OnePlus 7 Review

FakeCIA · March 2, 2020

When searching for a smartphone to upgrade to when going into the end of 2019, there were way too many options that were suitable for my use case. I was searching for something that could handle some minimal gaming, that had a large battery, and a decent speaker setup. While I could've hit one of the sales on a Razer Phone 2, I found that the unique look of that device would get me the wrong kind of attention in the area where I live. I also didn't want to get a really expensive phone, like the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, for the same reason. My budget was 500$USD. I began my quest to find a smartphone that would, at least, last me the next five years before I blow it up with C-4 (Made by Samsung). So, I went with the OnePlus 7 standard edition. It is mirror gray with 8GB's of RAM with 256GB's of storage, powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset. I've been using this device as my daily driver for the last 3 months.

To start off, I've tried multiple skins of Android, but OxygenOS, developed directly by OnePlus, is probably the cleanest in terms of bloat and speed. It does come with Netflix preinstalled, but that can easily be disabled with permissions in the settings and further restricted with third-party security apps like Malwarebytes. Considering I've used the Pocophone, Netflix is certainly better than Facebook, and people actually use it. Animations within the UI are quick and I haven't experienced any lag, even when I have several RAM hungry programs open. This may be different for you depending on how many games and intense editing programs you have set up.

There is also a dark mode that turns settings, messaging, and other device apps black. This does save battery life to an extent, but it ultimately depends on your use case. The battery is of 3700mah, and does last about a day and a half for me. I was able to play Mortal Kombat for a few hours, then spend another few hours listening to YouTube Music on a plane. By the end of the night, it was at 40%. How long the phone lasts does depend on how battery setting are set up. I have all of mine on a save mode. Only Mortal Kombat is on a performance based mode.

The screen is a 1080p 6.41" Amoled that has clean edges and good color reproduction, with some slight modifications. I edit photos and work on art in several Adobe Creative Cloud programs, so having a screen that is color accurate is important to me. There is some slight "fuzz" associated with the pixel density, but even with my horrible eyesight, I've found that it doesn't bother me. Even when working on writing ideas or editing scripts, where I have to hold the phone closer to my face or enlarge details, I've found that the pixel density is still high enough that text does not look too bad.

The phone comes with Dolby Atmos installed with a stereo setup, with one bottom firing speaker and utilization of the earpiece as a second speaker. It is loud and clear. I work on cinematic music in Ableton Live 10 and the phone's speaker setup with bass customization is really clear. I recommend modifying the bass and speech settings for clarity to take full advantage of the main speakers. Headphones, both Bluetooth and wired, are really clear and clean, depending on what you use. I use Sony, Bose, and Razer systems. The phone does not have a headphone jack, but the USD-C port is more than capable.

In terms of durability, I've run this thing over with a jetski (don't ask). I've dropped this phone multiple times and have had hot bullet casings land on it, and I do a lot in the outdoors, including horseback riding and welding. While this phone is by no means a rugged phone like my CAT, it does put up a fight in general daily use within normal parameters, just don't expect the same durability from something like that. JerryRigEverything hasn't done a durability test on this device yet, partly because dbrand is holding him hostage, and because this device has close to the same structure as the OnePlus 6T, but upgraded to newer specs and materials, refer to his test of that device. I do use a rugged metal and rubber case that has a built-in screen protector.

Important to Note: The case I use does have a glass screen protector. The optical fingerprint reader is pretty accurate with certain materials. Plastic and glass ones direct from OnePlus are probably best for security. This device is not officially sold in the United States and may not be compatible with your carrier. Speak with a representative of your carrier before purchasing. This device is only compatible with GSM carriers like AT&T. The device is pretty durable, but only to the extent of other glass sandwich phones. The jetski incident was a one-time lucky event and is meant as a joke. This is not a rugged phone and should not be treated as such. I don't much care about the looks or camera of the device. If you want that info, refer to the review by Marques.

My Wired Headphones: Sony MDR-XB50AP Extra Bass, 30$ on Amazon

My Bluetooth Headphones: Sony WHCH700N, 45$ on Amazon

The case I use: OnePlus 7 Hard Aluminum Case by Cresee (this case is pretty general and may come from a different manufacturer/seller), 30$ on Amazon

Customization

Launcher: Niagara Launcher by Peter Huber

Icons: Gold Leaf by Nate Wren Design

Widgets: Atomic by DrumDestroyer Themes

Browser: Firefox

Overall, I recommend this phone if you just want a steady device that will last for a few years with regular updates. There isn't anything crazy and it's good if you just need something that isn't a slouch in performance. It's discreet and serves it's purpose.

Feel free to ask any questions. I have notifications turned on, so you don't need to quote me unless you are asking about a specific detail.

Image pulled from Android Police