So where is the front camera hiding? The secret is revealed when you click on the camera icon: Out comes a small lens, hidden inside the metal casing. — dpa
With its value-for-money smartphones, budget brand OnePlus has been biting at the heels of behemoth smartphone brands. But with the OnePlus 7 Pro, OnePlus has upped its usual price limits with a feature set that even goes beyond top rival flagships.
You can take one look at the new OnePlus 7 Pro and know for sure that it's one of the best smartphones out there.
The new device by Chinese manufacturer OnePlus has it all: The fastest Qualcomm processor, enormous storage capacity, the best cameras, freshest network technology.
The company is also going further than before by bringing out a OnePlus 7 Pro model as well as the standard model. And it absolutely can keep up with the Apples and the Huaweis.
Everything about the OnePlus 7 is big and heavy. The smartphone is made of metal and glass and weighs 206g. It is comfortable in the palm of your hand, and looks sleek and cool with its gradient colour scheme.
The first surprise happens the minute you switch it on. The display is huge. The 6.67in Fluid Amoled Display (2340 x 1440 pixels, HDR10+) was co-designed with Samsung, and has slightly rounded edges.
As you watch the launch animation's colourful presentation, you may feel like there's something missing.
Because there is: There's nothing else on the display. No sensors, no speakers, no selfie camera. This phone is nothing but display. No notch, no hole-punch design, no bezel.
So where is the front camera hiding?
The secret is revealed when you click on the camera icon: Out comes a small lens, hidden inside the metal casing.
OnePlus says that the machinery that drives the camera can extend and retract around 500,000 times. It has special seals that prevent dirt and dust or any liquids from getting inside and breaking anything.
The extendable camera is one of the most impressive features – and if you drop the phone while it's out, the tiny machine will retract back automatically to prevent it from breaking.
The OnePlus 7 Pro has an extra little surprise here as well: If you want to use face recognition software to unlock the device, the selfie camera will pop up very quickly like a periscope, and disappear again. It's very fun – but it's probably just easier and quicker to use the fingerprint sensor.
The selfie camera is more of a gimmick than anything else, but when it comes to the other main cameras, it's all very serious. The OnePlus 7 Pro has three lenses: wide-angle, main camera and zoom.
The main stabilising sensor with 48 megapixels can create one pixel out of four – the result is a 12MP photograph. This system is designed to ensure more detail, more light and less noise appears on the image. Then there's the additional 8MP telephoto lens and a 16MP wide-angle lens.
When in everyday use, this trio works well and creates very detailed pictures. The software helps out in low-light situations, which means the smartphone can take good photographs even in near darkness. The only downside is that the night mode can cause unrealistically long exposure times, which produces some strange images. It's also not possible to swipe through the different modes like on other devices.
On the inside, the OnePlus 7 Pro is also very impressive. Qualcomm's Snapdragon 855 is accompanied by either 6, 8 or 12GB of RAM – although the latter seems like a bit much. In terms of storage, you can choose between 128 and 256GB, and there's no memory card option.
Another bonus is that the device supports Codec aptX HD Bluetooth, which also connects to the wireless headphones Bullets 2, that come with the device.
The speaker layout may also interest gamers: The OnePlus 7 Pro has a second speaker positioned so that it isn't blocked by your hand when you turn the phone.
The phone also has a special "Zen Mode" that when activated, turns the phone into a useless brick for the next 20 minutes. Only emergency calls are available in this mode.
In summary: Yes, the OnePlus 7 Pro is big and heavy. But this means it doesn't fall out of your hand. And the display is unrivalled, with competitive cameras and a solid performance. You may like the selfie camera, and you may not – at least it allows for a completely unprecedented display experience.
One of the most important factors is the price. Compared with other high-end manufacturers, the OnePlus 7 Pro is much cheaper, despite this being the most expensive OnePlus phone yet. The competition has similar technology for at least four figures on offer.
The OnePlus 7 Pro will hit the stores on May 21, the standard OnePlus 7 will go on sale in June. – dpa
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