Articles about OnePlus

There are few smartphones that attract as much attention as a new OnePlus flagship. And it is easy to understand why. You get pretty much everything that you expect from a flagship device, but at a fraction of the cost. That recipe has not changed with this year's OnePlus 5.

Though it has not changed dramatically on the outside, the new "flagship killer" is more powerful and exciting than ever. It's also more expensive, which brings up an interesting question: Is the OnePlus 5 still special in today's crowded market?

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A few years ago, the only way you could get updates for core apps on your Android device was through operating system updates. Then, manufacturers realized that it would be much easier -- for everyone involved -- to have new versions distributed through Google Play or their own app store.

OnePlus has reached the same conclusion, and today it announces that updates for Community, Gallery, Launcher and Weather will be rolled out through Google Play, in what is referred to as "Individual Application Update."

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At an event in Paris next week, OnePlus is teaming up with French fashion designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac. The company is giving nothing away at the moment, but it's widely expected that we'll see an announcement about OnePlus 5 Special Edition -- possibly called Callection.

A leaked photograph shows a box that bears the words "Shot on OnePlus JCC+" on the side -- surely a reference to a Jean-Charles de Castelbajac special edition of the phone.

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When OnePlus introduced its latest flagship killer, the OnePlus 5, it only made the top configuration available on the Midnight Black version. Similarly, the Slate Gray color option was paired exclusively with the base specifications.

That was a rather strange choice, as it forced buyers to accept a specific color in order to get either configuration. However, at least for the Slate Gray model, things have just changed.

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It is hard not to fall asleep watching promo videos for smartphones. That's why we rarely write about them. Today we make an exception for the new OnePlus 5 camera ad, which, depending on how you look at it, is either really stupid or brilliant -- but memorable nonetheless.

Called Lake Blood, it's the story of a chainsaw massacre. The promo features a teenage girl, a bloodied man and the chainsaw killer that's following him. It's not your typical combination of characters, is it?

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There's good news and bad news for OnePlus handset owners -- whether it's good or bad depends on whether you have a OnePlus 3/3T or a OnePlus 5. For users of the older handset, there's a new OxygenOS Open Beta which adds a decent selection of new features.

For OnePlus 5 users, however, the OxygenOS 4.5.7 update that was released earlier in the week is being recalled. OnePlus is responding reports of terrible gaming performance in withdrawing the update.

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When we talk about bugs in smartphone software we typically mention issues that may be annoying, but not life-threatening. This one is an exception.

Some OnePlus 5 users are reporting that they are unable to get in touch with emergency operators as, when they dial 911, their smartphone automatically reboots.

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Before unveiling its latest flagship, OnePlus announced that it had partnered with DxO to improve the camera performance of the OnePlus 5. That was interesting mainly for one reason: DxO, on top of making software that enhances photos, frequently puts popular smartphones to the test to assess their photo and video quality.

So, at some point, we would find just what sort of effect that partnership had on the OnePlus 5, using DxO's own metrics. As it turns out, the new flagship still has some way to go before it can challenge the elite.

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The OnePlus 5 launched only two weeks ago, and it has already received four software updates -- one of which was released before it was even widely available. The new flagship killer is not without fault, as user reports indicate, but OnePlus has been working to address them as quickly as possible.

The fourth and latest software update for the OnePlus 5, OxygenOS 4.5.5, was just released, and it brings a number of improvements and bug fixes that should enhance the user experience. Here's what's new.

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There is no such thing as a problem-free smartphone, and the OnePlus 5 is no exception. A few issues have cropped up since customers started getting their hands on the new flagship killer, and now we can add one more to that list.

The OnePlus 5 exhibits a rather strange audio recording behavior, wherein holding the smartphone in a certain way causes the audio channels to be inverted. Could this be another case of "you're holding it wrong?"

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The OnePlus 5 may have received positive reviews, but the launch has not gone as smoothly as OnePlus might have hoped. The new flagship killer was found to boost performance in benchmarks to get higher scores, and, most recently, users have reported a strange scrolling issue as well.

This does not appear to affect all OnePlus 5 units, but some users say that they have noticed what is commonly referred to as "jelly" scrolling. OnePlus calls this a "subtle visual effect," but it says that this kind of behavior is perfectly normal for the AMOLED display that it uses.

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OnePlus is among the few vendors that provide frequent updates for their smartphones. And it continues this tradition with its latest flagship killer, the OnePlus 5, which just received a software update over the air before its highly anticipated open release on June 27.

OxygenOS 4.5.2, which is also the update for the OnePlus 5, fixes a couple of bugs and adds a number of optimizations for the stock apps and built-in functionality. But that is not all that is new in OnePlus 5 land right now, as the flagship killer has also been rooted.

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Just one day after the launch of the long-awaited OnePlus 5, accusations of cheating in benchmarks started to creep out -- just as they did with the OnePlus 3T. Now another minor controversy has hit the brand new handset: it turns out that while it is strongly suggested that the OnePlus 5 has lossless 2x optical zoom, that is not actually the case.

OnePlus' marketing certainly pitched the dual camera as offering instant 2x zoom, and many people assumed that the arrangement was the same as with the dual camera iPhone 7 Plus which does offer 2x optical zoom. But the focal length of the OnePlus' two cameras is such that it needs a little digital help to boost the zoom to 2x -- and that raises the question of whether it is actually lossless.

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At the start of the year it was discovered that the OnePlus 3T was cheating in benchmarks, artificially boosting performance when testing tools were detected. The OnePlus 5 was only officially launched yesterday but the same accusation is already being leveled at the latest version of the flagship killer.

As with the OnePlus 3T, the benchmark trickery of the OnePlus 5 was discovered in tests carried out by XDA Developers. The site says that its review unit "manipulates benchmarks to maximize scores" and issues a stark warning in an article entitled: "Do NOT Trust OnePlus 5 Benchmarks in Reviews -- How our Review Unit is Grossly Cheating at Benchmarks."

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Three years in the making, the OnePlus 5 -- the company's "most complete and competitive product yet" -- is now official. OnePlus says it's all down to the details, and the company has made endless minor adjustments, and over 100 prototypes to settle on a final design. The handset is just 7.25mm thick, and the overall layout of the phone is all but identical to the OnePlus 3 and 3T -- and yes, there is a headphone jack.

The phone is available in Midnight Black and Slate Gray and the specs are in line with the leaks and rumors we've heard over recent weeks. OnePlus is keen that we don’t focus entirely on specs, but with the inclusion of up to 8GB of RAM, they're hard to ignore -- and it's central to the "smooth experience" the phone offers.

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