OnePlus 3 vs OnePlus 2: Can the new phone kill the flagship killer?

Specs

Let’s make something abundantly clear — we’re not figuring out which phone is better here. It’s the OnePlus 3. The question is just how much better it is.

First up is the processor. As a flagship device, last year’s OnePlus 2 had last year’s flagship processor, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810. This year, the OnePlus 3 ram

ps things up a bit with the Snapdragon 820. So how much better is the 820 than the 810? Quite a bit actually — AnTuTu’s benchmark puts the Snapdragon 810 at 81,049 points, while the Snapdragon 820 seriously dominates at 136,383. In other words, it’s a whole lot better.It doesn’t suffer from overheating, either.

The processor alone isn’t what determines how quick a phone is, though it does play a big part. The amount of RAM in a device also has an impact, and boy does the OnePlus 3 deliver on RAM. The OnePlus 2 already had 3GB or 4GB depending on your variant, but the OnePlus 3 joins an elite group of phones with a whopping 6GB of RAM. Only a few other phones, including the Xiaomi Mi Note 2 and the LeEco Le Max 2, have that much, and while more phones will surely follow with 6GB, the OnePlus 3 really leads the pack. More Ram should equal betetr processing for intense gaming and other tasks.

When it comes to storage, though, the two phones are on par with one another. The OnePlus 2 came with either 16GB or 64GB of storage, but only the 64GB version is now available. The OnePlus 3 is only available with 64GB of storage, which is plenty for most people and helpful when you consider the fact that OnePlus has never been one to include a MicroSD card slot.

The battery life on the two devices will also likely be the same. The OnePlus 3 has a smaller battery, but it also has an OLED screen, which is better for battery life.

Winner: OnePlus 3

Design

OnePlus has never been one for flashy design, and while neither device is what you might call “flashy,” both are very sleek. The new phone is even better looking than the OnePlus 2 with its all-metal build. It looks more or less like a cross between the HTC 10 and the iPhone 6, which is to say, it’s beautiful. The OnePlus 2, in contrast, offered a variety of different back plates, including a sandpapery finish, wood, and more. You can still get those backs as cases for the OnePlus 3, if you miss that iconic look, but underneath it all, you’ll have the durability of metal.

The OnePlus 3 is also 2.5 millimeters thinner than the 2, however, nearly all other dimensions are the same — presumably to keep to adhere to the 5.5-inch display. Symmetry has always played a big part in OnePlus designs, and that continues with the OnePlus 3. Only the front-facing camera is off-center on the device.

You can’t go wrong with either of these phones when it comes to design, although if you’re looking for something a little slimmer, lighter, and tougher, then the OnePlus 3 is the better choice.

Winner: OnePlus 3

Display

When it comes to display size and resolution, there’s not much to talk about. The OnePlus 3 includes a 5.5-inch, 1,920 x 1,080-pixel display, just like the OnePlus 2. Where there is change, however, is in display type — whereas the OnePlus 2 had an LCD display, the OnePlus 3 features an OLED. What this basically means is that the OnePlus 3 should have brighter colors and deeper blacks, and it shouldn’t be as big of a strain on your battery life.

Winner: OnePlus 3

Camera

The camera on the OnePlus 3 is better than the OnePlus 2, but not by much. That’s because the camera on the OnePlus 2 was already excellent. Both devices have an f/2.0 aperture, optical image stabilization, and an LED flash. Last year’s phone had laser autofocus, while the OnePlus 3 has phase detection autofocus — two different methods of achieving the same thing. Where the new phone really deviates is in megapixels, in that it offers a 16-megapixel camera instead of the 13-megapixel sensor found on the OnePlus 2. It also supports RAW photos, something that should appeal to photographers.

The OnePlus 3 also features an 8-megapixel selfie taker, which is better than the 5-megapixel camera that’s equipped to the front of the OnePlus 2. In other words, both cameras are better on the OnePlus 3.

Winner: OnePlus 3

Software

There’s not that much to talk about here. The OnePlus 2 shipped with Android 5, but is upgradeable to Android 6, while the OnePlus 3 has Android 6 out of the box. Both devices also feature OnePlus’ Oxygen OS overlay, which functions as a lightweight version of Android that lacks much in the way of bloatware and extra services. These two are more or less equal in terms of software.

Winner: Tie