OnePlus, ever since their inception, have been top shelf at creating hype around their upcoming products. They have certainly sucked me in each time and except for the first device (the OnePlus One) have left me disappointed every time. Their motto is #NeverSettle which has garnered them much publicity, but unfortunately not all of it good. Combined with the small buying power they have or phone components it’s not hard to see why they are updating their flagship phone merely five months after it was released.
This morning OnePlus officially announced the incremental update to their OnePlus 3, which has some impressive specs. The new phone, taking the place of the OnePlus 3, in their lineup is the OnePlus 3T and brings a few advantages over its predecessor. The 3T has a newer processor, sporting the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 — the same as in the Pixel phones although the 3T is clocked higher at 2.35GHz compared to the 2.15 in the Pixels. The 3T also has a battery that is 13% bigger than the 3 at 3400mAh and the front camera has been bumped from 8MP to 16MP (because we all need 16MP selfies?) and video recording now has EIS (it is a Qualcomm thing, not specific to Pixel devices). The rear camera is now covered in sapphire glass to protect the sensor that is the same as in the OnePlus 3.
Introducing the #OnePlus3T https://t.co/QtSC4kDGlj pic.twitter.com/VBFJxqAahb
— OnePlus (@oneplus) November 15, 2016
The OnePlus 3T will run their Oxygen OS, a ROM that is very similar to many custom AOSP-based ROMs out there and unfortunately will be based on Android 6.0.1 at release, with Android 7.0 promised by the end of the year. OnePlus are very developer-community friendly and as such release sources very quickly (they are already online!!) so expect Nougat ROMs available for the 3T very soon — especially with beta versions of OxygenOS for the OnePlus 3 floating around out there. The North American version will be released on the 22nd of November and the European and Asian version on the 28th Of November. Prices vary from region to region but the US version is US$439 for the 64GB version and US$479 for the 128GB version.
Unfortunately for us Aussies once again it will not be released officially here and also will NOT support ALL Australian LTE bands. The US version supports bands 1,2,4,5,7,8,12,17 and 30 and the European version bands 1,3,5,7,8,20,38 and 40. Just as the OnePlus 3 missed the relatively important (to some) Band 28, the OnePlus 3T does as well.
So OnePlus have added a small processor bump, slightly bigger battery and a bigger front facing camera. What is the point you ask? Well, consider that OnePlus are a very small company and as such they have less buying power than other companies and need to go where the prices and availability take them so it may well be easier for them to change/bump specs than it would be to continue with the same specs for 12 months before the OnePlus 4 is released. OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has said that:
At OnePlus, we are constantly striving to provide a better product and user experience for our customers, who are some of the most discerning and tech-savvy users in the world. We developed the OnePlus 3T to bring significant improvements with new technology that is available today, so that our customers do not have to wait for the best possible user experience.
OnePlus will of course spin it how they want to spin it and early adopters will continue to complain but I do not see anything wrong with releasing a second phone that is nearly identical to the first one 6 months later. They do not have the size required to run two high end SKUs side by side (such as Samsung with their S and Note devices) and as such to stay relevant need to continually refresh their offering.
Is it a good deal for Aussies? It depends on how much you want that Band 28. Most who have phones without this band fail to notice much if any difference but it is certainly not idea. Of course there is also the cost. To get the European version here (which fits our LTE bands the best) it is 479EURO which for a direct conversion is AU$736. By the time you factor in grey market importers taking their cut, shipping etc the cost will be closer to $900. And then once you get it here there is a distinct lack of warranty support for it. Is it worth the hassle? In my opinion you can get an LG V20 for just over the $1K mark and a Moto Z for just under. Both are very good phones, support all our LTE bands and have local warranty support.
Are you interested in the OnePlus 3T? Do you have a phone without Band 28? Do you notice any signal dropoff?
