OnePlus 3T review: Digitally remastered

Snapdragon 821 is faster all around

As already mentioned, OnePlus focused its efforts on upgrading the internals of the handset. Some aspects of this hardware refresh are a little bit more visible than others, like the new 128GB storage option or the higher megapixel front camera. The new Snapdragon 821 chipset is a little bit harder to distinguish from its Snapdragon 820 sibling at first glance. However, it does constitute a notable upgrade all around.

Firstly, there is the matter of the higher max clock rate of two of the Kryo cores inside. Admittedly, this probably won't have groundbreaking effect on real-world performance. But in a benchmark scenario, where the CPU is being pushed to the limit, the difference definitely shows.

GeekBench 4 (multi-core)

Higher is better

• Huawei Honor 8
  5447
• Samsung Galaxy S7
  5245
• OnePlus 3T
  4364
• Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus
  4333
• Lenovo Moto Z Droid
  4130
• Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Snapdragon)
  4128
• Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL
  4053
• OnePlus 3
  4045
• ZTE Axon 7
  3990
• Xiaomi Mi 5s
  3987
• Nubia Z11
  3926
• Xiaomi Redmi Pro
  3885
• Meizu MX6
  3070

GeekBench 4 (single-core)

Higher is better

• OnePlus 3T
  1890
• Samsung Galaxy S7
  1854
• Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus
  1815
• Nubia Z11
  1755
• Huawei Honor 8
  1720
• OnePlus 3
  1719
• ZTE Axon 7
  1702
• Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Snapdragon)
  1696
• Lenovo Moto Z Droid
  1694
• Xiaomi Mi 5s
  1682
• Xiaomi Redmi Pro
  1551
• Meizu MX6
  1550
• Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL
  843

Looking at GeekBench, we can clearly see the OnePlus 3T hold its own and easily surpass its OnePlus 3 sibling. The Samsung Galaxy S7 and the Huawei Mate 8 seem to be enjoying better multi-core optimization with their respective custom chipset solutions. However, as far as Snapdragon 820 devices go, we can clearly see the OnePlus 3 blows away contenders like the Qualcomm-powered Galaxy S7 and the Xiaomi Mi 5. The OnePlus 3T is even better at it.

GeekBench 3 (multi-core)

Higher is better

• Huawei P9 Plus
  6660
• Huawei P9
  6558
• Meizu Pro 6
  6427
• Huawei Honor 8
  6380
• Samsung Galaxy S7
  6360
• Huawei Mate 8
  6323
• OnePlus 3T
  5956
• Lenovo Moto Z Droid
  5566
• Xiaomi Mi 5s
  5543
• OnePlus 3
  5520
• Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Snapdragon)
  5420
• LG G5
  5362
• Xiaomi Mi 5
  5358
• Nubia Z11
  5249
• Meizu MX6
  5215
• LeEco Le Max 2
  5026

GeekBench 3 (single-core)

Higher is better

• OnePlus 3T
  2560
• OnePlus 3
  2383
• Lenovo Moto Z Droid
  2345
• Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Snapdragon)
  2345
• LG G5
  2328
• Nubia Z11
  2313
• Xiaomi Mi 5s
  2312
• Xiaomi Mi 5
  2305
• Samsung Galaxy S7
  2170
• LeEco Le Max 2
  2118
• Meizu Pro 6
  1905
• Huawei P9 Plus
  1892
• Huawei Honor 8
  1831
• Huawei P9
  1819
• Meizu MX6
  1724

Sure, Huawei's silicon appears to be acing multi-core performance tests along with some rare MediaTek chipsets such as the Helio X25. However, within the popular Qualcomm realm, nothing can currently compete with the raw power of the Snapdragon 821.

But, chances are, most users aren't going to be running a lot of complex mathematical computations on their new phone. Luckily, performance boosts in the OnePlus 3T extend beyond simple number-crunching power to deliver a more fluent and pleasant experience as a whole.

A quick look at the all-round AnTuTu benchmark, clearly shows the OnePlus 3T is ahead of the pack. Also, something as simple as a real-life application launch time test next to the older OnePlus 3 or many other contemporary Android devices, often shows a significant improvement (granted, not scientifically measured).

AnTuTu 6

Higher is better

• OnePlus 3T
  165097
• Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus
  155185
• Lenovo Moto Z Droid
  151619
• OnePlus 3
  141764
• LG G5
  134541
• Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Snapdragon)
  132849
• Samsung Galaxy S7
  132084
• Xiaomi Mi 5
  131758
• Xiaomi Mi 5s
  131666
• ZTE Axon 7
  129926
• LeEco Le Max 2
  129461
• Nubia Z11
  129099
• Meizu Pro 6
  99195
• Huawei P9
  98069
• Huawei P9 Plus
  97392
• Huawei Honor 8
  94892
• Meizu MX6
  92377
• Huawei Mate 8
  91609
• Xiaomi Redmi Pro
  77442
• Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL
  63358

Now, there are actually quite a few aspects at play here. Besides the CPU clock speed boost, the MSM8996 Snapdragon 821 also operates its Adreno 530 GPU at a higher frequency. More on that a little bit later. The RAM interface frequency and maximum bandwidth has also been increased from 1333 MHz or 21.3GB/s to 1866 MHz or 29.8 GB/s. However, we have no real indications that OnePlus changed the 6GB LPDDR4 chips, powering the handset. They are most-likely identical to the ones in the OnePlus 3.

