Hands-on: OnePlus 3, all 5 Protective Cases, Dash car charger, and initial impressions [VIDEO]
We’re sure by now you’ve heard: the OnePlus 3 is now readily available for purchase and at $400 for top of the line specs, we’re sure many of you are wondering if you should pull the trigger. Like some of you, I honestly can’t say I was expecting much from the OnePlus 3. Early leaks showed a slightly uninspired design and specs that didn’t exactly wow us on paper.
Having been burned by previous iterations of the phone (both the OnePlus One and OnePlus 2), I figured I’d be passing on this year’s model. That being said, I’ve all but changed my tune after experiencing the OnePlus 3 firsthand and I have to say — I didn’t think I’d enjoy it as much as I have these past couple of days.
To help aid you in your decision making, we wanted to share our initial impressions with you, taking a look at what comes with the phone, as well as a handful of accessories available on the OnePlus store. First off, here’s what your $400 will get you:
OnePlus 3
- Snapdragon 820 processor
- 64GB storage
- 6GB of RAM
- 3,000mAh battery
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- Alert Slider
- Pre-screen protected (plastic film)
- Dash Charger power adapter
- USB Type-A to Type-C cable
OnePlus 3 Protective Cases by Evutec
Now, OnePlus offers a variety of accessories and bundles for the phone, all of which you can pick up when buying the phone on their site. Everything from headphones, tempered glass screen protectors, and five different Protective Cases made by Evutec: Bamboo, Black Apricot, Rosewood, Karbon and Sandstone. Priced at $25 (Sandstone is actually $20), it’s not a bad deal considering Evutec cases normally priced at around $35 for the iPhone.
While they only offer minimal protection, it’s a must if you don’t want the aluminum body scratched or scuffed in the event of an accident. For those that hate adding bulk to your phone, this is as thin as cases get. If you’re wondering how the Protective Cases actually look on the phone, check out the gallery down below and if you like what you see, you can buy them from OnePlus here. Our favorite? The carbon fiber with grippy silicone finish.
Dash Charge car charger
OnePlus was nice enough to supply us with a Dash Charge car charger and although the output isn’t quite what the included wall charger is (3.4V~5V/3.5A vs 5V/5A), we’re sure it’ll charge the phone plenty fast. It’s priced at $30 and comes with a Type-C Dash cable as well. You can find it from OnePlus right here.
What we love so far
- Build quality is top-freaking-notch
- Display is super responsive and looks great
- Performance is incredibly fast
- Battery life is fantastic (4 hours+ of screen on time with 2-days of testing)
- Charges hella quick, even while you’re using it (Galaxy S7 can’t fast charge while screen is on)
Concerns
- Only comes in a single color (Graphite), although gold color is coming in July
- 5.5-inch is still a little larger for my tastes (subjective)
- 1080p display not well-suited for VR
- Need proprietary Dash Charger and Dash cable for fast charging
- Camera quality isn’t the best (but at least it’s lightning fast)
- Overly aggressive software doesn’t make full use of 6GB of RAM (but can be fixed using this method)
Stay tuned for our full review in the coming days, or check out our OnePlus 3 forum for more info, discussions about the phone, issues, or anything else. The OnePlus 3 can be purchased for $399.99 directly from OnePlus and comes with free shipping and a 15-day no hassle money back guarantee. According to OnePlus, it begins shipping in 6 business days.
Buy from OnePlus: OnePlus 3 ($399.99)