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The phone’s primary camera has a 16MP f/1.7 aperture with an Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS). PHOTO BY SHOUN NICHOLAS DAVID

New smartphone brand OnePlus 5 is touted to deliver a powerful performance in a gadget whose design is best described as gorgeous.

At first glance, it looks like an iPhone. It comes in an anodized aluminum body, with a 2.5D Gorilla Glass 5 display and 1080px AMOLED screen, which makes the phone stand out.

As it turned out, the longer I used the phone, the more I noticed its aesthetic as well as functional qualities.

The OnePlus 5 is incredibly fast, powered by a Snapdragon 835 that most leading brands have. The OnePlus 5 boasts 64GB of memory backed up by a 6GB RAM and a 128GB version with an 8GB RAM. This makes daily tasks a breeze.

But even its 5.5 AMOLED 1080px display pales in comparison to other OnePlus models, particularly the ones with a 1440px displays or higher.

Perfect 10

Equipped with a good amount of RAM and processor, performance-wise I would give this phone a perfect score of 10.

But it has some minor shortcomings, too, such as the incapability of expanding its storage since it doesn’t have a microSD slot.

Its Android mobile operating system OxygenOS is admirable. The custom overlays that the OxygenOS bring are commendable.

All applications functioned smoothly when I tried it—no memory leaks or issues, thanks to OnePlus 5’s software philosophy of having a stock Android with a few tweaks.

The phone also features a Reading Mode, which optimizes the display through grayscale mapping and blue light-filtering, which makes it more comfortable for an e-reader.

When you want to focus on your game or application, a new feature called Gaming Do Not Disturb Mode has been added to mute notifications temporarily.

Dual camera

The dual camera of the OnePlus 5 is really interesting. When you buy this phone, the first thing you will notice is the headlining printed on the two sides of the box. The manufacturer wants to point out that the camera is the phone’s main feature.

The phone’s primary camera has a 16MP f/1.7 aperture with an Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS).

Its secondary telephoto camera has a 20MP f/2.6 aperture.

An iPhone user will immediately notice that the OnePlus 5’s camera functions resemble that of an iPhonePlus. Quality wise, the OnePlus 5 does a great job of adjusting its sensors to daily scenarios.

I’ve been using the camera for a couple of weeks now and my photos look great. Thanks to the Snapdragon 835 app, the phone pretty much makes everyday scenes look like how you want them.

Battery life

Another advantage worth pointing out is the phone’s battery life. The OnePlus 5 is juiced by a nonremovable Li-Po 3300mAh battery that can last the entire day.

It is also equipped with a Dash Charge, which is incredibly fast. The first time I charged it, I was surprised because it was full in less than an hour.

Technically speaking, the OnePlus 5 is the most expensive phone that the company has made. But these days, when most phone manufacturers release new models at high prices, the OnePlus 5 can still be considered a phone that suits the budget.

For a phone that packs a punch with a dual camera system, a fast fingerprint scanner, a powerful RAM, and an impressive design, the OnePlus 5 is truly value for money.

In the Philippines, the phone with 6GB RAM and 64GB of memory sells for P25,990, while the phone with 8GB RAM and 128GB of memory costs P29,990. —CONTRIBUTED

OnePlus 5 is available at Digital Walker stores.