OnePlus 3 is now official: 5.5" phone with Snapdragon 820, 6GB of RAM and premium body for just $400
In what OnePlus claims to be the first virtual reality unveiling of a major smartphone, OnePlus walked us through a virtual reality office to introduce three key areas of its new flagship: the new Optic AMOLED display, a 5.5" 1080 x 1920-pixel screen with special gamma adjustments and anti-reflection coating, the new Dash charger system that allows users to juice up their phone from 0 to 60% in just half an hour, and the new camera system with both optical and electronic stabilization.
The OnePlus 3 features a Snapdragon 820 system chip with 6GB of RAM, and it comes with a whopping 64GB of internal storage (but no microSD card expansion option).
The OnePlus 3 will come in three models: one aimed at the United States and the North American market in general, another one for Europe, and a third one for the Chinese market.
The US version of the OnePlus 3 supports 4G LTE bands 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, and 17. This covers AT&T and T-Mobile's bands, plus it also covers band 2 and 4 used by Verizon Wireless, but not its main band 13. There is no support for Sprint's 4G LTE bands. Take a look at the bands US carriers use and which ones they rely on the most in our 4G LTE cheat sheet.
The European model supports 4G LTE bands 1, 3, 5, 7, 8 and 20, so you should be all covered, and that's in fact the same band support as needed for Asian markets outside of China.
Here is a quick look at the specs:
OnePlus 3 | |
Platform | Oxygen OS based on Android 6.1 Marshmallow |
Dimensions | 152.7 x 74.7 x 7.35 mm 158 g |
Display | 5.5" Optic AMOLED with 1080 x 1920 pixel resolution |
SoC | Snapdragon 820 |
RAM | 6 GB |
Cameras | 16MP f/2.0 rear cam (Sony IMX 298, 1.12μm pixel, PDAF) w/ OIS, EIS 8MP f/2.0 front camera |
Storage | 64 GB UFS 2.0 |
Battery | 3,000 mAh |
Extra features | Dark Mode, Dash Charge |
Cameras
The OnePlus 3 features a 16MP rear cam with the Sony IMX 298 sensor and sporting a 1.12μm pixel. The sensor features phase-detection auto-focus for faster lock of focus, as well as optical and electronic image stabilization that should combine for more stable footage. The lens on top is an f/2.0 one. The main camera also supports 4K video at 30 fps, as well as slow motion at 720p and 120 fps.
This is all just tech talk: what users want to really know about, though, is camera quality. While we're yet to test that, OnePlus has published some official camera samples from the OnePlus 3 for consumers to check out and they look quite amazing. Note that the camera also features an auto HDR mode, as well as a new de-noising algorithm for sharper, smoother detail.
Three models: North American, European and Chinese
The US version of the OnePlus 3 supports 4G LTE bands 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, and 17. This covers AT&T and T-Mobile's bands, plus it also covers band 2 and 4 used by Verizon Wireless, but not its main band 13. There is no support for Sprint's 4G LTE bands. Take a look at the bands US carriers use and which ones they rely on the most in our 4G LTE cheat sheet.
The European model supports 4G LTE bands 1, 3, 5, 7, 8 and 20, so you should be all covered, and that's in fact the same band support as needed for Asian markets outside of China.
Price and release date
The OnePlus 3 price is set at $400 in the United States and €400 in Europe, and once you complete the virtual reality experience via the OnePlus loop app (you don't need a VR headset for that) you can order the phone right away. It will dispatch in 1-2 days and shipping is free.
Quite the impressive price for such a well-done phone with top-grade hardware, don't you think?
This story is being developed as the news unfolds...
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