OnePlus 7 review: An excellent value for money and performance

OnePlus 7 screengrab from official youtube video

OnePlus launched the much-awaited two smartphones- OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 pro- in India on Tuesday. With OnePlus 7 looks similar to Oneplus 6T but comes with some internal upgrades.

OnePlus 7 6GB RAM, 128GB storage variant is priced at Rs. 32,999 while 8GB RAM, 256GB storage variant comes with a price tag of Rs. 37,999. The Chinese company has hit that sweet spot of specifications and price. So was the wait for the OnePlus 7 worth it? Here's what we have found.

Design and Display

Although OnePlus 7 inherited the design features from OnePlus 6T, the smartphone looks every bit like a premium phone and fits right in the hand. The phone comes in a glass finish which makes it slippery. While the Red colour variant might seem too flashy for some, however, it does stand out.

With 6.41-inch AMOLED display, OnePlus 7 has full HD+ resolution (2340 x 1080p) which is bright and sharp with good viewing angles. However, the smartphone lacks a 90 Hz refresh rate which is seen in OnePlus 7 pro.

When it comes to most lighting scenarios the display works well. However, the screen is reflective making it hard to see.

Software

OnePlus 7 runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor which is the top draw chip. It runs seamlessly with no lags and no app crashes. Games like Asphalt 9, Nova Legacy run seamlessly on this device.

OnePlus 7 scores very high on benchmarks, around 365,566 on Antutu for us, putting it below devices like Mi Black Shark 2 and Mi 9, which are number one and two respectively on the list. This is also slightly higher than iPhone XS if one goes by the official Antutu rankings.

The device has Zen Mode on OxygenOS which is bolder than the screentime on iOS or Digital Well Being do on stock Android. It also has a quick reply feature in Notifications itself, which enables the user to reply to the recipient immediately. It is very useful for WhatsApp.

It's worth pointing out that the software experience of OnePlus 7 is considerably better than the several other custom ROMs. The device has the in-display fingerprint sensor as well.

Camera

The camera of the new smartphone is quick to take photos. Portrait mode works well but the smartphone fails to handle colours like reds and bright purple well. The camera also has a Nightscape feature which brightens up the scene but there is a loss of details when pictures were taken at the low light condition. However, the selfie camera works quite well.

Battery

OnePlus 7 is supported by 3700 mAh battery that easily lasts a day or more, even with heavy-duty usage. The smartphone also incorporated a fast charging feature which enables you to charge the phone in about an hour.

Conclusion:

Certainly, Oneplus 7 is an excellent value for money proposition. The phone offers performance, has a good design and a good camera. However, there are flaws like camera software is not perfect and the display could be better. At the price of Rs 35,000, OnePlus 7 is a good upgrade option for all users.

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