OnePlus 3 review: Confidence booster

24 June 2016
A great act is tough to follow and sometimes delivering two great devices in a row requires that you take a completely different approach with the successor. Now on its third "flagship killer" (with the OnePlus X taking a different path), OnePlus has taken on the tough task to mature from a business standpoint, while still retaining that ambitious "never settle" attitude that brought it where it is today.

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  • D
  • AnonD-383187
  • 4DI
  • 20 Jul 2016

Not too bad.

    • j
    • jacob
    • bC7
    • 09 Jul 2016

    I have purchased this machine on 16th of June and it got delivered within 3 days. In a very short period of two days itself it has identified following troubles.
    1) When charging the machine getting heated up .
    2) WHEN USING Data ( internet ) it is getting heated up. I am using BSNL 3G data ( your machine is supposed to take even 4G as you publish )
    3) When shifting from one WLAN area to other , though it pick up most powerful one , but data will not be established. I.E IT CONNECT with new WLAN but we will not be able to used internet data . for this I need to FORGET that connection and again re connect same connection.
    4) Battery draining very fast , when using data.
    5) Toggling between SIM is a cumbersome issue . I don’t find any one touch menu for this.
    I have approached your Trivandrum service centre for the problem Sr, no. 1,2,4 and they asked me to back up data and handover the machine for reloading operating system and returned the machine in hours . But problem did not resolve.
    After that I contacted the toll free number and requested help . But response was very poor. I have again and again contacted finally One person called me I suppose One Mr Nikhil and listened all this issues and he told me he is sending a link and it will automatically resolve my issue . I have down loaded that 1 gb DATA FILE and tried to install but the same file is password protected .
    Again I contacted the Toll free , but response was very much negative and that gentle man asked to provide many details and kept me waiting online for long . Finally he asked me wait for 48 hours. Again I contacted the toll free and Mr Mohankumar from your call center told me to down load another 780 mb data from your web site and aganin perform OS reinstallation . . Many times I tried but that file was not getting down loaded .It stops in between.
    Again I contacted Trivandrum service center and they rebooked another complaint and started waiting for a solution .
    A guy again called from Hyderabad in the night and he has flashed with OS again remotely . Again no solution to my problem . Machine again a hot plate ,when using internet .
    They asked me to handover the machine to Trivandrum service for repair ??????? Do I need to use a machine with these guys repair? Why to repair when it is manufacturing defect ? Amazon do not want to replace . They says I crossed 10 days ……….Means they purposefully delayed the case and escaped..
    Dear All
    Do not go as per Amazone reviews….It is fake. All the long review written is by their own guys . Not realistic..It is paid reviews.
    And whenever I wrote negative reviews their review team rejected and not published . So please be careful in buying One plus….no service ..for sure…..I can answer to any realistic end user on my experience . My No 9847105985 .
    Rgds
    S. Jacob

      • S
      • Spade
      • 45B
      • 08 Jul 2016

      Hi GSMArena,

      OnePlus 3's new software patch (3.2.1) mentions an improvement in audio quality. Can you please update your OnePlus 3 review for Audio - Headphone section? I'd like to know if now the quality is good...

      Much thanks if you do,
      Spade

        Adi.Ilie, 06 Jul 2016"Why are you against sharing your fingerprint? So what if i... moreOPO doesn't support all LTE bands for Europe which can be a big problem.

          AnonD-442781, 02 Jul 2016Why are you against sharing your fingerprint? So what if it... more"Why are you against sharing your fingerprint? So what if its unique? Unless you're using your fingerprint for something else its not attached to you personally in any way. And you have 10 fingers all with different fingerprints."
          - As I said, as long as I use my unique identification in anything related with potentially public/hackable databased, this is not worth it. And it's personal, you will link a unique identification with certain data starting from email to banking account.

          "The internal storage isn't the same. Ufs 2.0 is far better."
          True - but not as important this year, maybe in the years to follow.

          "The CPU and GPU are significantly better, your sd801 will be noticeably outdated starting next year."

          True- But 801\330 combo is still potent, better than a lot of middle range CPU\GPUs. And of course 801 will be noticeably outdated starting from next year, but we are talking about upgrading from OPO to OP3 not OP4.

