Only a couple times a year do we get a fantastic rivalry of two very tempting smartphones going head-to-head for our business. Earlier this year we had the Galaxy S7 and the G5 announced on the same day, which you can find the respective reviews here (S7) and here (G5). Now, we have two very similar phones attempting to do very similar things, at a cheaper price. Welcome to the OnePlus 3 versus the ZTE Axon 7 spec smackdown.
So, let’s take a look here. These two phones cost $399 and offer similar hardware with a few key differences that puts one over the other. While it won’t be another couple weeks until I get my hands on the Axon 7, there are some things we can certainly predict to be true.
The Axon 7’s display sports a higher resolution QHD AMOLED display that will surely crush the same-sized 1080p AMOLED screen from the OnePlus 3 with a much higher pixel density.
Another noticeable difference is the memory options. ZTE will offer a higher 128GB of internal storage with 6GB RAM for a higher price, however the OnePlus 3 already offers 6GB RAM for their only model.
I was definitely a fan of the 3’s camera, but I’m not sure yet which camera will triumph here. ZTE will offer a higher megapixel count than the OnePlus 3, however there’s more involved with taking a good photo, including aperture, software optimization, and post-processing.
Battery life should be better on the Axon 7, however we’ll have to see if the higher resolution screen plays nice with the phone’s daily endurance.
The audio of the Axon 7 is a big selling point, and will absolutely beat the OnePlus 3. The phone will include Dolby Atmos + Dolby Digital Plus (7+1 Surround Sound), played through dual-front facing speakers that we all crave to have.
Overall, when looking at what ZTE offers for the same price, the Axon 7 bests the OnePlus 3 in the hardware department. However as we’ve stated in our review, the software on the OnePlus 3 is almost the same if not better than stock Android, so the Axon 7’s software skin will be heavily involved in determining the success of this phone.
Stayed tuned for a review of the Axon 7 as ZTE will start shipping the device on July 27th. But in the meantime, which of these two powerful, yet affordable phones are you leaning towards?
fingerprint sensor on the back…no thank you.
What’s the disadvantage? It’s something I’ll probably ever use.
No daydream support on oneplus, 1080p screen, smaller battery, single speaker, no thankyou.
Well if it’s for not having a decent camera and an unlocked bootloader, then no thank you
I went for the Axon 7. But I was VERY close to picking up a OnePlus 3 this morning! I realize that I’ve just been jonesing for the Axon 7 for a month and a half now, checking Google every day for updates, articles, reviews… I was going to get the OnePlus 3 simply because it seemed the Axon 7 was never going to materialize stateside (it’s been RADIO SILENCE over here since they announced the phone back in late May). So, this morning, I got fed-up, and was actually IN THE PROCESS of ordering up a OnePlus 3, when, just before hitting the Checkout button, I decided to do ONE LAST “Axon 7” search, and Lo & Behold, it was FINALLY available for pre-order! After all the research, etc, I finally had to put my money where my mouth was, and order the Axon 7. Let’s hope it’s all it’s cracked up to be.
Jerry: would love to get your comments on the Axon 7.
brian
The Axon 7 is way better all-around. With a way better camera, front speakers, a 3-mic hi-fi audio recorder, and last but not least: a microSD slot for storage expansion. It’s a no-brainer. Who gives a shit about the 6 gigs of RAM on the OnePlus 3? All the reviews say it’s not even noticeable.
absolutely agree. 4 gigs of RAM is fine.
You’ve not seen compare reviews on Youtube. Axon seems to be only better on the paper which is sad.
LOL the camera is better?? have you even seen the reviews vs oneplus 3 lol. There is a reason why samsung didnt used that sensor in the S7.
The competition is much closer than you might think, OP3’s battery charges faster by around 20 minutes. Also the camera on the OP3 performs better in low light despite inferior specs on paper. There are a few reviews between the 2 devices that can be found on youtube by L BS.
But don’t get me wrong, I still think Axon is better device, especially if they fix camera with a software update.
Yes, I’m still skeptical of the Axon’s camera until I use it myself. But you’re right about Dash Charge, that ended up being my favorite feature when I had the phone (which is crazy when you think about it).
Dash Charge is just recycled Oppo tech from two years ago :p
Dash Charge, QC 3.0 and Vooc will look like poop when Oppo release their Find 9 with Super Vooc xD
wait until you use the camera or listen to the tekkies on Utube.
MKBHD OT4tech Android Authority et al.
camera looks awful for the Axon on those reviews :-(
OUKITEL U13 PRO: 5.5 inch 1920×1080, 156.7g for weight, mediatek MT6750 octa-core, 64GB ROM, 3GB RAM, 16MP rear camera, 13MP front camera, 2700mAh battery, press fingerprint at back, speaker at bottom, android 6.0 OS.
Looks like an incredible device. Rest assured we’ll be covering it when it gets closer to release!
I also am waiting for more reviews of axon7’s camera as I am not going to divorce my LG G3 unless the camera is better than that.
Dude, I loved my g3 and it finally took the fatal fall the other day :( And now I cannot friggin choose between these two devices! Something that leans me toward oneplus is the ambient display and gestures. I bet the xda community can get those things working on axon too tho. I may pass on axon if the 6gb version doesn’t get released in the U.S. (and I don’t know what’s up with all the gold colored phones! Why?!?!?!)
For the price both phones sell for 399.00. How can you go wrong. Flagship specs at reduced prices. With these types of prices consumers benefit greatly. I’m hoping this is the wave of the future. There are many people out there that can’t afford 900.00 for the note 7. These two are great alternatives. Flagship killers most definitely!!! There is nothing wrong with giving Apple & Samsung a run for their money with their prices….
It sucks that I feel as though Samsung has gotten worse, galaxy 25th was in my opinion their best device but now they’re adding deep and raising the price that its not even attractive to considered anymore.