We've got used to OnePlus launching two flagship phones a year – one in May and one in October last year – but for 2019 it's decided to reveal two phones at once, unveiling the OnePlus 7 and the OnePlus 7 Pro at media events held across the world.
The most immediately eye-catching feature on the OnePlus 7 Pro is the pop-up, 16 MP front-facing camera, which means no need for a display notch. With minimal bezels and an in-screen fingerprint sensor (like the OnePlus 6T had), the screen dominates the front of the phone with a screen-to-body ratio of over 93 percent.
OnePlus has gone higher than ever before with the display resolution of the OnePlus 7 Pro – the 6.67-inch AMOLED screen offers a resolution of 3,120 x 1,440 pixels (516 pixels-per-inch), and with a 90 Hz refresh rate is immediately one of the best screens on the market (on paper at least). HDR10+ support is included too.
Potential phone buyers will probably either love or hate the pop-up camera feature. It's motorized and automatically appears when you try to take a photo – and it automatically retracts when it detects the phone has been dropped, something OnePlus actually demoed on stage at today's event.
There's a triple-lens rear camera on the OnePlus 7 Pro as well, a first for a OnePlus device, which can snap 48-megapixel photos. It's the most "complete and capable" smartphone camera OnePlus has made yet, according to OnePlus, though you wouldn't expect it to say anything else.
The main camera sensor is 29 percent bigger than the one on the OnePlus 6T, which should help in low light situations, and there's also an ultra-wide angle lens that lets you take in a 117-degree field of view when needed. Optical image stabilization and 3x optical zoom complete the picture.
Under the hood the OnePlus 7 Pro comes packing the latest high-end Snapdragon 855 processor, with up to 12 GB of RAM and up to 256GB of internal storage. OnePlus has even fitted a liquid cooling system inside the chassis.
The Pro phone also comes with Dolby Atmos-ready dual stereo speakers, another first for OnePlus, and a high capacity 4,000-mAh battery which OnePlus says will last you all day. The phone brings with it another fast charging upgrade – you can apparently get up to a 48 percent charge from zero in just 20 minutes.
OnePlus also announced there will be a 5G version of the OnePlus 7 Pro too, though it's going to be a UK exclusive on the EE network, at least to begin with – no exact pricing or launch date details have been revealed so far.
OnePlus spent most of its time introducing the OnePlus 7 Pro at today's event, but there is also a OnePlus 7. It drops the rear camera down to a dual-lens version, and tops out at 8 GB of RAM rather than 12 GB. The same Snapdragon 855 processor is inside though, and the same top tier 256 GB of internal storage is available.
There's no pop-up selfie camera on the OnePlus 7 – this phone goes for a small teardrop notch at the top of the 6.41-inch AMOLED, 2,340 x 1,080 pixel resolution display instead (402 ppi). The Dolby Atmos stereo speakers are retained from the OnePlus 7 Pro though.
On the software side, a new version of OnePlus' own OxygenOS comes installed on the phones, with new features including a screen recorder, a gaming mode, and a zen mode that encourages you to take a break from your phone. OnePlus also announced that the OnePlus 7 phones would be part of the ongoing Android Q beta.
As is the norm for OnePlus, these phones don't offer full IP68 waterproofing or wireless charging, which helps to keep costs down. The OnePlus 7 Pro will be available from US$669 and up from May 21 in Almond, Nebula Blue, and Mirror Gray, with the OnePlus 7 following in June in Mirror Gray only – that phone will cost you less, though as yet OnePlus hasn't said how much less.
Product page: OnePlus