          "The display isn't the same, there's more to a display than resolution."
          True - but differences are not clearly notable\worthy of an upgrade for more than 90% of users.

          "The design is far better."
          - Question of taste..I like better the look\ grip of sandstone back.

          "The build quality is better."
          Not necesary, OPO is very sturdy and very well built.

          "The camera is far better."
          Not true - better, but not FAR better. Not worthy to upgrade for every day usage.

          It has a micro SD slot.
          True, even more, It has micro SD OR second sim, this could be something worth upgrading. But 64 Gb is generally enough and I prefer a second phone (I Have a HTC M7 as a backup phone). I don't like dual sim phones as it will drain the battery better and I can play my games on my second phone and keep my primary phone for productivity stuff.

          "You can actually buy it."
          I have my OPO since august 2014 and it took me not more than 7 hours to get an invite. The invite system was annoying for several months (for certain regions, but not EU), but after september 2014 I was bombarded by OnePlus firm with invitations but people weren't interested anymore (EU zone, not USA or India).

          "What is it that isn't better exactly? Apart from the price."
          As I said: IT IS BETTER BUT not enough to upgrade THIS YEAR from OPO. Maybe if you came from a older phone or a mid-range phone, then yes, it's a worthy upgrade.

            • D
            • AnonD-546038
            • ncI
            • 05 Jul 2016

            suhas, 04 Jul 2016Is it supports DLNA,Miracast,Screen mirroring...? I have... moreDLNA yes. Miracast and Screen Mirroring don't know but it was possible in the oneplus one so...maybe ask in the Oneplus forums.

            Yes, bloatware free. Oxygen OS is very similar to stock Android, with some nice added features/gestures etc but no apps/bloatware cr*p.

            Updates are coming out nice, today Oneplus release update 3.2.0 with some nice bug fixes, security patches from Google and performance improvements. And they're saying it will continue to be updated regularly. Certainly Android Nougat is coming in the next months.

              • s
              • suhas
              • vGv
              • 04 Jul 2016

              Is it supports DLNA,Miracast,Screen mirroring...?

              I have smart Sony TV, So i am asking.

              Is this bloatware free? how about future android updates?

                1080p pentile?????
                no thank u......

                  AnonD-442781, 02 Jul 2016Why are you against sharing your fingerprint? So what if it... morei agree with u but u r wrong abt sd card.
                  op3 does not support sd card.

                    • D
                    • AnonD-442781
                    • JiR
                    • 02 Jul 2016

                    Adi.Ilie, 01 Jul 2016I have the "true" flagship killer, OnePlus One, since augus... moreWhy are you against sharing your fingerprint? So what if its unique? Unless you're using your fingerprint for something else its not attached to you personally in any way. And you have 10 fingers all with different fingerprints.

                    The internal storage isn't the same. Ufs 2.0 is far better.
                    The CPU and GPU are significantly better, your sd801 will be noticeably outdated starting next year.
                    The display isn't the same, there's more to a display than resolution.
                    The design is far better.
                    The build quality is better.
                    The camera is far better.
                    It has a micro SD slot.
                    You can actually buy it.

                    What is it that isn't better exactly? Apart from the price.

                      I have the "true" flagship killer, OnePlus One, since august 2014. At its time it had 3gb ram vs 2gb ram in SG5 and HTC M8, 64 Gb ram internal (international version) vs 32 GB in Samsung and HTC, 3000 mAh battry vs lower capacity form Samsung and HTC, same 801 AC as Samsung and better than 801AB version of HTC, decent camera and display, 4.4.4 from Cyanogen was the best rom that I ever used (and I'm a huge fan of Sense) and it was looking nice. And that for exactly HALF price of SG5 and HTC M8. THAT's a flagship Killer!
                      After 2 years the phone still performs admirably for its age. To upgrade it with OP3 that cost 100 euro extra, OP3 should have something worth it, but let's see:
                      SAME display resolution as OPO, SAME battery, SAME internal memory, both have NFC. Ok, the CPU and GPU of OP3 is future proof, but 801AC is still alive and kicking. Camera is better in OP3, but that's not reason enough to upgrade. OP3 is a beautiful phone, but still this is no reason to upgrade. Fingerprint scanner is not a must (i'm against sharing my UNIQUE identification like fingerprint or iris print), Oxygen OS is not yet mature enough and is still far behing Cyanogen (ok, you can install any custom rom, but i'm talking about vanilla, stock phone that's used by more than 80% people that own them).
                      For all those reasons OP3 is not a worthy upgrade for OPO owners. It's a nice phone, with a nice price, but's a "safe play" from OP and nothing more.

