Is OnePlus 5 Another Flagship Killer or Just a Knock-Off?

OnePlus 5 has been launched in India, just two days after its global launch. The smartphone’s specs were known for a while, but there is more to the OnePlus 5 than just specifications. Games Editor Rishi Alwani and Deputy Reviews Editor Roydon Cerejo used OnePlus 5 for two weeks to figure out whether the smartphone works as advertised, and they join host Pranay Parab to talk about it. We discuss things such as OnePlus 5’s price, specifications, battery life, performance, and whether OnePlus 5’s India price makes for good value for money.

We start by giving a brief history of OnePlus and the company’s journey from the OnePlus One to the OnePlus 5. From the invite system to being available in an open sale, OnePlus has indeed come a long way. Along the way not every OnePlus smartphone has been a runaway success and we talk about how the company has reached this stage where it’s offering a proper flagship phone competitor at a near-flagship price — OnePlus 5. We also compare the OnePlus 5 against the OnePlus 3T and look at OnePlus 5’s price in India.

Roydon then gives us the lowdown on the build quality of the OnePlus 5. We talk about the design and which smartphone may have inspired its design. We mention other aspects of the build quality that pleased us and some that we weren’t particularly impressed with. We also put things into context by mentioning OnePlus 5’s price in India and how it won’t be better than flagship phones in every aspect.

Rishi then lists two major things that the OnePlus 5 lacks. These are features that every flagship smartphone has but the OnePlus 5 does not. Both Roydon and Rishi explain why this should matter to buyers. The discussion moves to specifications and how these compare against flagships such as the Samsung Galaxy S8 and LG G6. We look at the OnePlus 5’s price and its design and compare it against the almost bezel-free Android flagships in the market right now.

Then we look at the price of OnePlus 5 and discuss whether it offers good value for money. We compare OnePlus 5’s price in India against that of the iPhone 7 and other Android flagships and wonder whether it’s better to opt for those over OnePlus 5. We also mention the software used in the OnePlus 5 and how it compares against competition. We also talk about gaming performance on the OnePlus 5.

That's all for this week's episode of Orbital, which you can subscribe to it via Apple Podcasts or RSS or just listen to this episode by hitting the play button below.