OnePlus 3 vs Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)

[Freezanator]

I'm debating between these 2 phones and I'm getting my first smartphone ever. I think the OnePlus 3 would have a better lifespan since it has a generous 6GB of RAM to give it some "future-proofing" (I'm don't have any other term to describe it). Both companies have service centres around my area, so after-sales services aren't a problem. The OnePlus 3's 64GB of storage is also double that of the Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 (albeit the latter can be upgraded with a Micro SD, but internal storage is always better IMO). However, at the back of my mind, Samsung's products are deemed to be more reliable than any other asian manufacturer. So, which of these 2 handsets should I get? Thanks!  

[PenPoint]

I prefer A5 2017 : larger RAM capacity and higher clock of the SoC doesn't always mean a better performance. The optimization process is very important : Samsung is well ahead of other Android smartphone manufacturers in this case. Both has the same amount of battery, and Samsung will last longer.

[Freezanator]

1 minute ago, PenPoint said:

I prefer A5 2017 : larger RAM capacity and higher clock of the SoC doesn't always mean a better performance. The optimization process is very important : Samsung is well ahead of other Android smartphone manufacturers in this case. Both has the same amount of battery, and Samsung will last longer.

Just wondering, do you own a smartphone? If yes, which one is it and how is your experience with it and for how long have you used it? Thanks!

[Mr.Meerkat]

13 minutes ago, PenPoint said:

Samsung is well ahead of other Android smartphone manufacturers in this case

With the rubbish bloatware they install onto their version of android? Yeah, very nice optimisation right there...

Also, nothing can be more optimised than stock android unless you're Sony and back in 4.0/5.0 days with stamina mode.

 

13 minutes ago, PenPoint said:

higher clock of the SoC

They're actually very comparable SoCs, they perform very similarly so it depends on whether OP wants more storage or not  

 

13 minutes ago, PenPoint said:

larger RAM capacity

Ermmmm...the OP3 has 6GB of RAM versus the 3GB of the Samsung...where did you get that from?  

 

Edit, I need to learn to read  

[PenPoint]

8 minutes ago, Freezanator said:

Just wondering, do you own a smartphone? If yes, which one is it and how is your experience with it and for how long have you used it? Thanks!

I'm currently using A7 2016 and I really enjoy the experience with it. Long battery life is the best point. I've been using it for a few months.

[Freezanator]

1 minute ago, Mr.Meerkat said:

They're actually very comparable SoCs, they perform very similarly so it depends on whether OP wants more storage or not  

I'd like 64GB, but I also have a spare 32GB Micro SD card.

2 minutes ago, Mr.Meerkat said:

Ermmmm...the OP3 has 6GB of RAM versus the 3GB of the Samsung...where did you get that from?  

He wasn't referring to the A5 2017. Just take out the "I prefer A5 2017:" and the sentence'll make more sense. I also thought he was talking about the A5 2017 at first but then realized he was stating about RAM differences in general.  

[Mr.Meerkat]

1 minute ago, Freezanator said:

I'd like 64GB, but I also have a spare 32GB Micro SD card.

He wasn't referring to the A5 2017. Just take out the "I prefer A5 2017:" and the sentence'll make more sense. I also thought he was talking about the A5 2017 at first but then realized he was stating about RAM differences in general.  

Oh whoops, you're right  

[PenPoint]

3 minutes ago, Mr.Meerkat said:

With the rubbish bloatware they install onto their version of android? Yeah, very nice optimisation right there...

Also, nothing can be more optimised than stock android unless you're Sony and back in 4.0/5.0 days with stamina mode.

 

They're actually very comparable SoCs, they perform very similarly so it depends on whether OP wants more storage or not  

 

Ermmmm...the OP3 has 6GB of RAM versus the 3GB of the Samsung...where did you get that from?  

Bloatware? Touchwiz? Touchwiz is one of the best android launchers currently exist.

And you know, Sony these days? Ugh...

 

And one more : you should see how 4GB S7 and 6GB oneplus performs.

