ONEPLUS 3 review

Here’s everything we know so far about the OnePlus 3, including the OnePlus 3 release date, specs, features, and price.

OnePlus provided one of the most interesting phones of 2014 in the OnePlus One, and two of the most interesting phones of 2015 in the OnePlus 2 and OnePlus X. It stands to reason, then, that we're looking forward to 2016's OnePlus 3 rather a lot.

The Chinese brand turns out well-built, well-specced Android phones with one of the most beloved Android UI customisations around - all for around half the price of your average flagship phone. We're expecting the same basic combination of price and performance from the OnePlus 3, although obviously scaled up to meet the sky-high standards set out by the Samsung Galaxy S6, HTC 10 and others. Leaked images of the phone appear to show few changes from the OnePlus 2 on the front, but the back appears to sport a similar design to the HTC One M9 – albeit black.

Specific details concerning the OnePlus 3 have been hard to come by up until recently, but rumours and alleged leaks have begun to appear. Rumours about the device include an upgrade to Android 6.0 Marshmallow, a new metallic design, and a Snapdragon 820 mobile processor. We also recently saw an AnTuTu benchmark readout that listed the specs as follows:

• Model number: A3000

• Android 6.0.1

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor

• Adreno 530 GPU

• 4GB RAM

• 32GB storage

• Full HD 1,920 x 1,080 pixel display

• 16-megapixel rear-facing camera

• 8-megapixel front-facing camera

Meanwhile, a more recent Twitter post by reputed leaker Evan Blass tipped the following specs:

• Model number: A3000

• Android 6.0.1 (OxygenOS 3.1.0)

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 830 processor

• Adreno 530 GPU

• 64GB storage

• 5.5-inch screen

• 1,920 x 1,080 pixel display

• 15-megapixel rear camera

• NFC

And a separate leak from Winfuture, citing specs revealed on Geekbench, suggest the handset willl actually feature 6GB of RAM, not 4GB. That's class-leading by today's standards, although we're not sure if that much RAM is really necessary. Of course, both could be the case. The OnePlus 2 came in both 3GB and 4GB iterations, for example.

We've also heard that the handset could price at 1,999 Yuan in China, which translates to around £210 – not bad, if it's true. In any case, there’s plenty more to expect from the OnePlus 3, so read on for all the latest on the next OnePlus phone.

Here’s what to expect:

LATEST ONEPLUS 3 NEWS

When does the OnePlus 3 come out? Before July 2016What’s new about the OnePlus 3? Android 6.0, Snapdragon 820How much will the OnePlus 3 cost? £220-250, probably

ONEPLUS 3 RELEASE DATE UK, US & INDIA –

 WHEN WILL THE NEW ONEPLUS PHONE COME OUT? 

Usually we’re clueless about release details for smartphones prior to launch, but not with the OnePlus 3. OnePlus global director Carl Pei already confirmed in an interview with Cnet that the OnePlus 3 will be here “by the end of the second quarter”. So before July, then.
That still leaves some uncertainty, so we can look to past OnePlus launches for further inspiration:
OnePlus 2 – July 28, 2015OnePlus One – April 25, 2014July is already ruled out (although OnePlus has missed deadlines before), and April has already been missed. That leaves just the tail-end of May and the whole of June for a launch. Time's running out, OnePlus.

OnePlus 3 Design – What will it look like?

We've also seen some slightly iffy renders of the device, but the veracity of these no longer matter so much thanks to the subsequent appearance of images of actual OnePlus 3 hardware in-the-wild. These photos - which have come from three different
sources - appear to reveal a device that borrows a few things from the HTC design playbook. They also hint at the return of the fingerprint sensor from the OnePlus 2.

SHOULD I WAIT FOR THE ONEPLUS 3?

It’s usually pretty easy to recommend OnePlus phones because they’re so cheap – although the invitation system tends to scupper that. However, this year is playing host to some seriously formidable smartphones, so OnePlus faces stiff competition.
Some of the top-tier smartphones on offer right now include the Samsung Galaxy S7, the LG G5, and the Nexus 6P – and they’re just from the Android camp. There’s also the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus, both of which have received strong critical reception.
The advantage OnePlus has is, of course, its wallet-friendly pricing. But the Huawei P9, only recently launched, boasts similarly high-end specs and a similarly mid-range price point.
If you’re waiting for the OnePlus 3, we’d recommend seriously thinking about whether you’re also willing to go through the frustrating purchase process.

ONEPLUS 3 INVITE – HOW TO BUY THE ONEPLUS 3

We touched on the invitation system in the last section, and it’s an important point to bear in mind.
Since the launch of its very first phone, OnePlus has forced would-be customers through an egregious invite-only purchase system. Naturally, OnePlus fans are keen for the firm to drop the strategy with the next phone, but how likely is it?
We’d say you can probably count on seeing the invite-only system once again. OnePlus maintains that it helps the firm control stock levels, which is the only way the brand can stay in business. It’s also not a bad tactic for generating hype.

