The OnePlus 5 goes on sale in many regions across the world starting from today. While not as affordable as previous OnePlus phones, the 5 does pack top-notch internals that can give other flagship phones in the market a run for their money.
Since the OnePlus 5 has been released just six months after the OnePlus 3T went on sale, many owners of the latter are confused as to whether they should upgrade to the 5 or not. OnePlus 3 users are also in the same dilemma since there was not really much of a difference between the 3 and 3T to begin with. So, is the OnePlus 5 worth an upgrade from the OnePlus 3 and 3T? The answer sadly is not so simple.
Reasons Why You Should Upgrade to OnePlus 5 from OnePlus 3/3T
Sleeker and Slimmer: The OnePlus 5 is sleeker and slimmer than the OnePlus 3/3T. It has a more ergonomic design as well due to the curve at its edges which make it less prone to slipping from one’s hand, unlike its predecessor. On the flip side though, the design of the 5 looks like a blatant rip-off of the iPhone 7 Plus. Camera: I won’t call this a huge reason to upgrade since the jump in camera performance between the OnePlus 3T and the OnePlus 5 is not huge. However, if you are really considering buying a phone with a dual camera setup and have money to blow, then the OnePlus 5 is for you. Plus, OnePlus is bound to improve the camera performance of the 5 over time.
Better Battery Life: This one strictly applies to OnePlus 3 owners since the 3T already comes with a larger 3400mAh battery. While the jump in battery capacity from 3000mAh to 3300mAh is only 10 percent, combine it with a more efficient processor and the 5 will end up offering slightly better battery life than the 3. Again, it is not a substantial improvement and should not be your sole reason to upgrade from the OnePlus 3 to 5.
Reasons to Not Upgrade to OnePlus 5 from OnePlus 3/3T
Performance: The OnePlus 5 might come with a more powerful and efficient Snapdragon 835 chipset, but the difference in performance between the 5 and the 3/3T in real life is going to be hardly noticeable. This is due to all the handsets running on OxygenOS which is super light and does not contain any bloatware or unneeded features that can slow the device down over time.
Camera: The camera on the OnePlus 5 is definitely very controversial. While OnePlus was hoping to deliver a camera quality similar to that of the Galaxy S7, S8, and iPhone 7 with the 5, it has failed to do so. While the primary 16MP shooter of the 5 does come with a bigger aperture that allows it to take in up to 34% more light, it lacks OIS which negates the improvement introduced by the larger aperture in low light. Upgrading to the OnePlus 5 from the 3/3T solely for its camera performance makes little sense as the improvement in simply not worth it. No waterproofing: In a bid to include a dual camera system on the OnePlus 5, the company decided against including waterproofing on the handset. Another reasoning on the lack of waterproofing on the 5 is that it would have made the handset thicker. However, with every flagship handset launched this year coming with an IP certification, it is a bummer that OnePlus decided against making the 5 water-resistant. So, it is clear that the OnePlus 5 just does not make for a compelling upgrade for an existing OnePlus 3/3T owner. The performance of the handsets is going to be the same in daily use, with the 16MP shooter on the 5 being only marginally better than the one found on the 3/3T. The OnePlus 3T and 5 also offer almost the same battery life and they also feature Dash Charge support. If you are a OnePlus One or a OnePlus 2 owner though, you should consider upgrading to the 5 since the improvements will then be immediately noticeable. Otherwise, if you own a 3/3T, you should wait for the OnePlus 6 next year to upgrade.
