This year was full of surprises in the smartphone market. Some of them were pleasant, some of them were not. One of the not-so-pleasant surprises was the OnePlus 5. While it had a lot to offer for its price, it just didn’t seem to be modern enough, compared to other flagships. The Chinese company solved the problem by delivering the OnePlus 5T, which aligns perfectly with the look that became so popular this year in the smartphone world. Also, it offers some new specs over its predecessor, the OnePlus 5, which launched only a few months ago. The new smartphone is going after the number one spot, so we decided to compare it to the Android king, the Samsung Galaxy Note8.
OnePlus 5T
When the OnePlus 5 launched, many people were disappointed by some of its specs and its dated looks. Only a few months after the release of OnePlus’s 2017 flagship, the company announced the OnePlus 5T, which is an improved version of the handset, in every way. First of all, it has a new design. The OnePlus 5T embraces the new trend and features an all-screen design with a 6.01-inch display and an 18:9 aspect ratio. On the back, it has the same aluminum cover, however, this time around, the fingerprint sensor is on the back cover too, as it has no room on the front.
Under the hood of the OnePlus 5T, there is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, paired with an Adreno 540 GPU. The smartphone comes in two variants. The base model includes 6GB of RAM and 64GB internal storage while the more powerful version of this model offers 8GB of RAM and 128GB internal storage. Unfortunately, the OnePlus 5T doesn’t feature a microSD card slot, so in this case, what you see is what you get, storage-wise. The handset runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat out of the box and it will reportedly get the Oreo upgrade soon. The new model sports the same 3,300mAh battery as the original OnePlus 5 did.
The OnePlus 5T, just like its predecessor, features a dual rear camera setup, consisting of a 20MP sensor and a 16MP one. According to the company, the new model’s dual camera is a little more impressive, and it works a lot better in low-light conditions. On the front, users will find the same 16MP sensor as they did on the OnePlus 5 that launched in the summer. The new model doesn’t support wireless charging either, it sticks only with the fast charging support. Thankfully, the audio jack is here to stay. One feature that is new is the facial recognition. It’s unclear just how safe it is, but it is definitely a lot faster than the same feature of other smartphone models.
While the OnePlus 5T has a lot to offer over its predecessor, it has price tag. This probably enfuriates people who already bouth the OnePlus 5, but it is great news for those who didn’t and can now opt for the more impressive OnePlus 5T instead. The smartphone will reportedly go on sale starting November 21.
Specs
– 6.01-inch 1080 x 2160 pixels resolution screen, 18:9 ratio
– octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
– 6GB/8GB RAM
– 64GB/128GB storage
– 20MP+16MP dual rear camera, 16MP secondary camera
– 3,300mAh battery
Samsung Galaxy Note8
The Samsung Galaxy Note8 is probably one of the best Android phones of the year. It has the same curved Infinity Display as the Samsung galaxy S8 and S8 Plus, with a slightly different design of the body, and some extra features to offer over its family members. The 6.3-inch monster features a 1440 x 2960 pixels resolution and the same 18:9 aspect ratio as the new OnePlus 5T. The visual experience offered by the Samsung Galaxy Note8 is definitely better than the one of the OnePlus 5T, mainly due to the fact that this is a SuperAMOLED display. When looking at the OnePlus 5T’s display from the side, it creates a strange, colorful look, which Samsung Galaxy Note8 users will never get to see. Also, the Samsung Galaxy Note8 feels a little more premium with its glass back. On the other hand, the same feature also makes it more vulnerable to minor accidents.
The US version of the Galaxy Note8 carries the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset as the OnePlus 5T. In other regions, the Samsung flagship is available with the company’s own Exynos 8895 octa-core SoC. The Note8 comes in three different storage variants, including 64GB, 128GB or 256GB of flash storage. All models offer the same amount of memory, namely 6GB. In this section, the OnePlus 5T has something extra to offer, with its 8GB of RAM variant. However, the Note8 offers users the possibility to expand the storage of the handset by up to 256GB, a feature the OnePlus 5T doesn’t offer. As far as the battery and the operating system versions go, the Galaxy Note8 is the same as the OnePlus 5T.
Samsung’s flagship smartphone was the first handset of the company to feature a dual rear camera setup. The dual 12MP camera is quite nice, however, the OnePlus 5T’s cameras might prove to be even better. On the front, the Galaxy Note8 features an 8MP sensor. While it has the same battery as the OnePlus 5T, it does support wireless charging, and it offers Samsung DeX and Bixby, both of which lack from the new OnePlus smartphone. The facial recognition software of the Galaxy Note 8 is not as safe as one would have expected it to, and it’s not as fast as the one featured by the OnePlus 5T either.
The Samsung’s Galaxy Note8 is not only the comany’s best smartphone, it is also the most expensive one ever delivered by Samsung. Its price starts at $950, which is almost double the price of the OnePlus 5T. Of course, it has some extra features to offer, like the S Pen support and the higher-end materials for its price.
Specs
– 6.3-inch 1440 x 2960 pixels resolution screen, 18.5:9 ratio
– octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835/Exynos 8895 chipset
– 6GB RAM
– 64GB/128GB/256GB storage
– 12MP dual rear camera, 8MP secondary camera
– 3,300mAh battery
Is the OnePlus 5T a flagship killer?
If we only look at the specs, the OnePlus 5T doesn’t necessarily seem to be the winner in this race. The Galaxy Note8 has a more premium build, and it offers S Pen support. Its display is more beautiful, and it can charge wirelessly. However, if we take the prices of these smartphones into consideration too, the OnePlus 5T is definitely the flagship killer. It sells for almost half the price of the Galaxy Note8 and it offers similar specs as the Samsung flagship does. The features that are missing from the OnePlus 5T and are present in the Note8 just doesn’t seem to be worth the extra $450. Overall, the OnePlus 5T just offers more for its price than the Galacy Note8 does, making it a better choice.
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