The OnePlus 5 – My Favorite Phone of 2017?

Hey, Everybody!  I’m here today to tell you about my experience with the OnePlus 5!  The OnePlus 5 was officially released on June 20th.  I got it as part of the early bird deal so I’ve had it for a little over two months.  It has been my primary device ever since.  And I’ll tell you up front, so far, this is my favorite device of 2017!

OnePlus has taken a lot of flak for some issues they had with the release of the OnePlus 5, as well as their handling of those issues.  I’m not covering any of those issues today.  I will instead be focusing on the device itself and my impressions of it.  First, I’m going to tell you why I love it.  Then we’ll go over the things I don’t like quite as much.  That way, you can decide whether it is the right phone for you!

The OnePlus 5 comes with a 5.5 inch, Gorilla Glass 5 display and a resolution of 1080×1920.  It comes with the octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor and clocks in at up to 2.45GHz.  There are two different models of the OnePlus 5.  The base model comes with 6GB of LPDDR4X memory and 64GB of storage.  The second model comes with 8GB of memory and 128GB of storage.  Both versions have a 3,300 mAh battery and a USB-C charging port.  The OnePlus 5 also features a unique slider that gives you three different customizable alert settings.

Now that we’ve gone over the specs, let’s talk about what it is I love most about the OnePlus 5.  There are a lot of things to like about the OnePlus 5, but I’m going to keep my list short and just give you my top list.

Like #1 – Customization
The thing I love most about the OnePlus 5 is how easy it is to customize it. OnePlus made it so it is super easy to unlock the bootloader and root your OnePlus 5. That unlocks a TON of options for customizing your device.  But if you prefer not to root your device there are still dozens of options built into stock Oxygen OS.  You can set up scheduled times for your device to turn off and on, you can choose between on-screen navigation buttons and capacitive (or even keep both), you can swap the position of those same buttons, you can add extra actions to them on double-taps or long presses, you can enable gesture support and double-tap-to-wake, you can customize the status bar up top, and so much more!

Like #2 – The Camera
The OnePlus 5 features a dual camera setup with both a 16-megapixel wide-angle and a 20-megapixel telephoto lens. This unique lens combination gives you the ability to use optical zoom so you can get closer to the subject of the picture without losing photo quality.  I’m not a fan of the big camera bump they gave the OnePlus 5, but despite the awkwardness of it, it takes some pretty impressive pictures!

Like #3 – Dash Charging
Most devices today come with some form of quick charge or fast charge. The technology varies from one device to the other.  But they all serve the same purpose of charging your device faster.  Although it works a bit differently from other standards, OnePlus did the same thing with Dash Charge.  It allows you to charge the OnePlus 5 from 0 to 100% in just over an hour.  The best part is that you can continue to use the device while charging and it doesn’t heat up at all!

Like #4 – The Fingerprint Scanner
Before the OnePlus 5, I was convinced the only place for a fingerprint scanner was on the back of the phone. Now that I’ve used the OnePlus 5 and the front-facing fingerprint scanner, I’ve come to realize a front-facing scanner can work just as well as the one on the back.  I still prefer them on the back, but this one is definitely no slouch!  The best part is that it is insanely fast and accurate!  I can count the number of times I’ve had to rescan a fingerprint on one hand!

Like #5 – Water Resistance (Unofficial)
Rounding out my top five is the water resistance on the OnePlus 5. There is no “official” spec on the water resistance and OnePlus has specifically said that it doesn’t have an IP rating, but there have been many dunk tests where the OnePlus 5 has been submerged in water and comes out working without any problems.  I have no plans to dunk mine, but it brings me some peace of mind knowing that I could and that it should survive.

So now that we’ve talked about the things I like, let’s talk about the things I don’t like.  The list is short, but no device is perfect and I want you guys to get the full picture, not just the good stuff.

Dislike #1 – Auto-Rotation
My biggest complaint with the OnePlus 5 is the auto-rotation. On pretty much every device I’ve owned, I leave auto-rotation enabled.  I like to be able to rotate my device into landscape or portrait based on what it is I’m doing.  With the OnePlus 5, I leave it locked in portrait unless I want it in landscape mode.  The sensor on the device is so incredibly sensitive.  Holding it at the slightest angle triggers the rotation and it’s rotating, even when I didn’t want it to.

Dislike #2 – Battery Life
Next up is battery life. I’ve had the OnePlus 5 for two months now and I’ve seen the highs and the lows of battery life on it.  When it first came out the battery life was amazing!  I managed a full day of moderate use without needing to charge it once.  Then OnePlus released several updates back to back.  All of a sudden, I was needing to charge my OnePlus after four or five hours.  They’ve released a few more updates and battery life has improved but it’s still not where it was when I first got it.  I’m sure it will get better again, but that small stretch of bad battery life left a bad taste in my mouth.

Dislike #3 – It Looks Like an iPhone
Last on my list is the look of the device. I actually do like the look, but it is such a blatant rip-off of the iPhone that it kind of bugs me.  In today’s age, it is hard to make a unique device.  Everybody is making phones and they all have many of the same features.  But at least try to make it a little bit different!  You don’t need to design the device so that it looks 99.9% identical to the competition!

Summary
Overall, I am very satisfied with my OnePlus 5.  It is my first device from OnePlus, and I have to say that I have been quite impressed.  I plan on getting the OnePlus 6 when it rolls out!  I would absolutely recommend the OnePlus 5 to anyone. 

OnePlus did get a lot of grief for the OnePlus 5 being more expensive than previous OnePlus devices, but it still comes in much cheaper than the competition at $479 for the 6GB of memory and 64GB of storage version, or $539 for the 8GB and 128GB version.  I use the 6GB and have found that it more than meets my needs.  I also bought the Samsung Galaxy S8 and paid nearly twice the cost of the OnePlus 5, and I would take the OnePlus 5 over it any day!

If you’re looking for a good, reliable quality device, the OnePlus 5 is definitely worth checking out.  Order your OnePlus 5 with the following links.

OnePlus 5 with 6GB of Memory and 64GB of Storage
OnePlus 5 with 8GB of Memory and 128GB of Storage

Be sure to check out our video review below: