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OnePlus 3 review: Refining a flagship killer

By Liu Hongzuo - 18 Aug 2016
Launch SRP: S$699

Benchmark Performance, Camera Performance, Battery Life & Conclusion

Benchmark Performance

The OnePlus 3 uses a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoC, with two Kyro CPUs clocked at 2.2GHz, while the other two are at 1.6GHz. We’ve stacked the phone against other similarly-priced rivals that pack similar hardware. The OnePlus 3 stands out with its massive 6GB RAM, but the phone requires slight tweaking if you want to use all 6GB’s worth.

Test phones compared
  OnePlus 3 Huawei Mate 8 Oppo R9 Plus Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016) Sony Xperia XA Ultra Xiaomi Mi 5 ZTE Axon 7
  OnePlus 3 Huawei Mate 8 Oppo R9 Plus Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016) Sony Xperia XA Ultra Xiaomi Mi 5 ZTE Axon 7
Launch SRP
  • From S$699
  • From S$648
  • From S$619
Operating system
  • Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow with Oxygen OS 3.2.4
  • Android 6.0 Marshmallow with EMUI 4.0
  • Android 5.1 Lollipop with Color OS 3.0
  • Android 5.1 Lollipop
  • Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow
  • Android 6.0 Marshmallow with MIUI 7.0
  • Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow
Processor
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 (dual-core 2.15GHz Kryo & dual-core 1.6GHz Kryo)
  • HiSilicon Kirin 950 Octa-core (Quad-core 2.3 GHz Cortex-A72 + quad-core 1.8 GHz Cortex A53) processor
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 octa-core 1.8GHz
  • Samsung Exynos 7580 octa-Core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A53
  • Mediatek MT6755 Helio P10 octa-core
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 (Dual-core 1.8 GHz Kryo & dual-core 1.36 GHz Kryo)
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 quad-core (Dual-core 2.15 GHzKyro & dual-core 1.6GHz Kyro)
Built-in Memory
  • 6GB
  • 4GB RAM
  • 4GB RAM
  • 3GB RAM
  • 3GB RAM
  • 3GB RAM
  • 4GB RAM
Display
  • 5.5-inch / 1,920 x 1,080 pixels (401 ppi) / Optic AMOLED
  • 6.0-inch / 1,920 x 1,080 pixels (368 ppi) / IPS-NEO LCD
  • 6.0-inch / 1,920 x 1,080 pixels (367 ppi) / AMOLED
  • 5.5-inch 1,920 x 1,080 Full HD Super AMOLED
  • 6.0-inch / 1,920 x 1,080 pixels (~367 ppi) / IPS LCD
  • 5.1-inches / 1,920 x 1,080 pixels (428 ppi) / IPS LCD
  • 5.5-inch / 2,560 x 1,440 pixels (538 ppi) / AMOLED
Camera
  • Rear: 16-megapixel, f/2.0, phase detection autofocus, OIS, LED flash, 1/2.8" sensor size, 1.12 µm pixel size
  • Front: 8-megapixel, f/2.0, 1/3.2" sensor size, 1.4 µm pixel size
  • Rear: 16-megapixel, f/2.0, 27mm, OIS, phase detection autofocus, dual-LED (dual tone) flash
  • Front: 8-megapixel f/2.4, 26mm
  • Rear: 16MP, f2.0, phase detection autofocus, LED flash
  • Front: 16MP. f.20
  • Rear: 13MP CMOS with LED Flash, AF
  • Front: 5.0MP CMOS
  • Rear: 21.5-megapixel, f/2.2, LED flash, Phase Detection Autofocus
  • Front: 16-megapixel
  • Rear: 16-megapixel, f/2.0, 1/2.8" sensor size, 1.12 µm pixel size, phase detection autofocus, OIS (4-axis), dual-LED (dual tone) flash
  • Front: 4-megapixel, f/2.0, 1/3" sensor size, 2µm pixel size
  • Rear: 20-megapixel, f/1.8, autofocus, dual-LED flash, Optical Image Stablization
  • Front: 8-megapixel
Connectivity
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (dual band), Bluetooth 4.2, NFC, DLNA, USB Type-C, USB 3.1 Gen 1
  • Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4+5GHz),DLNA, Bluetooth 4.2, NFC, GPS, GLONASS
  • Bluetooth 4.1, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 and 5GHz), Wi-Fi Direct, Micro-USB 2.0
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n 2.4 + 5GHz, USB 2.0 , Bluetooth 4.1 A2DP, AVRCP, DI, HFP, HID, HOGP, HSP, MAP, OPP, PAN, PBAP, NFC, GPS/Glonass
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot, NFC, Bluetooth v4.1
  • Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4+5GHz),DLNA, Bluetooth 4.2, NFC, GPS, GLONASS, USB Type C
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot, 4G LTE, Bluetooth v4.2, A2DP, GPS, NFC, USB Type-C
Storage Type
  • 64GB internal storage
  • 64GB internal storage
  • MicroSD card slot up to 128GB
  • 64GB / 128GB ROM
  • MicroSD, up to 256GB
  • 16GB Internal memory + microSD slot (up to 128GB)
  • 16GB internal storage
  • microSD support up to 256GB
  • 32GB internal storage
  • 64GB internal storage
  • microSD support up to 256GB
Battery
  • 3,000mAh
  • Dash Charge
  • 4,000mAh
  • 4,120mAh Li-polymer
  • Non-removable
  • 3,300mAh
  • 2,700mAh
  • 3,000mAh
  • 3,250mAh
Dimensions
  • 152.7 x 74.7 x 7.4 mm
  • 157.1 x 80.6 x 7.9 mm
  • 163.1 x 80.8 x 7.4mm
  • 151.5 x 74.1 x 7.3mm
  • 164 x 79 x 8.4mm
  • 144.6 x 69.2 x 7.3 mm
  • 151.7 x 75 x 7.9mm
Weight
  • 158g
  • 185g
  • 185g
  • 169g
  • 202g
  • 129g
  • 175g

