OnePlus Z Smartphone Review with Key Features

OnePlus was founded in 2013. Already in 2014, a new smartphone, One, was released, recognized as the "flagship killer" for its excellent technical characteristics and a price of $ 300. An aggressive advertising campaign and all sorts of contests and challenges such as “smash your smartphone and get a new one from OnePlus for just $ 1” also contributed to the sales growth. By the way, about 140,000 users fought for one out of 100 gadgets.
Later, prices began to rise exponentially. The first and last mid-range smartphone (Model X) was launched in 2015. He was in good demand, but in terms of sales, it clearly did not reach the premium models.

The new flagship line, consisting of the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro, is expensive and the company seems to have decided to offer users a budget alternative. It was planned that the novelty will be presented along with the 8 series gadgets, but whether the coronavirus made its own adjustments, or whether the company decided to stir up interest in order to increase sales is unknown. In any case, according to the latest information, the presentation of the budget flagship OnePlus Z will take place in July (approximately after the 10th).

Main characteristics

The information below is based on leaked specifications, the exact specifications will only be available after the official presentation.

Z or is it Nord

The intrigue with the name of the new smartphone continues to this day. Initially, it was about the OnePlus 8 Lite, which is quite logical given the budget price. After, in early March of this year, Max Weinbach announced the new name of the OnePlus Z.

As for the Nord trademark, it is indeed registered, so it is possible that a new product will be released under that name.

Design

There have been no significant changes (judging by the images leaked to the network, no). Rounded edges, narrow bezel around the display. At the top, in the center, there is a round cutout for the camera. The power button is located on the left side, the volume control is on the right. There is a USB-C port at the bottom of the case, but there seems to be no headphone jack.

On the back panel there is a rectangular block with a camera. Unlike the more expensive brother OnePlus Z 8, it is shifted to the left (nevertheless it looks quite organic). In this case, the designers followed the lead of the iPhone 11 Pro, not trying to camouflage the multiple lenses, but to make them a design element. As for the camera itself, only 3 sensors are clearly visible in the photo, previously there were rumors about 4. Mute slider - OnePlus hallmark will also stay in place.

The back and front panels are made of Gorilla Glass 5 (resistant to scratches and mechanical damage) with curved edges and a flat surface. The aluminum frame between the glass panels will also remain in place. Color options were not announced.
The back panel is a deep navy blue with iridescent tints, most likely to actively collect dust and fingerprints.

Display

There is no fingerprint sensor on the back, which suggests that the scanner will be optical (under the display). This means that most likely the novelty will still receive an OLED display (the only currently compatible technology), and not an LCD, which is good news. It will be possible to view the information on the screen even in bright sunlight. The update rate, again rumored to be 90 HZ, multitouch technology will provide a quick response to user commands.

The 6.55-inch diagonal (it looks like the budget flagship will be slightly shorter and wider than its premium siblings) - large enough to comfortably watch videos or play.
Excellent color rendering characteristics - 16m shades allow you to get the most realistic image.

Battery

This is where the information differs. According to some sources, the gadget will receive a 4300 mAh battery, according to others - 4000. In general, the company has recently been increasing the size of the battery - this is partly due to support for 5 G networks.

In any case, even 4000 mAh will be enough for one day without recharging (the approximate battery life in active mode is about 8 hours). The set includes a patented 30 W charger.
Nothing is known about wireless charging yet, but given the approximate cost of a smartphone, there is no need to count on additional options.

Camera specifications

The specifications of the new smartphone have been leaked to the network. It is clear from them that, most likely, the gadget will receive a triple camera with 64 megapixels (main), 16 and 2 megapixels - ultra-wide and macro, respectively. Plus dual LED flash and the ability to shoot HDR video. The 16 megapixel selfie camera is located at the top of the display.

If you are going to buy a smartphone for photos, you should not pay attention to the number of pixels. More is not better. You can also get good photos with a 12 pixel camera. In this case, the aperture values ​​are more important (indicated as f with a fraction sign). The smaller the number after the fraction (usually 2.0 and higher), the better.

The maximum performance of the new OnePlus Z is 2.4 (for macro), 2.0 for selfies. This means that you can get good pictures even in low or too bright lighting.

Many users, having studied the information leaked into the network, came to the conclusion that there is no optical (OIS) stabilization function for video shooting, only electronic (EIS). So, in this case, high performance in 4K does not really matter - you will still not be able to shoot a smooth video without "shaking", without having additional equipment or appropriate experience.

Processor and memory

The smartphone will receive Qualcomm's Snapdragon 765G chipset - a stable mid-range. Differs in good performance, copes with active games.
RAM - 6 GB, internal storage - 128 GB, enough to run multiple tabs at the same time and store your favorite photos and videos. By the way, for some reason, it was the characteristics of RAM that caused a lot of controversy among users. In their opinion, the OnePlus smartphone should have at least 8 GB of RAM.

Security and additional features

Optical fingerprint reader - under the display for quick unlocking. According to some reports, the device may receive face recognition technology, which is unlikely.

Additional features are basic. GPS support, gyroscope, proximity sensors. There is no headphone jack, as well as stereo speakers. Not critical, but the opportunity to listen to music will cost an additional $ 30-50 if the company does not launch a bonus program or another challenge.

Price and release date

Judging by the rumors, the price of the new gadget will not be so budgetary. On Indian Internet sites, an amount of 34,990 rupees (38,450 rubles) is mentioned, on Chinese sites, translated into rubles - about 27,000. Users on forums share information that the device will cost at least $ 400.
The manufacturing company does not comment on the rumors in any way, on the official website there is no mention of OnePlus Z either. True, recently, on one of the sites, a survey was conducted among users, for how much they would buy a smartphone with certain technical characteristics, it was a maximum cost of $ 299.
The presentation is scheduled for July 10 in India. Sales in the Indian market are expected to start around the same time.

As for the exit in Russia, the situation is not clear yet.

Advantages and disadvantages

It will be possible to evaluate the performance and design of the new smartphone only after the start of sales. Users, based on the information available, made the following preliminary conclusions:

• design - glass, slim body (about 8mm in ear) with a metal frame looks stylish and laconic;
• good specifications for a budget smartphone (display, camera specifications);
• 5G support;
• proven brand.

• does not support memory card;
• no headphone jack;
• no stereo speakers;
• price - about $ 400 a bit too high (users agree that a smartphone with such characteristics should cost no more than $ 250);
• small amount of memory, not expandable.

In general, the new device is practically no different from similar devices in its class. If OnePlus does not revise the pricing policy, the main buyers of the flagship will most likely be the fans of the brand. For frankly, a considerable $ 300 you can buy a much more high-tech gadget from Xiaomy, for example.