OnePlus 5 vs OnePlus 3T: Is it worth the upgrade?

After months of teasing, OnePlus finally pulled the wraps off the much-anticipated 2017 series flagship OnePlus 5, earlier this week.

The new OnePlus 5 comes with top-of-the-line features and major upgrades over the last generation OnePlus 3T, both in terms of internal hardware and exterior looks.

Here's a low-down on how OnePlus 5 stacks up against OnePlus 3T.

Also read: Google Project Tango v2.0 Asus Zenfone AR with 3D imaging camera coming to India soon

OnePlus 5 vs OnePlus 3T-Design and display:

OnePlus 5 looks completely different from OnePlus 3 series. The new flagship's design language resembles Apple iPhone 7 Plus. The camera on the back and the black-hued plastic bands (for radio) — ape Apple's model. From a distance, it's hard to tell OnePlus 5 from Apple iPhone 7 Plus.

OnePlus 5's dual camera is visually pleasing and does not jut out like iPhone 7 Plus.

The phone comes with an elongated curved rectangular shaped camera module housing two sensors and a dual-tone LED flash.

OnePlus 3T had an all-metal shell with black-hued two plastic bands (for radio) — one each on the top and the bottom similar to HTC One M9 series. It also houses a square-shaped camera module with LED flash.

Both OnePlus 5 and 3T (& 3 series) shells are made of anodised Aluminium-Magnesium alloy.

The new phone also keeps another OnePlus 3 series feature: slide-based 'Alert Button' on the left side, which acts as a notification access switch with options – 'none, priority and all'.

Interestingly, the company has incorporated a special haptic motor to offer custom option. Users will get to choose –light, medium and strong options-- depending on the intensity level for notification.

OnePlus 5 dimension: 154.2 x 74.1 x 7.25 mm and weighs 153g

OnePlus 3T (& 3) dimensions: 152.7 x 74.7 x 7.35 mm and weighs 158g.

Both OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 3T (3) screens are 5.5-inch in size having same Optic AMOLED material with full HD resolution.

The key improvement in the new phone is the 2.5D curved Gorilla Glass 5.0, which helps protect the display from cracking at the edges, and is also sturdier than the Gorilla Glass 4 seen in OnePlus 3 series.

OnePlus 5 vs OnePlus 3T- Processor, RAM and storage:

OnePlus 5 comes with Qualcomm's most powerful processor yet, Snapdragon 835 octa-core CPU, which is backed by Adreno 540 graphics engine, 6GB/8GB RAM and 64GB/128GB storage.

On the other hand, OnePlus 3T is powered by 2016-series Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor with 6GB RAM and 64GB/12GB storage. [Note: Original OnePlus 3 series first came with Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 quad-core with 6GB RAM and 64GB storage]

OnePlus 5 vs OnePlus 3T-Camera:

The OnePlus 5 camera was developed in collaboration with Dx0Mark Mobile and boasts of a 16MP primary camera (Sony IMX 398) + 20MP telephoto lens (Sony IMX358) on the back with dual-tone LED flash, EIS (Electronics Image Stabilisation), 4K video recording capability and more.

OnePlus 3T comes with 16MP snapper with Sony IMX 298 sensor, f/2.0 aperture, 1.12 µm lens, OIS (Optical Image Stabilisation), EIS (Electronics Image Stabilisation), 4K video recording ability. On the front, it houses equally impressive 8MP camera with Sony IMX179 sensor, 1.4 µm (micron pixels) lens and f/2.0 aperture.

On the front, both OnePlus 5 and the 3T series house 16MP camera, but from different makers. The former's snapper is made by Sony (IMX 371 sensor), whereas the latter's camera is made by Samsung (3P8SP sensor). 

OnePlus 5 vs OnePlus 3T-Battery:

OnePlus 5 comes with a 3,300mAh cell, 100mAh less than the OnePlus 3 series. But, the new phone is certain to offer same battery life (full day under mixed-usage), thanks to the improved software and also the Snapdragon 835 octa-core's efficient performance.

Like OnePlus 3 series, OnePlus 5 too comes with proprietary Dash Charge technology, where in 30 minutes of charging is enough to keep the phone running the whole day.

OnePlus 5 vs OnePlus 3T-Price:

OnePlus 5 comes in two models—6GB RAM +64GB storage and 8GB RAM+128GB—for Rs. 32,999 and Rs. 37,999. Though the prices of the new phone series are tad expensive compared to its predecessor, it's still reasonable and much less compared to rival brands such as Samsung Galaxy S8 (& S8+), Apple iPhone 7 (& 7 Plus), LG G6 and the HTC U11 series.

We believe OnePlus 5, though it draws inspiration from Apple iPhone 7 (in design), it is the best value-for-money flagship smartphone in the market. The phone is available exclusively on Amazon India.

Key specifications of OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 3T: