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Battery life
- 3,300mAh battery comfortably lasts a day
- Dash Charge gives you 60% in 30 minutes
The OnePlus 5T comes with a 3,300mAh battery, which the firm claims lasts a full day on a single charge – a claim we found to be fully justified.
Watch the video below to see the battery and camera in action
We were concerned initially that the OnePlus 5T might struggle in the battery department, with it using the same-size power pack as the OnePlus 5 while boasting a bigger screen, but fear not – the 5T is a solid performer.
It doesn't go above and beyond the competition – a full day of usage from a single charge is par for the course these days – but we were regularly plugging in around 11pm with 20% left in the tank after taking it off charge before 7am each day.
Typical daily usage during our review time included a couple of hours of Spotify streaming, an hour of gaming, a healthy dose of email and social media action and a number of phone calls throughout the day.
We ran our 90-minute Full HD video test on the OnePlus 5T, with screen brightness at max and accounts syncing over Wi-Fi in the background. From 100% of charge, the 5T lost 12% during the test, which puts it in the middle of its flagship rivals.
It’s a better performance than the LG V30 (lost 13%), iPhone 8 Plus (23%) and Razer Phone (18%), but not quite as good as the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus (11%) or Huawei Mate 10 Pro (9%). In short, battery life shouldn’t be an issue, as the 5T performs well.
The phone also features OnePlus' Dash Charge technology, which is claimed to give you 'a day's power in half an hour', which in reality means just under 60% in 30 minutes.
That's useful if you're about to step out the door for the night, but you have to use the Dash Charge plug block that's included in the box to achieve those numbers; a standard plug will give you a much reduced rate of replenishment.
One battery feature that's gained popularity in 2017 is wireless charging, but it’s not available on the OnePlus 5T on account of the phone's metal unibody.
Apple had to switch to a glass back for the iPhone X, 8 and 8 Plus in order to implement wireless charging, as the technology doesn’t work through metal.
Camera
- Dual rear cameras: 16MP + 20MP Sony sensors
- Revamped camera app for easier one-handed use
Like the OnePlus 5 the OnePlus 5T comes with dual cameras on the rear, but it's not an identical setup.
The OnePlus 5T has 16MP and 20MP Sony sensors, both of which boast an increased aperture of f/1.7 for better low-light shots and the same 27.22mm focal length.
While the 16MP rear camera is the same as the one found on the OnePlus 5, the 20MP rear sensor is no longer a telephoto option, with it instead being brought in line with the main snapper.
OnePlus says this move improves the 5T's low-light credentials, with the phone switching to this camera when lighting drops below 10 lux. This camera also features OnePlus' Intelligent Pixel Technology, which merges four pixels into one to improve clarity and reduce noise and blurring.
The OnePlus 5T does perform better than its predecessor in low light, which goes to show the work on the cameras wasn’t for nothing; it isn't quite as good as the likes of the Google Pixel 2, but that’s allowable considering the lower price tag here.
Shots, especially those indoors, can end up looking a little muddy, although on a clear nights outside the 5T performs well.
The loss of the telephoto lens does mean the natural 2x zoom function offered on the OnePlus 5 by switching between two cameras of different focal length is gone.
The 2x zoom function remains, but now it’s handled digitally, and in good light a single tap of the ‘1x’ button on-screen jumps you into ‘2x’ mode with little noticeable quality loss.
OnePlus has overhauled its camera app on the 5T, with a simpler look and easy-to-use gesture controls. Swiping up gives you mode select, while swiping down (in Pro mode) brings up quick settings. It makes things much easier to do one-handed.
Meanwhile, sliding from left to right jumps you into video mode, while a movement in the opposite direction takes you to Portrait mode, a popular feature on most flagship phones in 2017.
Portrait mode has also been improved on the 5T to offer better background defocusing and a sharper subject, with fewer artifacts where sharp subject detail meets the blurred backdrop.
Pro Mode offers up a selection of controls for those with a more considered approach to their photography, with ISO, white balance, shutter speed, focus and brightness settings.
You can also long-press the fingerprint scanner on the rear of the handset to take a photo, which we found to be surprisingly intuitive.
On the front you get the same 16MP selfie snapper as the OnePlus 5, with a screen flash to help illuminate things in darker conditions.
Taking snaps with the OnePlus 5T we found that shutter speeds were fast and image quality was good in good light, with plenty of detail and natural-looking colors.
Overall the camera experience is a step up from the OnePlus 5, bringing it closer to the flagship elite, but the 5T still doesn’t quite dazzle in the way the Google Pixel 2, Samsung Galaxy S8 and iPhone X do.
OnePlus 5T camera samples gallery
How does the camera on the OnePlus 5T stack up against the Honor View 10? Watch our live comparison above and view our examples!