[Mr.Meerkat]

1 minute ago, PenPoint said:

4GB S7 and 6GB oneplus performs

In how fast they can open up apps? Fair enough  

 

2 minutes ago, PenPoint said:

Bloatware? Touchwiz? Touchwiz is one of the best android launchers currently exist.

Ermmm...maybe in terms of customisation and RAM management else it's notorious for slowing phones down later on (unless Samsung has made touchwiz less...what's the word? Shit?).

 

3 minutes ago, PenPoint said:

And you know, Sony these days? Ugh...

Meh, at least they actually optimised android for a couple versions of android before being boned by Google  

[Freezanator]

@Mr.Meerkat Just wondering, do you own a smartphone? If yes, which one is it and how is your experience with it and for how long have you used it? Thanks!  

[Mr.Meerkat]

2 minutes ago, Freezanator said:

@Mr.Meerkat Just wondering, do you own a smartphone? If yes, which one is it and how is your experience with it and for how long have you used it? Thanks!  

Sony Z3C, owned it for 2.5~ years, pretty good with it till I accidentally upgraded to android 6.0 and RIP battery life, less than half compared to what I got in 5.0 and 4.4 due to...ermmm how useless android's own battery saving features are and google... 

[Freezanator]

3 minutes ago, Mr.Meerkat said:

Sony Z3C, owned it for 2.5~ years, pretty good with it till I accidentally upgraded to android 6.0 and RIP battery life, less than half compared to what I got in 5.0 and 4.4 due to...ermmm how useless android's own battery saving features are and google... 

So, you're saying every update reduces battery life? (i.e. 7.0 Nougat when it is available for the OnePlus 3)

[Mr.Meerkat]

1 minute ago, Freezanator said:

So, you're saying every update reduces battery life? (i.e. 7.0 Nougat when it is available for the OnePlus 3)

Nah, Sony had this feature called stamina mode which was their selling feature as it allowed a phone with a 2600mAh battery to last 2 days with light-medium usage but when android 6.0 came out, google introduced google doze and the other feature which are useless compared to Stamina mode but Sony was forced to remove stamina mode else they'll face breaking Google's TOS so...yeah  

 

Too bad all phones with s801 chips aren't getting android 7.0 (which apparently improves google's battery saving features a lot compared to 6.0) as once again, lord google strikes again (but for a good reason I guess) however Sony had "beta versions" of 7.0 running on the z3 and z3c but was forced to drop it else they'll be breaking Google's TOS (again), fun tiems...

[Freezanator]

12 minutes ago, Mr.Meerkat said:

Nah, Sony had this feature called stamina mode which was their selling feature as it allowed a phone with a 2600mAh battery to last 2 days with light-medium usage but when android 6.0 came out, google introduced google doze and the other feature which are useless compared to Stamina mode but Sony was forced to remove stamina mode else they'll face breaking Google's TOS so...yeah  

 

Too bad all phones with s801 chips aren't getting android 7.0 (which apparently improves google's battery saving features a lot compared to 6.0) as once again, lord google strikes again (but for a good reason I guess) however Sony had "beta versions" of 7.0 running on the z3 and z3c but was forced to drop it else they'll be breaking Google's TOS (again), fun tiems...

By the way, I've heard of custom ROMs for Qualcomm Snapdragon SoCs due to their high popularity. Would this come in handy once OnePlus stops providing updates for the OP3? I've also heard about something called "CyanogenOS" built into the OP3 or something. What is it and is it beneficial in any way?  

[Aniallation]

As I mentioned before already, if you're looking for an actual good smartphone for a good price, the Galaxy A series is not the right place to look. They are for people who have extra money to spend on an underpowered phone because it looks nice, like my mom.

[Freezanator]

1 minute ago, Aniallation said:

As I mentioned before already, if you're looking for an actual good smartphone for a good price, the Galaxy A series is not the right place to look. They are for people who have extra money to spend on an underpowered phone because it looks nice, like my mom.

