OnePlus 5 vs. iPhone 7 Plus: Which Best Fits Your Needs

After months of rumors and speculation, OnePlus has finally unveiled its new high-end smartphone, the OnePlus 5. The device has a starting price of $479, similar to other midrange smartphones, yet comes with a host of high-end features that could attract power users. The OnePlus 5 runs on the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 and features a dual-lens, rear-facing camera. Although its design won’t match the forward-thinking look of Samsung’s Galaxy S8, the OnePlus 5 is still attractive. Whether it can top Apple’s iPhone, the market’s perennial leader, remains to be seen. Although there are similarities, in some areas Apple’s handset still reigns supreme. Read on to learn more about OnePlus 5 and how it compares to its closest competitor, the iPhone 7 Plus.

Both the OnePlus 5 and iPhone 7 Plus have the same design philosophy. Both devices have a standard smartphone design with no curved edges and a physical home button under the display that also acts as a fingerprint sensor for verifying purchases and handling security. Additionally, they both come with a dual-lens camera.

Both the iPhone 7 Plus and OnePlus 5 have 5.5-inch screens. The OnePlus 5’s display has full-HD resolution, which should help it deliver a similar resolution to the screen on the iPhone 7 Plus. However, the OnePlus 5 uses OLED technology rather than LCD to make it brighter with better color representation.

The OnePlus 5 comes with the market’s most powerful processor in the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835. According to OnePlus, the octa-core chip maxes out at a 2.45GHz clock speed. The OnePlus 5 likely will deliver better performance than the iPhone 7 Plus, but exactly how much faster it will perform is unknown.

Like the iPhone 7 Plus, the OnePlus 5 has dual cameras on the back of the handset that are horizontally aligned, despite some reports that said OnePlus would opt for a vertical alignment. Regardless, the rear-facing wide-angle lens offers 16 megapixels while the telephoto offers 20 megapixels. The camera can shoot in 4K resolution.

Unlike the iPhone 7 Plus, the OnePlus 5 comes with fast-charging capabilities, thanks to its USB-C port. The feature, which OnePlus calls Dash Charge, can deliver a day’s power in just half an hour of charging, boosting the OnePlus 5’s battery life far more quickly than the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Google Pixel XL, according to OnePlus.

Customers choosing between the OnePlus 5 and the iPhone 7 Plus will have to determine which operating system they prefer. The OnePlus 5 runs OnePlus’ OxygenOS, a skin that runs atop Android Nougat. It is a much different look and feel compared to Apple’s iOS 10 in the iPhone 7 Plus.

The iPhone 7 Plus comes with Apple’s apps installed, including Mail, Safari and Apple Music. The OnePlus 5 ships with Android apps including Chrome, Google Play and others. Customers will need to decide whether they want to use Google or Apple services when choosing which device they want.

The OnePlus 5 is a world phone, allowing users to connect to 34 different network bands around the globe. Similarly, Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus works in a slew of countries. In addition, both devices are available unlocked for use on any carrier network.

Like the iPhone 7 Plus, the OnePlus 5 comes with several configurations. The OnePlus 5 is available in 64GB and 128GB versions, and customers can choose either 6GB of RAM or 8GB of RAM for better performance. The iPhone 7 Plus is available in storage versions ranging from 32GB to 256GB.

The iPhone 7 Plus, available now, starts at $769 and increases to $969 for the highest-end model. The OnePlus 5 will be available for preorder June 27. The device will start at $479 for the model with less storage and RAM. The black version with more storage and RAM will cost $539.