Review: One Plus 7

OnePlus has made for itself in the smartphone market. The company has kept improving on its products and has gradually gained success. This time things are different. While the rest of the smartphone makers brought mini or compact versions of their flagship smartphone, OnePlus took a contrary route. It introduced a minor update to last year's model but also introduced a more high-end 'Pro' model with all the latest features one would expect on a proper flagship phone.

After testing the OnePlus 7 Pro, we have got some mixed feelings about it.

Design

The design, overall dimensions and even the weight is similar to the OnePlus 6T. However, the glass back feels the finest. Now, there are two new colour options- Mirror Gray and a gorgeous looking Red finish. The latter is only available in the 8GB RAM + 256GB memory option. Also, OnePlus has put stereo speakers on the phone, one above the display and another on the bottom edge. The other slight difference is the dual camera module at the back houses the LED flash now. Similar to Pro, there is no waterproof warranty, but a water repellent coating should help to keep it safe from minor water splashes.

Display

OnePlus comes with the same 6.41-inch AMOLED display and sadly there is no 90Hz fast refresh rate as the high-end model. However, it is an appealing panel with nice colours and contrast. The in-display fingerprint scanner also makes a comeback.

Camera

The OnePlus 7 dual camera now includes a 48-megapixel sensor with an f/1.7 wide-angle lens with PDAF and OIS paired to a 5-megapixel depth sensor with an f/2.4 aperture lens. At the front, you get 16-megapixel f/2.0 camera similar to the OnePlus 6T. The primary camera is a good update the high-resolution sensor should be thanked. The 48-megapixel sensor offers 0.8-micron pixel size but cheers to pixel binning it goes up to 1.6-micron.

Photos clicked in the regular Photo mode results in sharp 12-megapixel photos and results in full resolution photos using the Pro mode. In artificial light, colours seem undersaturated but in broad daylight, pictures offer a decent amount of detail. Though focusing is fast and quick, despite not having the laser-assisted autofocus from the OnePlus 7 Pro. It struggles in low light. When night mode is enabled we get brighter photos.

When it comes to the front camera 16-megapixel, selfies look above average with low-light selfies being soft but lack few details.

Performance

Performance is above par. The OnePlus 7 is the tetchiest phones in the market. With the all mighty powerful hardware, combined with the fairly clean OxygenOS, the experience is just great and flawless. There are no lags, slowdown or app crashes. Multitasking is just smooth, the on-display fingerprint scanner is improved, and the face unlock is fast in proper lighting.

Gaming is a breeze especially for playing PUBG Mobile at the highest settings. It does get a bit warm after 30-minute gaming period if you are playing without an air conditioner.

OnePlus' new Zen Mode also makes way to the OnePlus 7 which deactivates all functions of the phone for 20 minutes other than making and receiving emergency calls and click photos. This is basically to give a break to the user from the digital world and focus on other things in life. If you want to unwind yourself this is a nice feature to have.

Battery

The OnePlus 7 battery hasn't seen any change, so we get the same 3700mAh unit with the same 20W charger. Particularly, the company has dropped the Dash Charge branding. The handset has got a great battery life, as you can easily go the whole day with about 25-30 per cent left at the end. But if you play PUBG, this won't happen. But the fast charging comes to the rescue, the handset can get 50 per cent charged in just half an hour and full 100 per cent in only an hour and 15 minutes of time.

Other Specifications

Like the Pro, OnePlus 7 doesn't flaunt flashy features like the pop-up selfie camera or triple camera setup. But you get a powerful smartphone at a justified price. To remind you, this is the most affordable handset you can buy today that is powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset. Compared to the 845, the new chipset is considerably better as it is manufactured using a 7nm fabrication process, making it less power hungry but all the more powerful. The company has introduced only two memory variants, 6GB RAM with 128GB storage and 8GB of RAM with 256GB of storage. Anyways there are already three variants of the Pro. OnePlus is also making use of UFS 3.0 standard for the internal storage making the overall read and write experience faster.

Price

Convincingly, at this price, you get a great display, smooth performance, long battery life along with fast charging and smooth pause-free software experience. This one is a result of a conscious effort from the company to uphold its "affordable flagship" image. It's a perfect handset for someone who is looking for the best performance at a sub-Rs 40,000 budget.