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Review: OnePlus 5 is the best smartphone you can buy, bar none

Latest flagship handset from Chinese company has a similar look and feel to the OnePlus 3, but its massive 8GB of RAM and clean software, coupled with great battery life, make this phone a winner

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The OnePlus 5 smartphone has a USB-C port. Photo: Ben Sin
Ben Sin

Shenzhen-based OnePlus may be a relatively small company in terms of phone sales and brand awareness, but it is probably the most beloved Chinese smartphone brand for Android geeks (reviews back this up) in the West, due to its clean (not too Chinese) software and bang-for-your-buck value. The company’s new flagship product, the OnePlus 5, continues this trend.

(If you’re wondering why the company jumped from the OnePlus 3 to the OnePlus 5, it’s because the number four is considered an unlucky number in Chinese culture.)

Design and hardware

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The OnePlus 5 mostly continues the design of last year’s OnePlus 3: the oval home button that doubles as a fingerprint reader is back, as is the 5.5-inch, 1080p AMOLED display. The “notification slider” button that’s unique to OnePlus phones has also returned.

The back of the OnePlus 5, with its dual camera lenses. Photo: Ben Sin
The back of the OnePlus 5, with its dual camera lenses. Photo: Ben Sin
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Sure, there are subtle evolutionary tweaks – the phone fits in the palm a tad better, thanks to having shed a bit of thickness (the 5 measures 7.25mm) – but for the most part, if you owned the OnePlus 3, the new model will look and feel very similar.

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