The mega-hyped OnePlus 5 smartphone had a global early drop last week at key locations in New York, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and Helsinki.
It also released on Highsnobiety's backdoor at the LNFA concept store in Bikinihaus in west Berlin on Wednesday June 21. Some 300 people queued since the morning to get their hands on the 5, which steps onto the market as one of the leading flagship smartphones with enough tech and processing power to blast its larger name rivals out of the water.
The phones go on general release tomorrow, Tuesday June 27.
Speaking of tech: rumors of the dual lens camera were proven correct, with the powerful system creating one of the sharpest smartphone cameras around, automatically detecting and adapting its settings for premium photos and portrait photography, with a larger aperture than its predecessors, faster auto focus, and a fuller, stronger pro mode. You can do all this while looking at its 5.5" screen (with fullscreen HD), listening to your music through a type-C or standard audio jack, and protecting it all through a fingerprint scanner that unlocks the screen in under 0.2 seconds.
Compared to OnePlus' last model, the 3T, battery life in the 5 has also been improved 20%, while its Dash Charge feature means the larger current gives you a day's power in 30 minutes.
Which is a significantly less amount of time than some of the people who waited in the queue outside LNFA. We spoke to some of those patiently queueing: "I've been waiting here for a few hours —since 11 a.m.—me and my friend came all the way from Austria for the release," explained one of the guys who'd staked his claim at the front of the queue for the past 5 hours. Asked why he was prepared to wait so long and come so far for the OnePlus 5, he added: "Well I had the OnePlus 3T and it was one of the best phones I've ever had. It’s really amazing how they can bring all these features and tech together in a phone. So yeah, I'm really excited for this new one."
Meanwhile, OnePlus' OxygenOS—built on Android—is processed through the industry-leading, energy efficient Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor. RAM is available in 6 or 8GB versions, while you can get up to 128GB worth of storage. The 5's tech, developed by OnePlus, learns the way you like to use a smartphone and then prioritizes the apps you need. It's also carrier unlocked meaning the two sim cards—and networks—it's able to house can easily be switched, making it seamlessly transferable between personal and professional, home or abroad use. OnePlus' revamped and robust customer service team also now caters to 34 network bands around the world. Oh, and it comes available in a space-grade aluminum unibody in midnight black or slate gray.
"It’s my first OnePlus phone and I heard a lot of good things about it so that’s why I’m here," explained another guy who'd waited in line since 3 p.m. that day. "Mostly I'm excited by the camera, which looks gorgeous from what I’ve seen, and the 8GB of memory, which no other phone has right now. Even thought I don’t need it actually, it’s just nice to have!"
Those who copped at the early-drop on Wednesday were also treated to some complimentary beverages and a goodie bag with a case for the 5 and a set of OnePlus Bullet (in-ear) headphones.
The new OnePlus 5 goes on general release tomorrow, Tuesday June 27.
Want to know the science behind OnePlus' 30 minute Dash Charge? Watch Emrata give you an explanation here.
