I had been using my OnePlus 3T since December 2016. The device was still good enough for my daily necessities but the battery life dropped down to a considerable extent so I decided to get the OnePlus 7 Pro. My expectations were quite high, and guess what? This phone gracefully rose past all of them. Here is my review after three weeks of usage. Trust me, I've used the stuffing out of the device in these three weeks.
Desirable features :
1. Display : Arguably the phone's strongest selling point. My mind was shuttling between the 7T and 7 Pro and the display is what sold by. Beautiful Quad HD curved display with 90 Hz refresh rate. Curved displays may not be for everyone, but I've condoned them since the s6 edge and hence, I personally love it. Accidental touches are also very rare (I do have fat fingers). As for the refresh rate, it improves the overall user experience and if you don't believe me, keep a phone with a 60 Hz screen next to this and you will definitely observe the difference. The screen is pretty bright and has legit outdoor visibility as well. Night and reading modes also ensure you have a pleasant experience using it in the dark. Screen flickering is not noticeable for the average user but you have the DC dimming option as well if in case you do notice it.
2. Software optimization : Oxygen OS is OnePlus' forte. Undisputedly the best OS available for android. It is buttery smooth and packed with just the right amount of features. I didn't feel the need for a third party launcher. Rest assured, you will definitely receive regular software updates for three years at least.
3. Performance : Moving from the 3T, this felt like riding a H2R after owning a splendour all my life. I haven't noticed any lags or stutters no matter what task I threw at it. As for gaming, I've saved it for the end of the review. PUBG lovers do check out the bottom of the review for a detailed PUBG review. Spoiler alert : it outperforms even some of the gaming phones on the market today.
4. Audio output : The dual stereo speakers are very loud. The clarity is excellent for listening to media and taking calls as well. Dolby Atmos is the cherry on top of the cake.
5. Camera : Many reviews said that the camera was a disappointment. Well, OnePlus seems to have fixed it with numerous updates because when I got my device and installed all the updates, the camera performance was splendid. Pro mode allows you to tweak the settings considerably. Slow motion videos are good too, though not the best. Any normal user would be very happy with the camera as I had no complaints. it doesn't beauty or oversaturate images. Initially, when I opened slow motion at night in indoor lighting, the screen was flickering and so did the resulting video. But it turns out it is not a manufacturing defect. The sensor cannot shoot slow motion videos on certain lighting conditions. But it works well in outdoor lighting. So if you try it for the first time indoors, do not freak out if this happens. Video recording at 4k;60fps is awesome too.
TIP : Use Pro mode to click RAW images and then edit them on Snapseed. RAW files produce excellent details but also range from 20-30 MB per image. They are a little soft but Snapseed is all you need to edit the images.
6. Network reception : Network reception and Wi-Fi speed is also much better. Internet speed is much better on this phone as compared to my older devices (3T and Mi A2 lite).
7. Warp charging : It charges from 0 to 100 in just about an hour's time. And the best part is, the phone doesn't heat up at all. Only the adapter gets warm, but the phone doesn't heat up despite the charging speed.
8. Design - The phone looks beautiful and feels premium. The notchless display is a treat to the eyes. I have the nebula blue variant and the frosted glass back looks magnificent. It feels great to hold and even better to behold.
Well, this phone does everything you expect from a phone perfectly. So the pros list would go on and on.
Could be better :
Battery life - OnePlus packs a 4000 maH battery. It will easily last you through the day even if you are a heavy user. I get 6-7 hours of screen on time normally and a little over 5 hours if I do a lot of gaming and YouTube. I have my display set at 9 Hz and 1440p resolution so this does pull a lot off the battery. But considering the size and weight of this phone, OnePlus could have provided us with a battery. I did try setting the screen to 60 Hz and 1080p and it improved the battery life by roughly 15-20%, but what's the point of having such a powerful display and not being able to exploit it to the fullest?
Liabilities :
1. No headphone jack - When I buy a premium phone, I expect the company to at least pack a type C to 3.5mm adapter, if not a type C headphones. Come on, even apple gives you compatible earphones in the box. I spent an extra 390 bucks for the adapter. It works fine but would have been better if it came in the box.
2. Tempered glass - OnePlus gives you an applied screen protector with the phone and it is good, but it is not shatterproof. When you have an expensive display, it is always better to secure it with a good tempered glass. But finding a good one is a pain. Either it has black edges, doesn't cover the screen completely, or the application process is a hassle and error prone. And they cost at least four times the amount for flat screen phones. Have ordered one from glazedinc, let's hope it fits the bill.
A few perks :
To make the phone look better, I downloaded wallpapers from unsplash. I also installed the flight icon pack (free version). You don't need a separate launcher for it, Oxygen OS allows you to use icon packs and it is quite simple. You can customize the icons and even change the name of the apps(useful if you want to be shady).
Also installed an edge screen app. Have attached a screenshot of my home screen. Also, enable dark mode. The display makes it beautiful.
Set animation scale in developer options to 0.5x for an even snappier experience.
I suggest you use the fingerprint scanner and avoid face unlock as the front camera has to pop up Everytime you need to unlock your phone. Besides it is very accurate and fast too. I've disabled finger unlock animation so make it seem faster (perception hack).
Verdict :
I have the 8GB RAM/256GB ROM version. It is worth the 43 grand damage. Given a second chance, I'd still pick the same phone again and I am sure you would too. After all, it won the MVP award in MKBHD's smartphone awards 2019. :)
PUBG Mobile review :
This is an absolute beast of a phone for PUBGM. Default settings itself was set to HDR + Extreme and it handled it very well. Constant 60 fps was achieved with minor drops to 58 and never below that. I personally prefer to play at Smooth + Extreme as bullets register the fastest in these settings (as said by professional players). I'm a four finger claw + full gyroscope player. I picked up full gyro practicing for just two weeks in this phone. Touch response is super quick and there are no multi touch issues. Gyro response is also perfect and I play with the same sensitivity as Snax. My gameplay has improved a lot with this phone. Curved display wasn't an issue for me at all. You also have an in built screen recorder that records both internal and external audio. Recording your gameplay doesn't affect the performance at all. Minor heating is noticeable after two classic matches if you're recording. 5 minutes of recording at 60fps will consume close to 1GB of your storage. I can game for around 4-4.5 hours when the phone is fully charged. There is no thermal throttling and phone's performance does not drop at all. Besides, the notchless screen improves.yoir gaming experience and haptic feedback is excellent too. If you're looking for an amazing gaming performance as a bonus, this is the phone for you. The frame rate is even more consistent than ROG phone 2, second maybe only to iPhones.
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