OnePlus 5 is the latest entrant into the flagship smartphone segment with high-end specifications at an affordable price. Although the OnePlus 5 mimics the design language of the iPhone 7 Plus, there are some subtle yet noteworthy differences between the two flagship phones.
OnePlus 5 is being touted as the most expensive OnePlus phone ever made and yet it costs a lot cheaper than the iPhone 7 Plus. International Business Times, India, brings you a rundown of the key similarities and noticeable differences in design and specifications between the two smartphones.
OnePlus 5 vs iPhone 7 Plus: Display
Both the smartphones feature a 5.5in full HD display with multi-touch support. Despite the same display size, the iPhone 7 Plus is the bigger of the two phones, owing to its slightly larger bezels at the top and bottom.
The OnePlus phone features an optic AMOLED capacitive touchscreen with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection, while the iPhone 7 Plus sports a LED backlit IPS LCD with Ion-strengthened glass and oleophobic coating to prevent scratches and superficial damage to the screen.
There is no clear winner when it comes to the display as both the smartphones feature similar specifications with contrasting benefits. The iPhone may have a slight edge over the OnePlus phone as its display technology offers better image clarity and brightness levels.
On the other hand, AMOLED screens are thinner, use less battery power and offer better contrast levels than IPS display.
OnePlus 5 vs iPhone 7 Plus: Design, dimensions and build quality
OnePlus 5 has a stark resemblance to its predecessor OnePlus 3T in terms of design and looks. Despite its minimalistic design, the OnePlus flagship phone mimics the dual-camera setup and the flash module found on the premium iPhone 7 Plus handset.
Featuring an aluminium unibody design, the OnePlus 5 brings the premium feel and looks with rounded corners and edges. OnePlus has really focused on improving the ergonomics of its flagship phone with strategically placed buttons and refined finishing akin to Apple's iPhone.
OnePlus 5 is the slimmest flagship OnePlus has ever built. At 7.3mm thickness, it is slimmer than the 3T (7.4mm) and has the same thickness as the iPhone 7 Plus. Consequently, it ships with a smaller battery than its predecessor.
You can notice the selfie camera on the top left corner, while the volume rocker is also placed just below the alert slider on the left side. The power button can be found on the right while the home button and embedded fingerprint sensor have been moved below the display akin to the iPhone 7 Plus.
There is no clear winner when it comes to design or dimensions. However, the OnePlus 5 is 35 grams lighter than the iPhone 7 Plus (188g) which tilts the balance in favour of the OnePlus phone.
OnePlus 5 vs iPhone 7 Plus: Processor
OnePlus 5 features the top-end Snapdragon 835 chipset with two sets of quad-core Kryo processors that form an octa-core processor. The Snapdragon 835 chipset is paired with Adreno 540 GPU that assists in graphic processing tasks such as gaming and videos.
One set of quad-core Kryo processors are clocked at 2.45GHz and meant for processor-intensive tasks like gaming, HD video playback and video editing. The other set of quad-core Kryo processors are clocked at 1.9GHz and meant for lightweight tasks like browsing the internet or reading/writing office documents.
The iPhone 7 Plus is powered by Apple's A10 Fusion chip comprising a quad-core processor which is clocked at 2.34GHz. The quad-core processor is further divided into two sets: a dual-core Hurricane and a dual-core Zephyr processor. The A10 Fusion chip is paired with PowerVR Series7XT Plus GPU (hexacore graphics processor).
There is no clear winner on the processor front, although the OnePlus 5 boasts a superior octa-core processor with higher clock speed than the iPhone 7 Plus. We are yet to see how the new OnePlus processor performs in real world tests in comparison to the iPhone.
OnePlus was recently accused of manipulating OnePlus 5 benchmark scores to yield potentially higher ratings in a series of synthetic tests.
OnePlus 5 vs iPhone 7 Plus: RAM and storage
OnePlus 5 ships in two configurations: 6GB of RAM with 64GB of storage, and 8GB of RAM with 128GB of storage.
Unlike the OnePlus 5, the iPhone 7 Plus ships in a single 3GB RAM configuration. However, the flagship iPhone is available in three storage variants: 32GB, 128GB and 256GB.
It must be noted that neither of the two phones supports microSD expansion slot for upgrading the device's storage capability.
The OnePlus 5 holds an edge with its superior RAM configuration options while the iPhone 7 Plus pulls it back with better storage upgrade options. So, there is no clear winner in this round.
OnePlus 5 vs iPhone 7 Plus: Camera
OnePlus 5 features a 16MP primary sensor wit a wide-angle lens and a 20MP secondary sensor with telephoto lens along with the highly-controversial 2x lossless (1.6x optical + 0.4x digital) zoom as part of its dual camera setup on the rear panel. It also has a 16MP selfie snapper with support for full HD video recording.
In contrast, the iPhone 7 Plus has a 12MP main camera with phase detection autofocus and optical image stabilisation features along with a quad-LED dual-tone flash. It also equips a secondary 12MP 56mm telephoto lens with the 2x optical zoom.
The iPhone 7 Plus comes with a 7MP selfie camera which is also capable of full HD video recording, face detection and panorama mode.
The iPhone 7 Plus has a slight edge with its true 2x optical zoom camera as opposed to the 1.6x optical zoom on the OnePlus phone.
OnePlus 5 vs iPhone 7 Plus: Battery
OnePlus 5 comes with non-removable 3,300mAh battery as opposed to the smaller 2,900mAh battery on the iPhone 7 Plus. The former packs the Dash Charge technology with quicker charging capability than the iPhone 7 Plus.
OnePlus 5 wins the battery round with bigger battery and faster-charging capabilities.
OnePlus 5 vs iPhone 7 Plus: Dust and water resistance
The iPhone 7 Plus carries the IP67 rating for dust and water proof capabilities. The handset can be submerged in up to one meter of water for a duration of 30 minutes. There are no such features available on the OnePlus 5.
Overall, OnePlus 5 is the clear winner when it comes to specifications as it offers more RAM, bigger battery, faster-charging capability and a headphone jack. The iPhone 7 Plus pulls back some advantage with its dust and waterproof capabilities, besides offering better storage option (up to 256GB).
OnePlus 5 vs iPhone 7 Plus: Price and availability
OnePlus 5 variant with 6GB RAM and 64GB storage retails at Rs. 32,999 ($479) while the 8GB RAM version will be selling at Rs. 37,999.
One the other hand, the iPhone 7 Plus 32GB variant is retailing at Rs. 55,999 on Flipkart and Rs. 56,999 on Amazon India. The price for the 128GB variant goes up to Rs. 59,999 while the 256GB Gold variant is priced at Rs. 74,999 on Flipkart.
OnePlus 5 undoubtedly offers better value for money than the iPhone 7 Plus with its high-end specifications at a relatively affordable price. The basic iPhone 7 Plus model is almost 40 percent more expensive than the entry-level OnePlus 5.
Verdict
When it comes to pricing and the overall specs, the OnePlus 5 truly seems like the better option at least for Android lovers. iOS fans may still prefer the iPhone 7 Plus just for its familiarity and premium feel.
