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The OnePlus 7 release date was 14 May 2019, and it has made an instant impression on the phone buying public. Designed by OnePlus, the 7 offers a powerful Android experience, with a high build quality, and premium aesthetics, without maxing out on cost. So it's a neat alternative to more expensive models from Apple, Google, or Samsung.
But is the 7 or its bigger brother, the Pro, the right phone for you? This hotukdeals buyer's guide will provide a quick introduction to both phones, and help you decide whether to invest in a OnePlus, or save for something even more high-end. We will also point out where to find the best OnePlus 7 deals and OnePlus 7 Pro Deals, so you can save on your OnePlus 7 contract or purchase!
OnePlus has been around in some form since 2013, when it was created by Chinese tech entrepreneur Peter Lau. Operating out of the manufacturing hub in Shenzhen, OnePlus has always had one goal in mind: to provide a smartphone with the best possible specs, while keeping prices well below premium competitors.
Ever since the OnePlus One was unveiled in 2014, the results have been impressive, and the company has progressively improved its offerings in step with brands like the Samsung Galaxy or Apple's iPhone. And its marketing has been similarly remarkable. At first, OnePlus didn't just unleash its phones onto major markets. Instead, it operated an “invitation only” system to manage demand, and ensure that orders matched production. That way, very few customers felt let down by delays in delivery, and OnePlus could maintain close oversight of production processes.
Things haven't always gone to plan for the company. For instance, some earlier phones shipped with the promise of subsequent Android updates which never materialised. And some critics have found fault with the company's USB-C cables. But the response has usually been swift and decisive, maintaining OnePlus' reputation for quality and service.
However, what about the 7 Pro and the standard 7? In 2019, the smartphone market is harder to crack than ever, with companies like Huawei offering cut-price, but relatively high-spec phones, and established giants more active than ever. It's going to take a lot to persuade buyers to opt for a OnePlus 7, so does the phone have what it takes? It's time to find out.
Based on a headline list of the phone's significant features, the 7 definitely appears to stand out from the crowd. Here are a few features that have caught the eye of tech experts and customers since the phone's release date:
Snapdragon 885 – A Snapdragon 855 chipset provides plenty of power for apps and gaming, ensuring that users will have maximum choice of entertainment, and minimal lag.
RAM and Storage – 6GB or 8GB of RAM puts the 7 above most mid-range smartphones and its predecessors in the OnePlus collection, while 128GB or 256GB of storage is surely plenty for most users.
Display – Screen space is good, thanks to the 6.41-inch AMOLED display, which packs in 2340 x 1080 pixels (402ppi), resulting in crisp colours and fine-grained detail. So streaming fans shouldn't feel let down when they rush through the latest box sets.
Bezel – The form factor features minimal bezels. It's not quite in the Samsung Galaxy class, but few phones at the same price have such a wide screen space, and so little disturbance by annoying borders.
Fingerprint Scanner – The screen-embedded fingerprint scanner offers reliable security and high speed, unlocking phones in a second or two.
Audio – Stereo speakers should pump out enough volume to satisfy music fans, but it's worth noting that the 3.5mm headphone jack isn't included.
Build Quality – The build comes with a sturdy and good-looking Gorilla Glass screen, and a casing made from tempered glass (with a metallic sheen). This presents a few vulnerabilities, especially when the phone is dropped from a height, but it looks the part – and protective cases can solve most anxieties about damage.
Camera – Compared with the OnePlus 6T, the 7's cameras have been radically overhauled, and much improved. The OnePlus 7 camera uses a Sony camera with an impressive 48MP sensor and a 5MP depth sensor, as well as a double zoom. This delivers excellent resolution for your snaps, as well as strong low light performance (especially with the Nightscape function). The depth sensors also help to foreground people without blurring the background – ideal for holiday shots which need to mix people and scenery.
It's also important to note a few things that the OnePlus 7 lacks. For instance, it's not a UHD phone, so image quality won't compare with the Pro or other high-end models. And there's no Micro SD card slot, which photography fans may well take issue with.
Below you can find the full One Plus 7 Specs:
Dimensions: 157.7 x 74.8 x 8.2 mm
Weight: 182g
CPU: Octa-core Snapdragon 855 processor
GPU: Adreno 640
Memory: 6GB or 8GB RAM
Storage: 128GB/256GB with no MicroSD capability
Operating System: Android 9.0 (Pie) with OnePlus' Oxygen OS
Display Size: 6.41-inches AMOLED capacitive touchscreen
Display Resolution: 1080 x 2340 pixels at 402ppi
Cameras: Main: Dual 48MP f/1.7 main sensor with 5MP f/2.4 depth sensor, equipped with Dual-LED flash, HDR, and panoramic shots. Selfie: 16MP f/2.0
Video: 2160p@30/60fps
Wi-fi: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hotspot with Bluetooth 5.0
Ports: USB 3.1, type-C 1.0. 3.5mm jack not included.
