With the launch of OnePlus 5T, OnePlus has developed an intriguing approach to hardware releases; they use a new flagship as almost a beta device, listening to feedback from people who bought it, then pulling it and releasing an even better version. It’s a great way to ensure the final phone is the best it can be – but at the same time risks alienating people who bought the ‘test’ version.
Indeed, when the OnePlus 5 was suddenly ‘sold out’ everywhere, the internet rumour mill went into overdrive that a 5T was on the way — and indeed it was.
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It seems this approach is doing wonders for OnePlus: in its first six hours, the 5T became their fastest-selling device ever.
So after our review of the OnePlus 5, what do we make of its successor? Here’s our full OnePlus 5T review.
Design – OnePlus 5T Review
The OnePlus 5T was launched in just one (two?) variants of Midnight black and Slate grey but the company later on pushed the Lava red and Star Wars edition later on. is available in any colour as long as it’s Midnight Black. Though, handset colour choice matters less and less when everyone whacks the handset straight in a case – and as ever, OnePlus has given us some lovely choices in the form of wood grain, carbon fibre, and plain-coloured silicone variants.
As before, the phone comes with a screen protector pre-applied, which saves you covering the lovely OLED screen in bubbles and creases from misapplication. And as before, the handset is not waterproof, so don’t use it for reading in the bath. And yet again, there are dozens of videos on Youtube where people have ‘proved’ that the device is waterproof albeit without a rating. We were not allowed to submerge our review unit in a bucket 🙁
The ceramic, circular fingerprint pad sits in the centre back, above the OnePlus logo, and the dual camera lenses emerge from their own encased hump beside the flash unit. The back curves gently, as do the rounded-off corners, completing an ergonomically and aesthetically pleasing chassis.
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The left side of the handset features the textured alert slider and a pleasantly clicky volume rocker. The SIM tray is on the right edge with the power button below, and the speaker, USB-C charging port and headphone jack (Hooray for Carl Pei!) are all lined up along the bottom.
The top and tail bezels on either end of the display have seen a considerable trim since the 5, and the physical home key with fingerprint sensor is gone altogether. Instead, we’re back to software keys, with the fingerprint pad on the back. It’s no great loss, and ceases being noticeable within a few minutes.
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