OnePlus 5T vs OnePlus 5: Answering the all important question about how the two compare

OnePlus launched its latest flagship smartphone, the OnePlus 5T yesterday in a launch event held in New York.[caption id="attachment_4215865" align="alignleft" width="380"] The OnePlus 5T features a longer display.[/caption]The company unveiled the latest smartphone improving on the some of the specifications of its predecessor, the OnePlus 5 while improving the design of the device to bring it up to speed with the near ‘bezel-less’ design trend that has swept across the smartphone market in 2017.The company has not done any sweeping changes with the 5T and instead, focused on the small improvements and refinements to fix the problems and issues that users had with the OnePlus 5. As mentioned in our first impression, OnePlus 5T is what OnePlus 5 should have been at the launch back in June. With the launch of the OnePlus 5T, one of the most common questions that we have encountered is ‘What is better, OnePlus 5 or the OnePlus 5T?’.To answer this question, we thought that it is the right to pit both the devices against each other to find out which of the two devices is better. Bear in mind that we're still not done testing the OnePlus 5T, so we're currently comparing them only on paper. A real-world test should follow soon.

Smartphone	OnePlus 5	OnePlus 5T
Display Size (inch)	5.5	6.01
Resolution (pixels)	1,080 x 1,920	1,080 x 2,160
Dimensions(mm)	154.7 × 74.1 × 7.3	156.1 × 75 × 7.3
Weight (gm)	153	162
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 835	Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
CPU Clock Speed (GHz)	4x Kryo 280 @ 2.45 & 4x Kryo 280 @ 1.9	4x Kryo 280 @ 2.45 & 4x Kryo 280 @ 1.9
GPU	Adreno 540	Adreno 540
RAM	6 GB, 8 GB	6 GB, 8 GB
On-Board Memory	64 GB or 128 GB	64 GB or 128 GB
Sensors	Fingerprint, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Proximity, Compass	Fingerprint, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Proximity, Compass
Primary Camera	16MP, f/1.7, 20MP, f/2.6	16MP, f/1.7, 20MP, f/1.7
Secondary Camera	16MP, f/2.0	16MP, f/2.0
Video Capture	4K	4K
Flash	Dual-LED	Dual-LED
OS Version	Android 7.1.1 Nougat	Android 7.1.1 Nougat
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Hotspot	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Hotspot
Bluetooth	v5, A2DP, LE, aptX HD	v5, A2DP, LE, aptX HD
Fingerprint Scanner	Yes, Home button	Yes, rear button
USB Type	Type-C Reversible connector	Type-C Reversible connector
Battery (mAh)	3,300	3,300
Colors	Midnight Black, Slate Gray	Midnight Black
Prices in India	Starting Rs 32,999	Starting Rs 32,999

Conclusion:The question can be as simple as it gets because of the improvements the company has done with the 5T. It has focused on the area where the OnePlus 5 was lagging including the design and the camera department. The interesting part here is the fact that the company has not changed the price of the new smartphone and kept it same as the OnePlus 5. Looking at the specifications, the first and foremost design change that we see here is the fact that 5T packs a 6.01-inch screen with the 18:9 aspect ratio. This has also made the device a bit taller and heavier in comparison to the old one.[caption id="attachment_4213975" align="alignnone" width="1280"] The AMOLED display is nice and bright[/caption]Another thing to note here is the fact that the company has moved the fingerprint sensor on the back of the device because near bezel-less design did not leave any free space on the top of the device. The company has reworked the dual camera setup and swapped the second telephoto lens with a 20 MP camera with f/1.7 aperture. The camera will automatically switch to this camera when the lighting conditions dip below the level of 10 lux. The company has introduced what it calls 'intelligent pixel technology' where the 20 MP camera combines  4 pixels together to create one pixel which has more sharpness, contrast and colour.[caption id="attachment_4213955" align="alignnone" width="1280"] The front camera on the OnePlus 5T. Image: Tech2/Rehan Hooda[/caption]Apart, from these three main things, there are no changes in the specifications level of things. The software may be more streamlined and snappy along with a better and an improved camera but we will need to push it through its paces to check for ourselves. Till then, on paper and purely by specifications, OnePlus 5T looks like a considerably better deal than the OnePlus 5.