Battery: Non-removable 3,700mAh, fast-charging lithium battery
As buyers have probably realised, the OnePlus7 has been released alongside the Oneplus7 Pro. The two phones are very different animals, and come with a big price difference, but it's essential to know precisely how they differ.
The Pro isn't really intended to be a budget competitor for Huawei or other low-cost brands. Instead, it marks OnePlus' move towards competition with Samsung and Apple. So it's really concentrating on a different marketplace.
This translates into some serious differences. For instance, the Pro has a triple rear camera, including ultra-wide and telephoto lenses. You don't get either with the standard 7. The Pro has a 6.67-inch display, which feels much larger than that on the 7, while it ups the ante where resolution is concerned, delivering a technology called Quad HD+. You'll notice the difference when watching movies, that's for sure.
RAM can be upgraded to 12GB on the Pro as well, reflecting its generally superior abilities across the board. But here's the catch: there's a £200 gap between the listed starting prices for the Pro and the standard 7 (£499 vs £699), putting them in completely different price brackets. So in a sense, the right comparison isn't between the two OnePlus phones. It's between the OnePlus 7 and models like the Google Pixel 3a (see below).
These differences are easier to understand when we run through a quick list of OnePlus 7 Pro specs. So here are the key details for phone buyers to keep in mind:
Dimensions: 162.6 x 75.9 x 8.8 mm
Weight: 206g
CPU: Octa-core Snapdragon 855 processor
GPU: Adreno 640
Memory: 6GB, 8GB or 12GB RAM
Storage: 128GB/256GB with no MicroSD capability
Operating System: Android 9.0 (Pie) with OnePlus' Oxygen OS
Display Size: 6.67-inches AMOLED capacitive touchscreen
Display Resolution: 1440 x 3120 pixels at 516ppi
Cameras: Main: Triple 48MP f/1.7 main sensor with 8MP f/2.4 telephoto and 16MP f/2,2 ultrawide lenses. Selfie: 16MP f/2.0
Video: 2160p@30/60fps
Wi-fi: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hotspot with Bluetooth 5.0
Ports: USB 3.1, type-C 1.0. 3.5mm jack not included.
Battery: Non-removable 4,000mAh, fast-charging lithium battery
Feedback from the tech press has been broadly positive regarding the OnePlus 7, although most experts have felt the need to mention the superior quality of the Pro when starting their analysis. Tech Radar offers a great example, calling the 7 “dependable” and “reliable”, but “in the shadows” of its bigger brother. Despite this, a 4/5 rating suggests that the standard 7 does a pretty good job on its own merits.
Trusted Reviews have been big OnePlus fans for years, and were delighted with the 7, calling it “superb” and praising its value for money. Its reviewer highlighted the excellent battery life and the slickness of Oxygen OS, while generally finding that the 7 mixed power and value in a single package.
These views are more or less representative of the tech press in general. Very few writers have slated the OnePlus 7, and most have complimented its value for money. There have been some common criticisms (such as the phone's weak water resistance), and most have compared it unfavourably with the Pro, but in the main, review feedback has been very strong indeed. So you can be reasonably sure of purchasing a reliable, high-quality smartphone when you pick up a OnePlus 7.
As we noted earlier, water resistance isn't necessarily one of the OnePlus 7's strong suits. In fact, the phone has shipped with absolutely no IP rating (the metric which grades devices according to how well they can survive contact with water).
The company says that this is a deliberate policy to avoid the costs of certification, and it has released numerous video demonstrations showing OnePlus phones being dipped in water, without seeming to damage their insides. However, all of these demos come with disclaimers and consumers themselves receive no guarantees.
What does this mean on an everyday level? Well, without IP certification, users can expect OnePlus phones to suffer from dust accumulation, and they won't be safe to use around taps, basins – and definitely not swimming pools. It would be unwise to use them anywhere are likely to become immersed in water, no matter what the company's marketing department suggests.
OnePlus has promised to embrace 5G. However, the OnePlus 7 standard version won't be part of the first wave of 5G ready devices. Instead, a version of the Pro called the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G is set to be released, which will fully embrace the new network standard, so people who need to be early adopters should wait until that update becomes available.