                        • D
                        • AnonD-282882
                        • XQr
                        • 01 Jul 2016

                        Do a time saver review!
                        @Gsmarena

                          • Z
                          • Zack
                          • nC1
                          • 30 Jun 2016

                          Who wants a slim phone? why didn't they put in a 4000mAH battery at the least if they're sealing it in?

                            • D
                            • AnonD-423211
                            • fsV
                            • 30 Jun 2016

                            64gb with no memory card support?

                              • D
                              • AnonD-442781
                              • JiR
                              • 29 Jun 2016

                              AnonD-547716, 29 Jun 2016Carl Pei himself says that his company isnt interested in m... moreAgain, he didn't bash vr. He simply responded to someone saying they need 1440p for vr by saying they aren't focussed on such a niche feature.

                              Vr is a niche feature, and there is no chance of it becoming popular within the lifetime of the op3. I don't know why you expect a budget flagship to focus on such a niche feature, and I don't understand why you expect a company like oneplus to innovate in the field of vr. Do you think they even could?

                              I recall you saying something about making vr content, I guess that's why you have such a distorted view on what he said because you seem to be taking it personally.

                                • D
                                • AnonD-547716
                                • vGP
                                • 29 Jun 2016

                                Deb, 28 Jun 2016It's a beautiful AMOLED full HD display with flagship stand... moreThats good to hear. May it serve you well and without any issues for a long time to come.

                                  • D
                                  • AnonD-547716
                                  • vGP
                                  • 29 Jun 2016

                                  AnonD-442781, 28 Jun 2016What are you claiming they said? You do know they have thei... moreCarl Pei himself says that his company isnt interested in making any headway in the VR arena, short of going on record as saying that the whole thing is gimmicky, and that he has bowed down to the "dedicated" manufactures to consolidate the market at their own free time.

                                  He says this while, like you said, OnePlus already have their version of VR wearables. Their upper management right now is looking so confused in the VR front that it isnt even funny.

                                  And you are an uninformed person to chalk VR as a small niche and sweep it under the rug. Some of the biggest players (Google, Valve, Microsoft, other Who's whos) are dedicating massive time and resources to try and win this VR race and grab the lion's share of the market when it hits the ground running. Shrugging off something like VR (budget or dedicated wearables) as if its some new coloured paintjob is ignorant and foolish.

                                  And all that doesnt change the fact that you absolutely failed to comprehend the point that I made. I dint say that OnePlus 3 required to have 1440 or 4k or whatever solely for the sake of VR. I said that bashing VR only for the sake of shifting attention away from 1080 pentile displays is a stupid route to take. I would throw a few analogies here for shits and giggles, but whats the point...Im sure you would fail to see the absurdity of Pei's choice of words here.

                                  As for the 'competitive prices' and 'budget flagship' arguments...all I need to say is that other OEMs are providing better screens in this price range on their "budget flagships". They got no excuses to give here. Iris scanners, edged screens, etc are points to bring up when you fail to comprehend that a smartphone's screen is a make or break criteria for most users. Hi-tech fluff is nice to have, but this isnt 2010 to run LQ screens and call it a job well done.

                                    • M
                                    • Matt
                                    • Bw@
                                    • 29 Jun 2016

                                    I don't really know much about these handsets, but why are they not available on networks? I'm due an upgrade in a couple of months and this phone looks great.

                                      • D
                                      • Do you agree
                                      • ibb
                                      • 29 Jun 2016

                                      Nothing for nothing and very little for a half penny.

                                        • D
                                        • AnonD-442781
                                        • JiR
                                        • 29 Jun 2016

                                        Emilius, 28 Jun 201613 h of video playback? This is so not thrue, even phones w... moreWhy would you think they're lying? Its similar for most phones with good battery life.

                                        And you have to remember, this is playback, not streaming online. It doesn't take that much battery.

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