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1. The OnePlus 7 phones have arrived!
OnePlus revealed its new OnePlus 7 series yesterday during a multi-city launch event. As expected, the company introduced a new device in its regular numbered OnePlus line, the OnePlus 7, as well as an all-new premium model, the OnePlus 7 Pro.
The Pro model will grab most headlines and not just because it's so fresh and fancy – it's also the only model being released on U.S. turf. There are no plans for the OnePlus 7 to be released there currently.
Will U.S. smartphone fans missing out on much, though? Here's the low-down on both devices.
OnePlus 7 Pro
- 6.67-inch AMOLED, QHD+, HDR10 and HDR+ certified display with 90Hz refresh rate – should be among the best screens on the market, DisplayMate thinks it is
- Snapdragon 855 chipset – currently, Qualcomm's best
- Up to 12GB RAM
- 128GB or 256GB internal storage
- Triple rear cameras – 48MP f/1.6 lens, 16MP wide-angle sensor, 8MP telephoto lens for up to 3x optical zoom
- Pop-up selfie camera – 16MP, f/2.0 aperture
- In-display fingerprint sensor
- 4,000mAh battery – with 30-watt fast charging and included Warp Charge adapter
- OxygenOS 9.5 – with Android Pie
- Starts at $669 for the 6GB+128GB variant – and costs up to $749 for the 12GB+256GB model
An instant classic?
- Like OnePlus has done several times in the past, this is a near-flagship-level phone without the flagship-level price.
- It has whizzbang features like a pop-up selfie camera, fantastic display, and capable, triple rear cameras.
- Where it falters is mostly in smaller areas like the lack of wireless charging, IP rating, and headphone port.
- In Android Authority's review, David Imel also noted the camera isn't great in low-light – an area where other recent flagships have really shined.
- But it seems like a mighty effort overall, especially considering the more than $200 you'd save against comparable flagships.
- Samsung's darling, the Galaxy S10, starts at $899. On paper, it doesn't offer a great deal more than the OnePlus 7 Pro for the money.
- The big question is whether the price is too much for long-standing OnePlus fans to stomach. It's OnePlus' most expensive device launch price to date, smashing the record previously held by the $549 OnePlus 6T.
OnePlus 7
- 6.41-inch AMOLED, FHD+ display
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset
- Up to 8GB RAM
- 128GB or 256GB internal storage
- Dual rear cameras – 48MP, f/1.6 aperture, 5MP depth sensor
- Waterdrop notch front camera – 16MP, f/2.0 aperture
- In-display fingerprint sensor
- 3,700mAh battery – plus 20-watt fast charging
- OxygenOS 9.5 – with Android Pie
- Starts at 559 euros (~$627) – this compares to the Pro version which starts at 709 euros (~$794). That's 499 pounds (~$644) and 649 pounds (~$838) for the respective devices in the U.K.
Solid if not spectacular
- The OnePlus 7 doesn't quite capture the imagination like the OnePlus 7 Pro does.
- It hits the major flagship notes: powerful chipset and RAM combo, 1080p display, dual-rear cameras.
- Yet it's lacking standout features, and arrives unfortunately soon after the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL – two of the best midrange phones ever.
- The Pixel 3a is priced at 399 euros (~$447) and the Pixel 3a XL costs 479 euros (~$537), so they're a bit of a bargain. They only come in one variation, though: 4GB RAM, 64GB ROM, and a Snapdragon 670 chipset.
- So, if it's the big specs you're after, the OnePlus 7 may be hard to beat at 560 euros.
Android Authority has its full OnePlus 7 Pro review at the link, as well as handy comparisons between OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro, and the OnePlus 7 Pro, OnePlus 6T, and OnePlus 6.
Both the OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro are on sale now and U.S. readers can pick up the Pro model here.
Final important note: Neither phone comes with a USB-C to 3.5mm headphone adapter in the box, so you'll have to buy one separately, or use those USB-C headphones you don't own.
2. OnePlus Bullets Wireless V2 review (Android Authority). Alongside its new phones, OnePlus rolled out the second generation of its Bullets Wireless headphones. They're a certifiable upgrade, but they're also more expensive.
3. Adobe tells users they can get sued for using old versions of photoshop (Motherboard). That's completely legitimately-owned versions of Adobe software that just hasn't been updated for a while… yeah.
4. Also on Motherboard, following the recent WhatsApp hack news (CBC): "It's almost impossible to tell if your iPhone has been hacked" (Motherboard).
5. Wikipedia is now banned in China in all languages (Time)
6. San Francisco becomes the first US city to ban the use of facial recognition software by police (Business Insider). It won't affect facial recognition tech being used at airports and ports, or for personal or business use.
7. Huawei says willing to sign 'no-spy' agreements (BBC). That's nice, isn't it? It's like a plumber pledging not to steal anything before they fix your pipes.
8. Uber black launches quiet driver mode (TechCrunch). Uber Black and Uber Black SUV riders can select "quiet preferred," "happy to chat," or "no preference," settings from within the app.
9. Google to push new ads on its apps to snare shoppers (Reuters). "It will feature ads on the homepage of its smartphone app worldwide, show more ads in Maps, and place ads with image galleries in search results." Just what everybody wants(!)
10. Class-action lawsuit settlement means Google will pay owners of faulty original Pixel phones up to $500 (Engadget).
11. YouTuber does what Nintendon't and builds a working GameCube Classic (The Verge).
12. AT&T promised 7,000 new jobs to get tax break — it cut 23,000 jobs instead (Ars Technica).
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