Something that did definitely change, however, is the device's default file system. Now, this is a harder subject to investigate, but a few fellow tech reviewers have managed to determine that the two OnePlus 3 models use the same snappy UFS 2.0 NAND storage chips. However, whereas the vanilla OnePlus 3 still uses EXT4 as a file system, on the OnePlus 3T, F2FS is now the standard.

The latter has been making the rounds in various custom ROM communities, including the OnePlus one, going as far back as the original OnePlus One handset. It appears the real-world benefits from using the more efficient file system are tangible. Cold-starting many demanding apps is a few seconds quicker on the OnePlus 3T, over its sibling on these grounds alone.

Basemark OS II

Higher is better

• OnePlus 3T
  3328
• Lenovo Moto Z Droid
  2698
• OnePlus 3
  2677
• Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus
  2677
• Nubia Z11
  2591
• Xiaomi Mi 5s
  2507
• LeEco Le Max 2
  2494
• Xiaomi Mi 5
  2444
• LG G5
  2425
• Huawei P9
  2190
• Huawei P9 Plus
  2155
• Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Snapdragon)
  2045
• Huawei Mate 8
  2033
• Huawei Honor 8
  2029
• Samsung Galaxy S7
  2004
• ZTE Axon 7
  1889
• Xiaomi Redmi Pro
  1648
• Meizu Pro 6
  1446
• Meizu MX6
  1203

Basemark OS 2.0

Higher is better

• Lenovo Moto Z Droid
  2690
• OnePlus 3T
  2678
• Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus
  2434
• Xiaomi Mi 5s
  2378
• OnePlus 3
  2365
• Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Snapdragon)
  2352
• ZTE Axon 7
  2346
• Xiaomi Mi 5
  2180
• Samsung Galaxy S7
  2128
• Huawei P9 Plus
  2099
• Huawei Honor 8
  2099
• Huawei P9
  2068
• LG G5
  2065
• LeEco Le Max 2
  2063
• Huawei Mate 8
  2017
• Meizu Pro 6
  1919
• Nubia Z11
  1790
• Xiaomi Redmi Pro
  1696
• Meizu MX6
  469

However, that being said, it is also important to note that this should not be written off as an advantage of the refreshed model. OnePlus has promised to bring the F2FS file system to the older device as well, once Nougat hits and both devices end up on the same software and update path. This should effectively shrink the storage performance difference between the pair. In fact, if you are currently using a OnePlus 3 unit and are feeling adventurous, you can pick up the latest community build of Oxygen OS and experience the performance difference for yourself.

Moving on to graphics, it is hardly surprising to see that the Adreno 530 copes a lot better when tasked to only push pixels in 1080p resolution, as opposed to QHD. This has always been a polarizing aspect on the OnePlus line, especially in 2016. However, like we already mentioned, we stand firm behind our belief that 1080p is perfectly sharp on a 5.5-inch panel and the power-efficiency and performance benefits are undeniable.

Furthermore, the Adreno 530 inside the Snapdragon 821 is now clocked at 653 Mhz, compared to the 510 MHz, inside the older Snapdragon 820. This shines through in the benchmark runs as well.

GFX 3.0 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)

Higher is better

• OnePlus 3T
  49
• Lenovo Moto Z Droid
  49
• Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Snapdragon)
  49
• LG G5
  47
• OnePlus 3
  46
• Xiaomi Mi 5
  45
• Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus
  44
• LeEco Le Max 2
  44
• Xiaomi Mi 5s
  39
• Samsung Galaxy S7
  38
• Nubia Z11
  31
• Meizu Pro 6
  18
• Huawei Mate 8
  18
• Huawei P9
  18
• Huawei P9 Plus
  18
• Huawei Honor 8
  18
• Meizu MX6
  17
• Xiaomi Redmi Pro
  15
• ZTE Axon 7
  15
• Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL
  9.9

GFX 3.0 Manhattan (onscreen)

Higher is better

• OnePlus 3T
  48
• Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus
  47
• OnePlus 3
  45
• Xiaomi Mi 5s
  44
• Xiaomi Mi 5
  43
• Nubia Z11
  34
• Lenovo Moto Z Droid
  31
• Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Snapdragon)
  29
• LeEco Le Max 2
  28
• LG G5
  28
• Samsung Galaxy S7
  27
• Huawei P9
  19
• Huawei P9 Plus
  19
• Huawei Honor 8
  19
• Meizu Pro 6
  18
• Huawei Mate 8
  18
• Meizu MX6
  17
• Xiaomi Redmi Pro
  15
• ZTE Axon 7
  12
• Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL
  9.7

