where coverage is often not optimal and some managers, whose names we are careful not to mention, do not guarantee the optimal performance that one would expect from giants in the sector.
Either way, the OnePlus 5, taking advantage of 34 bands, it does the job for which it was designed very well, even with little signal the call remains stable, the audio quality is absolutely above average and no significant holes have been recorded during conversations.
The audio sector is good but not extraordinary, despite having three noise-canceling microphones and the 3,5 mm audio jack socket, the smartphone has only one speaker facing downwards: from a terminal of this level one would expect at least one double stereo speaker. The lack is somehow rebalanced by the overall quality of the speaker, the volume is very high and its are faithfully reproduced, with some metallic smudges in extreme conditions.
Connectivity in full force.
Starting at the end of our test and before going on to describe the technical qualities of the photographic sector (second good reason for buying a smartphone), it is necessary to remember that the OnePlus 5 it is equipped with NFC technology for data transfer with other terminals and for any application capable of using the technology.
Connectivity is guaranteed practically on every existing technological devilry: from LTE 4G in all its forms, al 3G HSPA, W-CDMA and so on and so forth, put more of it; at home and away from home, where there is a Wi-Fi connection, the latter is hooked by an excellent chip 2 × 2 MIMO, Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac, 2.4G / 5G. In our test, the connection from a proprietary router was particularly efficient.
As for the much appreciated geolocation services, the OnePlus 5 he thought of the whole world: he served as GPS, from its Russian version GLONASS, from the European Galileo, finally to the navigation system developed by the People's Republic of China Beidou. Obviously, everything interacts with the sensors dedicated to movement with which it is equipped OnePlus 5: the Hall sensor, the accelerometer, the gyroscope, the proximity sensor, the electronic compass, finally to the Hub sensor.
Two eyes on the world.
Last but not least, we just have to talk about the "eyes" of OnePlus 5. The eyes (the cameras ed) of the brand new smartphone from the Chinese company OnePlus, were manufactured by the Japanese Sony with excellent results.
The two sensors, both 16 megapixel, have different technical characteristics; the rear one, as well as a focal ratio lower f / 1.7, in the face of a relationship f / 2.0 for the front one, it is equipped with a 20 megapixel telephoto lens with focal ratio f / 2.6.
In portrait mode, the combination of the telephoto lens with the other sensor allows the correct and more precise determination of the distances, while a proprietary software carries out the rest of the operations, returning a more focused and better illuminated image. The camera is also capable of recording ultra-high resolution videos up to 4K, using the Time Lapse technique or Slow Motion (slow motion from 720p to 120fps).
The default setting allows you to take pictures with a 4: 3 ratio with the maximum resolution, while selecting the 16: 9 ratio the resolution drops to 12 megapixels, however without too many compromises in the final result.
The capture of colors is satisfactory and faithful, the light offers some hitches to the sensor, especially when it is poor, the background noise is present at late night but not in a way to make the backgrounds indistinct, certainly the image re-processing could undergo some improvement in software, but we are at the level of compact cameras of the best brands.
The technical settings for capturing photos are many and allow a wide management of the owner's artistic flair, only time and the use of the software can help you identify the best shooting conditions and settings.
Ok the price is right.
Ultimately, the new OnePlus 5, deserves the purchase especially if you compare the cost of this terminal with that of the other high-end ones.
In the period of our trial the purchase is possible around at 400 euros, the launch price was, in June, 499 euros for the 64 GB version and 559 euros for the 128 GB version.
It is precisely the value for money, the strong point of this terminal, OnePlus 5 due to the low price, it is, in its own right, a valid alternative to the more expensive and famous Samsung and Apple terminals, and, in all likelihood, it will be so for several months to come.