Fortunately, there is a small upside to all of this. OnePlus has shown that it does eventually make its phones freely available for purchase. What’s more, the time between day of release and invite-free availability has decreased with each handset. As such, we’d expect the OnePlus 3 to become available for anyone to purchase after not too long.

ONEPLUS 3 SPECS:

With nought but a sprinkling of rumours to go on, it’s tough to say exactly what components will go into the OnePlus 3. However, a recent Twitter post by reputed leaker Evan Blass is likely to offer the best view yet:
However, it's worth noting that there's a good chance we'll also see a 32GB storage variant, as rumoured by other outlets. It's also reported that there will be 3GB and 4GB RAM variants, although the Evan Blass post makes no mention of this.
It’s also expected that we’ll see two variants of the OnePlus 3, just like the OnePlus 2 – albeit with an upgrade. The OnePlus 3 is rumoured to ship with 4GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, or 5GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.
However, a recent leak on Geekbench suggests that the OnePlus 3 could actually arrive with a lofty 6GB of RAM instead – but is that really necessary? We're not convinced just yet.
There haven’t been any rumours about photography potential for the OnePlus 3. For reference, the OnePlus 2 featured a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera, and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. Without any leaked information to go on, we’d recommend expected the same again with the OnePlus 3.

ONEPLUS 3 BATTERY LIFE:

The OnePlus 2 offered a formidable day-and-a-half of usage between charges, which is par for the course with flagship phones.
That was thanks to a 3,300mAh battery, paired with reasonably efficient components like a Full HD display and the Snapdragon 810. If the OnePlus 3 doesn’t make the jump to a QHD or 4K panel, we’d expect to see similar battery life once again.
What’s more, the Snapdragon 820 offers significant efficiency improvements over the Snapdragon 810, and Android 6.0 Marshmallow also improves battery management. All in all, there’s plenty of scope for a solid OnePlus 3 battery life.

ONEPLUS 3 SCREEN AND FEATURES:

The OnePlus 2 shipped with a 5.5-inch 1,920 x 1,080 pixel resolution display. That’s the same form factor as the iPhone 6S Plus, although it’s nearing the top-end of what most people are willing to hold.
The OnePlus 3 is rumoured to sport an identical screen, which is no bad thing. Unfortunately, the disadvantage of retaining a Full HD display is that the handset won’t be as VR-capable as QHD rivals like the Galaxy S7.
A supposed render of the OnePlus 3 seemingly revealed a brushed metal design, although it’s unclear how legitimate the leak is at this stage.

That same render also showed a phone with no fingerprint scanner, although with Marshmallow’s support for biometric scanning, we’d be surprised if OnePlus skipped over this now-ubiquitous feature.
And finally, we’re expecting to see the return of a USB Type C port once again. While USB-C hasn’t really taken off in 2016 like some thought it would, the fact that the technology appeared on the OnePlus 2 suggests it’ll appear in the OnePlus 3.
ONEPLUS 3 SOFTWARE: ANDROID 6.0 OR ANDROID 7.0?
We might be short on OnePlus 3 rumours, but software is an easy one to guess.
It seems highly likely that the OnePlus 3 will feature Google’s new Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system. The company is already readying up the rollout of the software for the OnePlus 2, so launching a new phone with 2014’s Android 5.0 Lollipop would be an unforgivably curious move.
But will the OnePlus 3 use the upcoming Android N? Probably not, as that software probably won’t arrive on consumer smartphones until Autumn. OnePlus would need significant testing time before using the software on its handset, so we’d advise not expecting to see Android N on the OnePlus 3 for a long while.

It’s also worth noting that OnePlus now skins Android with its own OxygenOS software. It’s likely the OnePlus 3 will feature the v3.0 of OxygenOS, based on Marshmallow.

ONEPLUS 3 PRICE:

While we don’t know the exact OnePlus 3 price, it’s not too tough to make a guess.
Here are the previous launch prices for OnePlus handsets:
OnePlus One – £229OnePlus 2 – £239

Based on that, we’d expect to see the OnePlus 3 retail at anywhere from £200 to £250 for the base model, and up to £300 for the top-end version.

However, note that OnePlus says it doesn’t choose a price for its phones and build around that. Instead, the company says it chooses the best possible components, and then sells it at cost. As such, if the hardware starts to rack up financially, there’s no guessing what the price might be.
Perhaps our best clue comes courtesy of a recent leak out of China, suggesting that the OnePlus 3 will price at 1,999 Yuan locally. At current exchange rates, that works out at either £211 GBP or $309 USD. Both of those prices sound about right, although direct currency conversions are always unlikely.