OnePlus 7 Pro presented: Everything for the display
OnePlus breaks its own rules and presents two smartphones for the first time: the OnePlus 7 and the OnePlus 7 Pro. The most striking differences are the display and the front camera.
With the OnePlus 7 Pro, the manufacturer says it wants to serve the ultra-premium segment. There has been great demand from the Community for a model that is more than a top smartphone at a favourable price. There was even a willingness to pay more for this.
Improvements in three areas
The manufacturer claims to have wanted to improve three areas when developing the OnePlus 7 Pro: Display, camera and performance.
Display without interruptions
Yes, you can still see a little edge at the top and bottom of the display on the OnePlus 7 Pro. However, it is rounded on the sides so that it is truly bezel-free. As the front camera does not require a notch or a hole in the screen like the Samsung Galaxy S10, the entire screen is available to you without any restrictions.
OnePlus developed the 6.67-inch display together with Samsung. They named the technology Fluid AMOLED. The key specifications include a Quad HD Plus resolution of 3120 x 1440 pixels, the integration of HDR10+ and a refresh rate of 90 hertz. If an app does not support 90 Hertz, the display would automatically reduce to the typical 60 Hertz. At 32.5 milliseconds, the latency time until the touchscreen reacts to a touch is said to be even shorter than on the Galaxy S10.
As OnePlus revealed in advance, the screen received an A+ grade from test portal Displaymate. This had previously only been awarded to two other smartphones. Nevertheless, I will take a closer look at the display in the detailed test and also try out the night mode. This should greatly reduce the brightness and make it pleasant for the eyes to check the time in the dark.
Three rear cameras and a hidden selfie camera
The camera of the OnePlus 7 Pro consists of three lenses. In the main camera, the sensor captures images with a resolution of 48 megapixels, but can combine four pixels into one pixel each for better image quality. The resolution of the photos is then twelve megapixels.
The telephoto lens provides additional information so that the camera software can blur the background in portrait shots and allows a triple zoom. The wide-angle lens has a viewing angle of 176 degrees.
OnePlus also claims to have improved the camera software. This includes HDR+, which combines three HDR methods, as well as Super Resolution for more details and clearer shots. The night vision mode should not only be helped by the larger camera sensor, but also by a completely new algorithm. This is not only noticeable in the finished photos, but also when taking them. The exposure time is said to have become shorter.
DxO Mark gives the camera of the OnePlus 7 Pro a total of 111 points, just one point less than the current frontrunner, the Huawei P30 Pro. I will definitely get an impression of the camera myself.
If you want to take a selfie, the front camera extends from the top of the OnePlus 7 Pro. According to the manufacturer, this takes 0.53 seconds. This is no longer than other smartphones need to switch the camera. With the difference that you can hear the sliding mechanism at work here - if the environment is quiet.
OnePlus claims to have tested the camera extensively and promises that it can be extended and retracted 300,000 times. It is also specially sealed against dust and water. If the OnePlus 7 Pro is dropped, the camera automatically retracts so that it is not damaged when it lands. In pockets, the trouser pocket detection is designed to ensure that the camera does not pop out unintentionally.
At first glance, the selfies with a resolution of 16 megapixels looked good. A detailed evaluation will follow in the test.
Very fast hardware and software for gaming or relaxing
With the Snapdragon 855, OnePlus has installed the most powerful chipset currently available from Qualcomm. Together with the Adreno 640 graphics chip and, depending on the model, six, eight or twelve gigabytes of RAM, it will undoubtedly have plenty of power - but not only in the OnePlus 7 Pro, but also in many other top smartphones. To prevent the hardware from getting too hot, OnePlus uses liquid cooling.
The internal memory of the OnePlus 7 Pro is 128 or 256 gigabytes in size and, thanks to UFS 3.0, faster than many previous smartphones. Compared to the OnePlus 6, the OnePlus 7 Pro is said to read data three times faster and write data nine times faster.