5G is set to revolutionise the UK's smartphone market, and is coming online in 2019. So you'd hope that flagship devices would launch with 5G compatibility as a standard feature. However, this is far from the case, and plenty of manufacturers have chosen to delay 5G compatibility, instead of getting ahead of the pack. One Plus look like they want to lead the way by launching their OnePlus 7 with 5G capacity.
Comparing the OnePlus 7 vs the 7 Pro isn't really a fair fight. It's actually much more instructive to pair the 7 up against Google's Pixel 3A, which is more directly comparable in almost every department (and retails for a similar price as well). So where do the two phones differ, and which one is the best option to go for?
First up, the Pixel 3a is generally less expensive than the OnePlus 7, so those who are totally motivated by saving cash will want to opt for the search engine giant instead of the Chinese upstart. However, the difference is usually around £30, and there may be reasons to pay that extra supplement.
For starters, the 7 has a much larger screen (6.41-inches compared with 5.6-inches). The OnePlus 7's camera is superior to the Pixel 3a, and not that much less advanced than the 7 Pro. And the Snapdragon 855 processor inside the 7 is obviously superior to Google's Snapdragon 670. This will translate into superior gaming and streaming performance, smoother video apps, and generally less hassle when multi-tasking with your smartphone.
You'll also be able to store more on a OnePlus 7. It packs in a maximum of 256GB storage, compared with 64GB for high-end Google Pixel 3a models. When app or video libraries expand, that can make a lot of difference.
Build quality is also an area where OnePlus beats Google. The Pixel 3a isn't an unappealing phone, but it has a flimsy, disposable feel, whereas the OnePlus 7 has a solid metallic casing and Gorilla Glass screen. This ensures a more “premium” experience than with the Pixel 3a, which will make a huge difference for some buyers.
So, overall, the £30 price gap will represent £30 well spent. The 3a has its admirers, and it's no doubt a great budget phone, but on almost every measure the OnePlus 7 is superior.
Assuming you want to purchase a standard OnePlus 7, the buying options are actually somewhat limited. The phone comes in one colour scheme (mirror grey), so there's no need to agonise about which tone to choose. That's not a huge issue, as users can customise the look of their phone with screen protectors and cases.
However, customers will have to choose between two versions. The first option is a 6GB RAM model with 128GB storage, while the other comes with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. As we've discussed earlier, extra storage and RAM can help with watching movies and gaming, but both packages offer plenty of scope to enjoy the phone's features. There's generally a £50 gap between them, but check for OnePlus 7 offers, as that gap is often reduced.
Those who want to pick up an enhanced OnePlus Pro 7 can opt for mirror grey, nebula blue, or almond tones, which is a nice range of options. RAM ranges from 6GB to 12GB, and storage can be 128GB or 256GB. Listed prices vary from around £650 to £800, and again - OnePlus 7 Pro Deals can drastically reduce those gaps. So before buying anything, make sure you consult the 7 Pro hotukdeals listings.
Whether you're keen to upgrade to a 7 Pro, or you're sticking to mid-range phones and want to benefit from the value for money OnePlus 7 standard model, finding the right deal is all-important. Handsets aren't cheap, especially ones that mix high-end cameras, processing power, battery life, and build quality. So how can you find the best OnePlus 7 price?
Well, the first thing to do is to make sure you know which model you're hunting for. Not everyone will need 256GB memory and 12GB RAM, so don't aim higher than you need to. Most everyday users will do just fine with 6GB or 8GB RAM and 128GB storage, and they can use the savings to pick up a reliable smartphone case (which, as we've seen, is an important factor with the glass build of the OnePlus 7).
When you know what you are after, the next stage is to dive into the hotukdeals OnePlus listings. Our listings feature the latest OnePlus 7 deals, with the standard and Pro models both included. All of the UK's favourite smartphone sellers are featured, including Carphone Warehouse, John Lewis, GearBest, Fonehouse, EE, and Amazon. But plenty of less well-known retailers pop up from time to time. So check regularly and take every deal into consideration.
Additionally, it sometimes helps to time your purchase wisely. For instance, you can expect plenty of cheap OnePlus 7 phones around Black Friday or Cyber Monday in November. Waiting until then could cut the cost considerably, letting you add data or accessories that would otherwise be out of reach. But whenever you shop, shop at the OnePlus 7 hotukdeals listings, and you'll be a few clicks away from a smartphone bargain.
Chinese manufacturer OnePlus has come a long way since 2013, and now competes comfortably with Google, Huawei, Smartphone, and other mobile phone giants. In 2019, the company released the OnePlus 7 and 7 Pro, and both attracted rave reviews. Affordable, powerful, attractive, and reliable, they can always be found for less at the hotukdeals OnePlus 7 listings.
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