OnePlus 7 Pro official: pop-up camera and faster 90 Hz screen

OnePlus has just unveiled its new generation of smartphones during a worldwide launch event. Smartphones plural, because for the first time the company is launching two devices at the same time: the OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro.

In just a few years, OnePlus has grown from a brand for enthusiasts to a more mainstream brand for the general public, thanks to premium specifications at a competitive price. The manufacturer is working diligently along this path, for example through collaborations with providers in certain markets. Today, OnePlus is launching not one, but two new smartphones to further increase its market share.

The OnePlus 7 is the logical successor to the OnePlus 6T. A spokeswoman for the company talks about the device that the community expects from us. With this smartphone, OnePlus plays it safe, but the company also wants to show that it can push its boundaries. This is what the OnePlus 7 Pro, which distinguishes itself by a number of innovations, is all about.

Pop-up camera

What immediately stands out is the large 6.67 inch amoled screen. It ends at the edges and reaches the top completely to the edge, without any visible notch. Like the OnePlus 6T, the OnePlus 7 has a water droplet notch, but with the 7 Pro, the front camera is hidden in the housing of the device. When you activate the camera, it beeps out.

The pop-up system is seamlessly integrated into the housing and seems very solid to us on a first short experience. OnePlus is committed to allowing the camera to be flared 150 times a day over a period of at least 5.5 years without any problems. In addition, sensors ensure that the camera pulls back in when a fall movement is detected.

The front camera can be used not only for selfies, but also to unlock the device via facial recognition.

Fast & smooth

We’ll stick to the screen for a while: The display of the OnePlus 7 Pro supports the HDR10+ standard, following the example of the Samsung Galaxy S10. The standard offers improved image quality, provided that the content is also compatible with HDR10+.

In addition, OnePlus increases the refresh rate of the screen from 60 to 90 Hz. In theory, this translates into a smoother reproduction and contributes to the Oneplus mantra of a fast & smooth user experience.

In the same philosophy, the Snapdragon 855 is assisted by up to 12GB of RAM, which is intelligently assigned to memory-intensive applications. In addition, OnePlus is the first to use UFS 3.0 storage for faster performance. Normally, the Samsung Galaxy Fold would be the first smartphone with UFS 3.0, but it folded under pressure and had to be postponed.

Thanks to Warp Charge, the 4,000 mAh battery would only take 20 minutes to charge from 0 to 50 percent. A claim we like to challenge ourselves, along with the effective battery life of this OnePlus 7 Pro.

Finally, the fingerprint sensor underneath the screen was further improved. The sensor was increased by 36% and OnePlus worked on the algorithms to further reduce the unlocking time to an advertised 0.21 seconds. The manufacturer uses the same camera technology as in the OnePlus 6T and Huawei P30 Pro. This is in contrast to the Qualcomm ultrasonic sensor in the Samsung Galaxy S10.

Three cameras

The OnePlus 7 Pro will have three rear cameras for the first time. The now classic combination of a 48 MP main camera, 8 MP telephoto lens and 16 MP wide-angle lens is used. The telephoto lens can zoom up to three times optically and up to ten times digitally, while the wide-angle lens provides a wide field of view of 117 degrees.

In addition, OnePlus claims to have worked hard on the camera software. Another trend we are seeing today with more manufacturers: the limitations of the hardware are made up for by software.

A new triple autofocus system uses phase detection, continuous autofocus and laser focus to quickly produce a sharp image in any situation.

The OnePlus 7 is two-pronged, using the second 5 MP camera to improve sharpness and create depth of field.

Prices and availability

The OnePlus 7 Pro will be available from 21 May in three different configurations and the same number of colours;

• 6 GB/128 GB Mirror Gray 709 euro
• 8 GB/256 GB Mirror Gray, Almond (from June), Nebula Blue 759 euro
• 12 GB/256 GB Nebula Blue 829 euro

The OnePlus 7 will follow in June and will come in two different configurations:

• 6 GB/128 GB Mirror Gray 559 euro
• 8GB/256 GB Mirror Gray 609 euro

Cutting premium

OnePlus pushes its prices a bit higher again and it’s becoming more and more difficult to claim the title of flagship killer, even though the manufacturer subtly notes that it has never done so itself.

OnePlus sees itself as a premium brand that tries to keep its prices as competitive as possible. It still succeeds in doing so. The OnePlus 7 Pro can compete on paper with the Samsung Galaxy S10 and Huawei P30 Pro, which have a significantly higher price tag.

The stubborn smartphone brand makes a number of sacrifices for this, although in this case we can easily see them through our fingers. For example, OnePlus does not support wireless charging (the technology is not fast enough) and the devices do not have an official, expensive, IP rating (but they are waterproof when used wisely).