Last week, OnePlus unveiled the OnePlus 5T thereby replacing their six months old flagship the OnePlus 5 with it. The 5T sports modest upgrades over the OnePlus 5 and essentially comes with the same spec sheet.
If you are a OnePlus fan though who currently owns a OnePlus 5, should you upgrade to the OnePlus 5T? Are the improvements worth going through the hassle of first selling your existing smartphone and then buying a new one? Read below and find out for yourself.
OnePlus 5 vs OnePlus 5T – Differences
There are three major differences between the OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T. The biggest of them all is with the display. While the OnePlus 5 came with a 5.5-inch 1080p Optic AMOLED display, the OnePlus 5T features a 6-inch FHD+ 18:9 Optic AMOLED display with minimal top and bottom bezels. This gives the 5T a very up to date look which the 5 lacks. The reduced bezel size at the front also means that the fingerprint sensor has been moved to the rear on the 5T.
The second major difference between the 5 and 5T is the dual-camera setup at the rear of the device. While the primary 16MP f/1.7 sensor remains the same on both devices, the 5T features a 20MP f/1.7 1.0um Sony IMX376K secondary sensor instead of a telephoto lens. The secondary sensor is optimised for low-light scenarios and makes use of 4:1 pixel binning technology for improved shots. The camera on the 5T will automatically switch to the secondary lens in situations when the amount of available light is less than 10 lux.
The third major difference between the two handsets is the introduction of Face Unlock on the OnePlus 5T. While the front camera on both phones remains the same, OnePlus has made use of its software prowess to include Face Unlock on the 5T. Even better, if the demos given by the company are anything to go by, Face Unlock on the 5T is blazing fast — even faster than Apple’s Face ID as seen on the iPhone X. However, it remains to be seen if the company’s face unlock mechanism is as secure as Face ID or not.
OxygenOS on the OnePlus 5T also comes with a few improvements which are missing on the 5. At this point, it is also unclear if these improvements will also come to the OnePlus 5 in a future software update or not.
OnePlus 5 vs OnePlus 5T – Similarities
Barring the above-mentioned changes, the OnePlus 5 and 5T come with identical specifications. This means we are looking at a Snapdragon 835 chipset running at 2.4GHz, 6/8GB LPDDR4X RAM, 64/128GB UFS 2.1 internal storage and a 3300mAh battery with Dash Charge support. Both phones also run on Android 7.1 Nougat, though the 5T runs on a newer version of OxygenOS with more features. They will get the Oreo update by early next year.
Should You Upgrade?
If you already own a OnePlus 5, there’s little reason for you to upgrade to the OnePlus 5T. While the 5T does look more modern with its bezel-less design at the front, that alone is not a good enough reason to upgrade to it. The revamped dual-camera setup on the 5T is also not a huge improvement over the 5’s dual-camera.
Plus, the OnePlus 5T still lacks any kind of IP certification which was also missing from the OnePlus 5. Thus, by upgrading to the 5T, you are not really going to gain much.
OnePlus 5T vs OnePlus 3T
There are a lot of differences between the OnePlus 3T and 5T. The latter features a better camera, faster performance, better display, and better battery life. The 5T is an improvement over the 3T in almost every possible way. However, the recent Android Oreo update has managed to breathe a lease of new life into the 3T. So, if your 3T is still working properly, I wil recommend you to hold out for the OnePlus 6 which should launch in June next year.
What do you think about the OnePlus 5T? Do you plan on upgrading to it from your existing smartphone? Drop a comment and let us know!
