OnePlus 5: top 5 features we’d like to see

Despite its humble beginnings, Chinese device maker OnePlus has grown to be a true force of the Android ecosystem. The company achieved global recognition in the small time-span of only three years and appears to be quite committed to continuing its ascending trajectory.

Case in point, the phone manufacturer is currently working on the OnePlus 5 – it’s next generation flagship. OnePlus’ own CEO teased the device yesterday, so we have good reason to believe the phone will be released sometimes this summer.

It remains to be see whether the OnePlus 5 will manage to divert customers’ attention away from flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S8 or LG G6. Provided it brings to the table the right set of upgrades, the phone has a very good chance to be able to do just that. Here’s a few features we think might help the OnePlus 5 achieve greatness this a year.

QHD display and Daydream support

It sure would be nice to have an affordable flagship ship along with a QHD display (2560 x 1440 resolution. While the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T offer only 1920 x 1080 pixels, we hope OnePlus 5 will be the product takes things to the next level. Still it remains to be seen whether the feature can be squeezed in, while maintaining the phone’s reasonable pricing scheme at the same time.

With a QHD display onboard, OnePlus could gain extra points by approaching the VR niche and adding Daydream support. The OnePlus 3T’s closest competitor in the “affordable flagship” category, the ZTE Axon 7 already offers this option.

Bezel-less design

Phones like the Samsung Galaxy S8 adhere to this year’s trend in smartphone design, by carrying minimal side bezels and extremely trimmed upper/top bezels. The OnePlus 3T already has pretty skinny side bezels, but the one on top and bottom remain quite consistent. So, in order to be more appealing to customers buying today, the OnePlus 5 should come with an edge-to-edge display. According to some rumors, the phone will actually make a debut with a dual curved screen, in the vein of the Galaxy S8.

Dual cameras

Dual cameras seem to be the common denominator of most smartphones launching today. With one notable exception – the Galaxy S8 does not have one. This represents a great opportunity for OnePlus to one-up Samsung in this department and implement a dual camera. On the other hand, OnePlus could just focus on bringing the camera on par with the ones found on the Pixel or Galaxy S7/S8.

microSD card support

With the OnePlus 3T, customers are given a choice between 64GB or 128GB internal storage variants, but with no possibility to expand further. Even so, it has been proven time and time again that customers do want the added convenience of microSD card slot. You might recall that the OnePlus X featured such an option, so it should be too difficult for the OnePlus to re-introduce the microSD slot onboard the OnePlus 5.

Water-resistance

The current OnePlus 3T does not feature water-resistance. Still this might change with this year’s model. Hopefully an IP68 rating won’t increase the phone’s pricing too much.