 

SunSpider

SunSpider JavaScript measures the browsing performance of a device when processing JavaScript. It not only takes into consideration the underlying hardware performance, but also assesses how optimized a particular platform is at delivering a high-speed web browsing experience. The OnePlus 3 scored decently against its peers, and we didn’t experience any noticeable slowdown during our surfing sessions.

 

Quadrant

Quadrant benchmarks a device’s CPU, I/O, and GPU performance. With its Snapdragon 820 processor, the OnePlus 3 scored high in the benchmark, even beating out peers with similar hardware like the standard Xiaomi Mi 5 thanks to its higher clock speeds. Our only performance gripe was how some notifications don’t show up when they come in, but the phone is otherwise great at typical tasks.

 

3DMark’s Ice Storm Unlimited

3DMark’s Ice Storm Unlimited test uses a mix of graphics and physics tests to measure hardware performance. The first test measures the GPU’s ability to process lots of vertices, while the second does the same thing with lots of pixels and post-processing effects. Finally, the physics test switches the load to the CPU to test its ability to process physics simulations, while keeping GPU load low. Once again, the OnePlus 3 smashed the competition.

 

Camera Performance

The OnePlus 3’s rear camera uses a 16-megapixel Sony IMX298 sensor with an aperture of f/2.0. It has both OIS and EIS for stabilization; OnePlus claims that the combination of both stabilization features “ensure that pictures and videos are crisp and smooth”. It uses PDAF (phase detection autofocus) and it comes with RAW support. By default, the phone will automatically decide if it should shoot in HDR. There’s also Dynamic Denoise, which removes noise (and some detail) from photos after taking them. The camera also comes with manual controls. It can shoot 4K resolution videos at 30 FPS too, but the limited storage space won’t let you get away with much footage. On the front is an 8-megapixel camera with an aperture of f/2.0.

Taken on Auto. Click to see full-resolution image.

100% crop of above shot.

While the photo quality is sharp, the OnePlus 3 is short on image detail. Creases on figurines are either diminished or lost, possibly because of its de-noising technology. While the photo looks fine and color-accurate on the phone (AMOLED!), it appeared a little washed out we checked it on a desktop monitor. This puts the phone on par with the likes of the LG G5. Against its peers, the Xiaomi Mi 5’s camera performance feels better as whole, even if the OnePlus 3 takes sharper images.

 

Battery Life

Our standard battery test for mobile phones includes the following parameters:

  • Looping a 800 x 480-pixel video with screen brightness and volume at 100%
  • Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity turned on
  • Constant data streaming through email and Twitter

The OnePlus 3 uses a non-removable 3,000mAh battery that features proprietary fast-charge technology, the Dash Charge. The fast-charging only works if you use the cable provided in the box. For a 3,000mAh phone, the OnePlus 3’s battery lasted longer than we expected. It’s no battery pack, but it drains at a comfortable pace during day-to-day use. It scored decently in our benchmarks, too.

 

 

Conclusion

A phone under S$700 that isn’t a pain to buy makes the OnePlus 3 a very tantalizing option. If you’re gunning for a smartphone with a Snapdragon 820 processor at a price point lower than typical flagship devices, the OnePlus 3 is a no-brainer. Against its peers measured in this review, it has slightly better performance than the rest, with a decent battery life. It’s hard to say no to the OnePlus 3, especially if you aren’t bothered by its camera performance.

What makes the OnePlus 3 stand out from other affordable, high-powered phones of the same tier is its physical design. Frankly, there are other ‘flagship killers’ like the Huawei Mate 8, Xiaomi Mi 5, and ZTE Axon 7, but we like the OnePlus 3 since it looks the part, and it finally measures up to its bold flagship-killing claims of the past (strangely, they didn’t go with that spiel this time round despite having a very capable device). It looks, feels, and works like a winner.

You can get the OnePlus 3 via Lazada at S$649, which is a good S$50 cheaper than its official S$699 price tag. The phone can also be found at its official retail channels.

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8.5
  • Design 9
  • Features 8
  • User-Friendliness 8
  • Performance 8.5
  • Value 9
The Good
Truly premium design
Flagship-tier hardware at an affordable price
Beautiful Full HD display
Quick-charging battery
The Bad
No microSD card support
No new major software features
Average camera performance
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