The battery has a high capacity of 4000 mAh and can be charged quickly thanks to WarpCharge 30. The fast-charging technology is said to fill half of the battery in 20 minutes.
In addition, OnePlus claims to have reduced the recognition time of the fingerprint sensor in the display to 0.21 seconds. It now has a larger camera and the display has become thinner, allowing more light through. This will hopefully also ensure more reliable recognition than the OnePlus 6T.
New features include the stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos and the vibration motor, which can provide even more variations of haptic feedback in games, for example.
Speaking of games: OnePlus has developed the gaming mode of the OnePlus 7 Pro together with the gaming specialists from Fnatic. Accordingly, you will now also find a Fnatic mode that hides and switches off everything and focusses the entire performance and attention of the hardware on the game. And if you want to show others how well you game, you'll love the OnePlus 7 Pro's integrated screen recording.
The new Zen mode is the opposite of Gaming mode. It puts the OnePlus 7 Pro into a coma for 20 minutes and cannot be deactivated. You can only answer calls, make emergency calls or take photos. Beyond that, it forces you to spend a short time without your smartphone.
If you missed the notification LED on the OnePlus 6T or another smartphone, a function on the OnePlus 7T might make you feel better: When a message arrives, the edges of the display briefly light up in the colour of the app.
OnePlus 7: OnePlus 6T with new camera and hardware
The OnePlus 7 is indistinguishable from the OnePlus 6T from the front. It has a 6.41-inch AMOLED display with a notch for the front camera and a resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels. However, the fingerprint sensor under the display is the new one from the OnePlus 7 Pro. The battery with a capacity of 3700 mAh is also found in the 6T.
OnePlus claims to have focussed on performance and the camera in the OnePlus 7. So you can expect the Snapdragon 855 here too, but only six or eight gigabytes of RAM. The internal memory has also become faster thanks to UFS 3.0 and is 128 or 256 gigabytes in size depending on the RAM.
The camera of the OnePlus 7 is also new. It is a dual camera. The main camera is identical to that of the OnePlus 7 Pro and delivers images with either 48 or twelve megapixels. The second lens only provides information for the bokeh effect of portrait photos. You will have to do without a zoom or wide-angle shots.
The new stereo speakers, on the other hand, have also made it into the OnePlus 7, which also receives all the software functions of the OnePlus 7 Pro, such as gaming mode or Zen mode.
OnePlus 7 Pro 5G: The bonus smartphone
Strictly speaking, OnePlus has actually presented three smartphone models. However, the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G will initially only be available in Finland and the UK. Apart from the small 5G logo on the back, it is indistinguishable from the OnePlus 7 Pro from the outside. Apart from the network technology, the features are also identical. However, the built-in X50 modem from Qualcomm and the larger 5G antennas as well as the liquid cooling system, which is twice as large, meant that OnePlus had to completely redesign the inner workings.
Colours, prices and availability
The OnePlus 7 Pro will be available from 21 May 2019. The cheapest version with six gigabytes of RAM and 128 gigabytes of internal memory costs 709 euros. The recommended retail price for eight and 256 gigabytes is 759 euros and the recommended retail price for twelve and 256 gigabytes is 829 euros. Initially, you can choose between two colour variants for the Gorilla Glass 5 back: a reflective, metallic Mirror Grey or a blue colour gradient in Nebula Blue. The white Almond variant is due to be released in June. However, not every storage variant is available in every colour.
The OnePlus 7 is set to follow in June. Depending on the storage configuration (6/128 or 8/256 GB), the recommended retail price is 559 or 609 euros. The colour selection is limited to Mirror Grey. This means that OnePlus is once again adding a few euros to the price. Compared to the competition, however, the OnePlus 7 is still favourably priced, while the OnePlus 7 Pro is less so.
When I was but a young student, I'd sit in my friend's living room with all my classmates and play on his SuperNES. Since then I've had the opportunity to test out all the newest technology for you. I've done reviews at Curved, Computer Bild and Netzwelt, and have now arrived at Galaxus.de.