Hmm... I always thought the A series was the "raw power" series, the J series was for budget users and the S series to be competing features with other manufacturers. By the way, do you mean your mother has extra money to spend on an underpowered phone just because it looks nice or are you saying your mom looks nice?  

[Aniallation]

1 minute ago, Freezanator said:

Hmm... I always thought the A series was the "raw power" series, the J series was for budget users and the S series to be competing features with other manufacturers. By the way, do you mean your mother has extra money to spend on an underpowered phone just because it looks nice or are you saying your mom looks nice?  

Ever since the release of the A-series it has been focused on design and build quality. They definitely succeeded in this regard, but the phones are very expensive for the specs, and the specs as a whole aren't that great. The highest-end model in the lineup, the A9 Pro, still only has a Snapdragon 652.

 

And I meant my mom is one who is willing to pay more for design, which is why she uses a Galaxy A3 (2016). I do admit it looks gorgeous, but a Snapdragon 410 phone for $300 in 2017??

[Freezanator]

1 minute ago, Aniallation said:

And I meant my mom is one who is willing to pay more for design, which is why she uses a Galaxy A3 (2016). I do admit it looks gorgeous, but a Snapdragon 410 phone for $300 in 2017??

Ok I get it now . I never actually liked any of Samsung's designs anyway. I think it is because of the straight up cuboid look with the square camera.  

[Aniallation]

3 minutes ago, Freezanator said:

Ok I get it now . I never actually liked any of Samsung's designs anyway. I think it is because of the straight up cuboid look with the square camera.  

The 2016 A-Series look a LOT nicer in real life than it does in pictures. One of the best-looking phones I've seen personally and definitely the nicest one on the shelf which is why we bought it. Feels excellent in the hand as well.

 

I haven't seen the 2017 ones in person yet but I wouldn't be surprised if its the same way. 

[Trixanity]

Are we talking about a OnePlus 3 or a OnePlus 3T? There is a slight difference especially in battery life.

 

The OnePlus 3(T) is far superior. The only thing where Samsung might be better is support/RMA in case you got a problem. OnePlus is supposedly hit or miss in that regard.

 

But performance? Yeah, there is no competition. OnePlus went all on out optimization. It's only the Pixel that might beat it in that regard. The Samsung Galaxy S7 is nowhere near and one would assume Samsung did their utmost to make it the best optimized.

[JorenBus]

On 28-1-2017 at 11:46 AM, PenPoint said:

I prefer A5 2017 : larger RAM capacity and higher clock of the SoC doesn't always mean a better performance. The optimization process is very important : Samsung is well ahead of other Android smartphone manufacturers in this case. Both has the same amount of battery, and Samsung will last longer.

I'm sorry but if you think that Samsung has good optimization, you clearly don't know anything about smartphones lol.

Touchwiz is notorious for becoming laggy after a few months, full with bloatware,...

OnePlus 3 is basically stock android and will be much faster than a Samsung phone, especially in the long run.

[Aytex]

Adding on to touchwizcancer Buying a samsung mid range is like buying a hand me down car, its not going to last you a while, samsung never puts into much work into the budget A or J series 

 

You're comparing a 2016 flagship ish to a budget low teir device..

 

$300 for a Snap 6xx or 4xx is NOT a good deal.

 

Also are you buying the 3 used? cause its discontinued, unless you buy it off a third party source.

[NinJake]

If you have a choice between the two, get the OP 3T or even just the 3. No questions asked.

[Stefken89]

Bought a oneplus 3, and since january I am running an A5 2016 that I got at work.

 

The Oneplus 3 is a much better phone. It's (a lot!) smoother, camera is better, the fingerprint sensor is miles ahead (10xfaster and more accurate - 5 finger support instead of 3).

 

The only thing the samsung phone is better at is battery life. It's a lot better (can get up to 2 full days on it), but honestly my oneplus 3 got me through the day easily as well. 

 

I really miss my OP3, but can't say no to a free phone. My wife is happily using the OP3 now...