Codename oneplus3 Model A3000
A3003 | Manufacturer OnePlus Compatible networks 2G, 3G and 4G | |
 | ||
Slogan It's about time.
A days power in half an hour. First released June 14, 2016 (2016-06-14) | ||
The OnePlus 3 (also abbreviated as OP3) is a smartphone designed by OnePlus. It was revealed on June 14, 2016. The phone was unveiled in a virtual reality event and OnePlus offered its customers Loop VR headsets to experience the event using their phones, giving away 30,000 free headsets in lieu of a traditional press conference.
Contents
Prior to the global launch event, OnePlus revealed that the OnePlus 3 has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage. The OnePlus 3 includes features not included in some previous OnePlus smartphones, such as Dash charging and an NFC chip, a feature that was removed from the OnePlus 2.
Release
The OnePlus 3 is the first OnePlus device to not be part of the invite system, which OnePlus had used for its last three devices to regulate flow with inadequate manufacturing for the inevitable high demand.
The OxygenOS 3.2.1 update began rollout on 7th July 2016, with improved RAM management, an alternate sRGB display mode in developer options, and various bug fixes.
An updated version of the device, called the OnePlus 3T, was announced by the company on November 15, 2016 and released on November 22. It improves upon the OnePlus 3 by including the newer Snapdragon 821 chipset, a 16MP front camera, along with a larger 3400mAh nonremovable battery. Sales of the OnePlus 3 were discontinued on November 17, but it will share the same software update cycle with the OnePlus 3T starting from Android 7 (codenamed Nougat and called N during development).
Specifications
The OnePlus 3 features a new metal back design, similar to that of an HTC M9 or later, with anodised aluminium and curved edges. The device is available in two colors, Graphite (black/grey) and Soft Gold (white/gold, released later at August 2016). Additionally, users can purchase protective covers in Kevlar or black apricot wood, bamboo, rosewood, and sandstone which takes care of the camera hump and evens it with the phone.
The device is slightly smaller than its predecessor, the OnePlus 2. It's 2.5mm thinner, 0.9mm shorter, and 0.2mm narrower, but still has the same screen size, at 5.5in (139.7mm) across diagonally. The display is still 1920×1080 px, comparable to that of the previous two models, but the 3 is the first flagship OnePlus to have an optic AMOLED display. As is typical for most smartphones, the OnePlus 3 features Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protection.
The OnePlus 3 is also the first OnePlus phone to ship with only 64 GB of storage available, as all other OnePlus devices have shipped with a 16 GB option also. The onboard storage is UFS 2.0, but there is no option for memory expansion via an SD card. The OnePlus 3 does include a dual-sim card tray, but fails to have compatibility with LTE band 13, making LTE unavailable to Verizon customers in the United States.
For the rear-facing camera, the OnePlus 3 has a 16 MP f/2.0 Sony IMX 298 sensor, with both optical image stabilisation and electronic image stabilisation. It is capable of 4K video at 30fps, and 720p slo-mo video at 120fps. Further, it includes support for shooting RAW images, allowing greater control of the image to the user. The front camera is a 8 MP f/2.0 Sony IMX179 sensor, with 1080p at 30fps video and fixed focus.
One new feature to the OnePlus 3 is dash charging. It is a custom version of OnePlus' parent company's (OPPO Electronics) VOOC Charging. The feature is made possible by the processor, which has Quick Charge 3.0 support. According to the company, within 30mins the battery can achieve a 60% or more charge. This is accomplished by doing all the power transforming required for direct input to the battery in the power brick supplied, not within the phone itself, reducing heat on the device. Additionally, the power brick can contain larger, dedicated electronics, whereas any power processing on a phone has to use smaller and cooler equipment, reducing the speed of charging.
Other features include the alert slider, originally added to the OnePlus 2, and then the OnePlus X. NFC was added again from the OnePlus One (as it was absent from OnePlus 2).
A fingerprint scanner is also included, which is faster than Apple Inc.'s touch ID on the iPhone 6S. It is estimated to unlock after a time of approximately 0.3 seconds.
Reception
The Verge gave the OnePlus 3 an 8.6/10, praising its great build quality, high performance and sharp display. However The Verge had some reservations about the phone, noting that it does not work on the US Verizon or Sprint networks, it does not have an SD Card slot, and the quick charging is limited to a OnePlus-specific cable and power brick. Nonetheless, they conclude that "The One Plus 3 is the rare kind of phone [we] can recommend without reservations"
Mashable gave the One Plus 3 a notable mention, saying that " [the] One Plus 3 is practically the perfect Android smartphone"
Wired also praised the smartphone concluding that the One Plus 3 is "A true flagship phone with style and power".
ZDNet commented that the OnePlus3 is "An excellent all-rounder with some very attractive capabilities."
On 6th August, 2016, The OnePlus 3 Appeared on the No.1 spot in Stuff.tv's Buyers Guide 2016.
The OnePlus 3 is also one of the best smartphones of 2016 by Android Police.
With the release of OnePlus 3, the company got the "Best Phone Brand" of the year from PcPro.
Marques Brownlee also praised the phone for its performance, display and camera, but criticized the camera bump found on the rear of the phone and the smaller battery compared to that of previous generations. Neither the OnePlus One nor the OnePlus 2 had a camera bump, and both featured slightly larger batteries. He also noted that OnePlus refrained from attempting to innovate, stating that it "doesn't really have any huge, big gimmicks or risks". He implicitly compares this to LG's and Lenovo's attempts at modularity with their recent flagships, respectively the LG G5 and the Moto Z. In summary, Brownlee felt that the phone "despite being so simple, really is the complete package".
Several online reports claimed that despite the OnePlus 3's 6 GB of RAM, the phone could not handle more than 3 or 4 applications at one time. Ars Technica added that OnePlus configured its build of Android to impose an artificial limit of 20 applications stored in RAM at a time. OnePlus indicated this was a deliberate choice to maximize battery life.