Tuesday 9 August 2016

OnePlus 3 review No.1 Smartphone

As the result of a million bits of hyperbole compressed into a brick of phone, the OnePlus 3 should be rubbish. It should be annoying. It should be the ‘sponsored’ Facebook link you feel bad for clicking on. However, it’s not.

The OnePlus 3 is the best phone buy in the world right now, and deserves to be at the top of your list if you want a great smartphone, but can't quite afford those flagship prices. At £309, this phone deserves to cost Samsung and Apple at least a few million sales.


One of the biggest changes for the third-gen OnePlus flagship is confidence. The OnePlus 3 doesn’t try so hard to look different. The OnePlus One and OnePlus 2 attempted, and succeeded, to stand out with a ‘sandstone’ finish that feels akin to very soft sandpaper. Like a lobster shedding its old skin, the OnePlus 3 has a new look. And it’s fresh, but familiar.

The OnePlus 3's shell is made from anodised aluminium, looking a lot like the HTC 10 but perhaps even a bit simpler and more attractive. Shock horror, right? Previous OnePlus phones were never the most beautiful phones in the universe, but they didn’t need to be. The OnePlus 3 still doesn’t need that glam-factor at £309, but has it anyway.

OnePlus has provision in place for those sandstone lovers and people who think plain metal is boring. When you buy a OnePlus 3 online you can stock up on ultra-slim cases that alter the finish while only adding to the thickness a tiny bit. A sandstone cover will cost you £15.99, while various woods and carbon fibre-style ones are £20. This phone is a bargain, but OnePlus doesn’t half give you the chance to spend a bit more if you want to.

In your hand or sat on a table, the OnePlus 3 seems just as fancy as a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge or iPhone 6s Plus. The curves and ultra-slim 7.4mm thickness make it a bit easier to handle than the OnePlus 2, too.

Back to functional bits, the OnePlus 3’s finger scanner is quite a lot like last year’s one. It’s great. It sits below the screen, and while it’s not a clicky button it can act as a Home soft key if you want it to, is super-quick and can be used when the screen is off too.

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