Truth be told, I think we all knew exactly how dominant the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ were going to be long before Samsung even unveiled them in late March. The leaks and rumors painted a nearly complete picture of two flagship smartphones with a design and feature set that are simply unmatched. Then, once the phones were made official and people actually were able to hold them in their hands, it was immediately obvious that these new flagships would have no equals in the first half of 2017. If you haven’t had the chance to check them out for yourself yet, definitely read our Galaxy S8 review.
There is one chink in the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+’s armor, however, but it’s not a vulnerability that LG is able to take advantage of with its flagship G6. There a hot new handset set to launch in the coming months that will, however, and it’s a phone that could quietly become a real contender this year. That’s right, we’re talking about the OnePlus 5.
OnePlus is one of several hot China-based smartphone startups that regularly manage to crank out impressive handsets. These companies often fly under the radar in the United States, however. Many of them don’t bother to even market their phones in the US, and the ones that do have a difficult time gaining visibility with mainstream smartphone users. It’s not easy for a small startup to compete with the likes of Samsung’s multi-billion dollar marketing budget.
By offering flagship smartphones at mid-range prices, OnePlus is a rare example of a small startup that has managed to break through in the US market. It doesn’t ship phones by the millions like Samsung and Apple, but the company has amassed a large fanbase by selling smartphones with cutting-edge specs that align with top phones from Samsung and LG at prices that are hundreds less.
Now, Android fans are gearing up for the release of the company’s next-generation flagship handset, the OnePlus 5. Rumors and leaks have begun to pick up the pace in the past few weeks, and the phone’s specs were exposed earlier this week. Now, a new concept video likely gives us a reasonably good idea of what to expect when OnePlus unveils its new device this summer. Here’s the video, which was posted by YouTube channel TechDroider:
Unlike the Galaxy S8, the OnePlus 5 is expected to keep a front-facing fingerprint scanner beneath the screen, but this video shows that the phone’s bezels can still be reduced substantially without ditching the physical home button. Alongside the video, the YouTuber also reiterated the leaked specs we saw earlier in the week:
- 5.5 inch QHD+ Full Vision display
- Snapdragon 835 Processor
- 6GB RAM
- 13MP Dual-Lens Rear Camera
- Android 7.1.1 Nougat
- 3,000 mAh battery
A OnePlus 5 with that design and those specs would be a true contender, especially considering it will likely cost hundreds of dollars less than the Galaxy S8. While the phone’s exact price is unknown at this time, OnePlus’ current flagship OnePlus 3T starts at just $439. By comparison, an unlocked Galaxy S8 costs $824 right now on Amazon.