I bought my 3T from India about two months ago. I was nervous due to the lack of band 28 support. I took the leap anyway and have been pleasantly surprised. 4g speeds in Melbourne and Sydney are brilliant and they are very good (25mb/s) in the northern suburbs of Wollongong where I live. I work and travel in rural areas and I’ve found Optus to be pretty good. I used Telstra for a month which had great regional coverage then switched to Jeenee mobile (Optus network) and haven’t looked back. If you are thinking about a One Plus, the… Read more »
I have the OnePlus 2 (bought in the UK) and am considering the OnePlus 3t from the US (a friend is making a trip back to Australia in a couple weeks). I’m with Aldi mobile here which runs on Telstra I believe and have found the signal to be good on my current phone.
Question is: will the OnePlus 3t work here on Aldi and will it also work back in the UK when I eventually move back in 18 months or so? I don’t really understand the significance of band 28…
I still am using a Galaxy S4, which doesn’t support Band 28 (Band 28 was not a thing back then). Still is pretty reasonable although I’m not much of a data user.
Does this support 3G on the second sim since Telstra has shut down their 2G network
Just placed an order through the UK Website – It Launched for Sale Today. 😀
LTE band 28 is critically important if you are with Optus or telstra and want the best speeds and the most time connected to LTE.
The closest phone that does support all our bands is the Asus zenfone 3 deluxe or the LG V20. Both of those will run you $800 or less if you have it shipped over from Hong Kong. There are many cheaper options however, the best is the Motorola G4 plus
Well i had the OP1, what a damn fine phone was, i didnt fall for the OP2 or X variants. My OP1 was flying on custom roms. i did though get the OP3, an what a damn fine phone it is too. Silky smooth buttery fast an killer asthetics. Im happy to keep this for the next cycle, at least. Now what ive done for both models, is to purchase direct from OP in the states, have it delivered to a U.S. mailing address through Borderlinx ( there are others) who then air post courier it to my Aussie home… Read more »
My one plus 3t works fine on 4g with virgin mobile (Optus)
What network were you on? I’m looking for one to go with Boost (Telstra), but their support says OnePlus 3T isn’t supported according to the bands on OnePlus’ website. But the Boost website lists different bands to their support, and both of them say different to Telstra!
Hi Stuie, I am in Perth and looking at the North American OnePlus 3T direct from the states as well. Can you tell me what carrier you are with? I am with Optus and wonder what the coverage (4G and 3G) will be like. Cheers, Scott
I am using OnePlus 3 and I am on Telestra. I get 4G+ on my phone. I have no issues at all. Even Optus 4G is listed as a band which is forbidden for me as I am on Telestra. It should work fine on 4G.
Thanks for that – great to hear. Can I ask are you in a capital city and secondly is it the North American (ex USA) model of the phone? Scott
Hi scott, Im on optus too, i have very good coverage, no signal dropouts, switches in and out of lte depending on coverage. More upto optus than the phone i expect. I live in East Perth and have a strong signal and superfast downloads on lte 4G, . In my old house about 3km away near highgate i couldnt get a good signal inside my house, very frustrating, would drop in an out. Tho tbf didnt drop during calls. That had a lot to do by being surrounded by high rise units. .So Id say if you have a good… Read more »
Can someone please enlighten me on what it is that phone manufacturers need to do to support more bands? Do they need different chips or is it a licensing thing with the chips they use?
This is the most pathetic new model for a phone I’ve ever seen. On par with iPhones.
Any idea how to order the China model from Australia?
Ali express or vickmall or geek buying and others
I’ve noticed drop off from 4g to 3g only a few times, and in those instances it was in remote areas that dropped to 3g regardless of my device. So whilst some will argue on paper it’s a no go, in my experience it hasn’t affected me at all and it wouldn’t deter me from getting another device that lacked B28.
True, however, 700MHz Band 28 provides more reliable 4G coverage as it penetrates walls better than 1800Mhz band.
Also, I believe that local warranty is very important as the vendor must comply with Australian consumer laws: this is important if there is a dispute and you need to take the matter to Consumer Affairs (aka Office of Fair Trading).
So it’s identical (size, weight etc) just different internals? That’s good news for adopters that want to trade up from OnePlus 3 as their cases will still work!
Also I never use LTE/4G on my phones. I stick with 3G. I find it more reliable and I get heaps more battery life.
yes. identical casing