GFX 3.1 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)

Higher is better

• OnePlus 3T
  33
• Lenovo Moto Z Droid
  32
• Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Snapdragon)
  32
• OnePlus 3
  31
• ZTE Axon 7
  31
• Xiaomi Mi 5
  30
• Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus
  30
• LG G5
  30
• LeEco Le Max 2
  28
• Samsung Galaxy S7
  28
• Xiaomi Mi 5s
  26
• Nubia Z11
  22
• Meizu Pro 6
  11
• Meizu MX6
  11
• Huawei Mate 8
  10
• Huawei P9
  10
• Huawei P9 Plus
  10
• Huawei Honor 8
  10
• Xiaomi Redmi Pro
  9.5
• Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL
  6.2

GFX 3.1 Manhattan (onscreen)

Higher is better

• OnePlus 3T
  33
• Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus
  32
• OnePlus 3
  30
• Xiaomi Mi 5
  29
• Xiaomi Mi 5s
  26
• Nubia Z11
  22
• Lenovo Moto Z Droid
  18
• Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Snapdragon)
  16
• LeEco Le Max 2
  15
• ZTE Axon 7
  15
• LG G5
  15
• Samsung Galaxy S7
  15
• Meizu Pro 6
  11
• Meizu MX6
  11
• Huawei Mate 8
  11
• Huawei P9
  11
• Huawei P9 Plus
  11
• Huawei Honor 8
  11
• Xiaomi Redmi Pro
  9.5
• Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL
  6.1

GFX 3.1 Car scene (offscreen)

Higher is better

• OnePlus 3T
  20
• Lenovo Moto Z Droid
  19
• OnePlus 3
  18
• Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus
  18
• Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Snapdragon)
  18
• Xiaomi Mi 5
  17
• Xiaomi Mi 5s
  16
• LeEco Le Max 2
  16
• Nubia Z11
  16
• LG G5
  16
• ZTE Axon 7
  15
• Samsung Galaxy S7
  15
• Huawei P9
  6.5
• Meizu Pro 6
  6.4
• Huawei Honor 8
  6.3
• Huawei P9 Plus
  6.2
• Meizu MX6
  6
• Xiaomi Redmi Pro
  5.4
• Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL
  3.4

GFX 3.1 Car scene (onscreen)

Higher is better

• OnePlus 3T
  20
• Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus
  19
• OnePlus 3
  18
• Xiaomi Mi 5
  17
• Nubia Z11
  17
• Xiaomi Mi 5s
  16
• ZTE Axon 7
  16
• Lenovo Moto Z Droid
  12
• Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Snapdragon)
  10
• LeEco Le Max 2
  8.8
• LG G5
  8.8
• Samsung Galaxy S7
  7.9
• Huawei P9
  7.1
• Huawei Honor 8
  6.9
• Huawei P9 Plus
  6.8
• Meizu Pro 6
  6.4
• Meizu MX6
  6
• Xiaomi Redmi Pro
  5.4
• Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL
  3.4

Even the highly-demanding OpenGL ES 3.1 Car benchmark was rendered at a respectable 20 frames by the OnePlus 3T. That is almost playable and quite an achievement, considering not long ago, handsets barely managed single-digit scores in the benchmark.

Basemark X and Basemark ES 3.1 paint a very similar picture as well.

Basemark X

Higher is better

• OnePlus 3T
  36958
• Lenovo Moto Z Droid
  36322
• Xiaomi Mi 5s
  36240
• Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus
  36062
• LeEco Le Max 2
  33874
• Xiaomi Mi 5
  33110
• OnePlus 3
  32715
• Samsung Galaxy S7
  32345
• ZTE Axon 7
  32243
• Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Snapdragon)
  32160
• LG G5
  29456
• Nubia Z11
  23899
• Huawei P9
  16942
• Huawei Honor 8
  16592
• Huawei Mate 8
  15593
• Meizu Pro 6
  15209
• Huawei P9 Plus
  15058
• Meizu MX6
  12621
• Xiaomi Redmi Pro
  12190

Basemark ES 3.1 / Metal

Higher is better

• Samsung Galaxy S7
  732
• Lenovo Moto Z Droid
  648
• OnePlus 3T
  641
• OnePlus 3
  625
• Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Snapdragon)
  624
• ZTE Axon 7
  606
• Xiaomi Mi 5s
  588
• LG G5
  587
• Xiaomi Mi 5
  580
• Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus
  538
• LeEco Le Max 2
  517
• Nubia Z11
  432
• Huawei Honor 8
  345
• Huawei P9
  341
• Huawei Mate 8
  311
• Huawei P9 Plus
  214

Seeing all the scores so far, one thing is clear. Few phones can come close to the OnePlus 3T price/performance ratio. The original OnePlus 3 is still an amazingly capable device that won't disappoint even the most demanding power user. However, it is undeniable that the OnePlus 3T is the most powerful device by OnePlus yet.