The unlocked OnePlus 3 is actually two phones in one, thanks to its Dual SIM-card slot that allows you to add a second phone account-even from a different provider. This is a GSM-based phone, which means you can use it with providers such as AT&T and T-Mobile, but not Sprint or Verizon. It's a very good option for anyone who needs a second smartphone, such as for travel or business use, but only has the budget-or pockets-for one. Call logs and texts from either account can be conveniently viewed on one screen. But the phone makes no assumptions about account preferences. Each time you place a call or send a text, you have to tell the OnePlus 3 which number to use by selecting the card, for instance card 1 or 2, unless you set a default. You can even choose, in settings, which SIM card can access the cellular data network for e-mails, the Web, and apps. Of course, if you're only using one account, the OnePlus 3 behaves pretty much like any other smartphone.
The OnePlus 3 has an excellent quality 5.5-inch high-definition (1080p) touch-screen display that's also is easy to see in bright light. Its OxygenOS interface provides many customization options. You can use the on-screen navigation keys and even swap the order of their back and recent apps keys, instead of using the hardware keys. One small nuisance is that the symbols for both the hardware back and recent keys are dots; the only way to knowing which one to push is to rely on your memory. The long press and double-tap of the back, home, and recent apps keys can also be tailored to you. For instance, you can set the long press of the home key to launch the search assistant, while a double-tap can open the camera app. There are also some handy gesture controls when the display screen is off. You can double-tap the display to wake it up, draw an "O" to open the camera, a "V" to toggle the flashlight, and more. From the home screen, you can swipe right to pull up Shelf, which shows your frequently used apps and contacts, widgets, and more. The Alert Slider button on the side of the phone allows you to switch between three notification profiles without having to take your phone out of your pocket. Down allows notifications from apps and contacts, the middle pushes notifications only from your priority apps and contacts, and Up disables notifications. The OnePlus 3 has intuitive navigation that provides easy access to all its main functions via a highly responsive touch screen that supports more than 10 home screens of apps, programmable shortcuts, as well as back, home, and recent apps keys. The recent apps key lets you see a stack of screen shots of your most recently used apps. Tap any one of them, and you can jump to that app. The home button contains the fingerprint sensor to conveniently unlock your phone.
The OnePlus 3 lets you perform Google searches by voice command and lets you download applications, services, music, and games, and more from the Google Play Store, and other sources. Its multi-touch screen lets you zoom in and out of photos or Web pages using two fingers (for instance, your thumb and index finger). This model comes with Androids Marshmallow OS, which gives users more precise control over what personal information individual apps can access. Now, on an app-by-app basis, you grant or deny permission for an app to access such personal data as your location, your contacts, and other potentially sensitive information. Another notable Marshmallow feature is Google Now on Tap, which improves the relevance of Web or in-app searches by producing results based on the context of what you're doing. For instance, if a friend sends you a text message from the Mets game, Google on Tap can fetch you the current score, the team's league standing, or information about their next venue-all from within the message. To launch Google on Tap, you just long-press the home key. Google also helps you dive more directly into specific app content with fewer steps. For instance, if you launch the National Public Radio app, the app will ask you which programs you'd like to listen to. Marshmallow also adds extra controls in settings. For instance, Storage adds explore capability, Battery adds optimization controls, Location adds WiFi and Bluetooth scanning options, and Backup & reset adds a network settings reset. A handy on-screen drop-down status bar alerts you to and takes you to new messages, upcoming appointments, and other items that need your attention, even when your screen is locked. Its Android OS offers better text editing tools and controls for managing data usage, and enhanced voice-activated navigation and dictation.
The OnePlus 3 supports "4G" LTE networks (and HSPA+ too), allowing fast streaming, downloading, and uploading of high-definition videos and other large files. The fast network also facilitates better Web browsing experiences. The WiFi connection provides another way to access the Web, e-mail, and other Internet-based content, without using your data plan allowance. The phone supports Near Field Communication (NFC), a short-range wireless communication technology that allows the phone to read "smart" tags or other items that have NFC capability in them (though the technology is not yet widely deployed for mobile phone users).
MESSAGING: The virtual keyboards were excellent to use. It supports a method that allows users to type words without lifting a finger-literally. You enter a word by dragging your finger across the screen from letter to letter. Though it's initially awkward to use, we eventually had a lot of success "typing" quickly and accurately. Its advanced voice command feature supports text fields, allowing you to dictate e-mails, text messages, Tweets, and other normally typed forms of communication. Excellent e-mail readability and attachment capabilities. This phone allows you to create and edit Word documents and Excel spreadsheets out of the box, which can come in handy when working on the go. The OnePlus 3 also supports Microsoft Exchange and Outlook for work e-mail. When connected to Windows or Macintosh computers, this phone can appear on the computer as another drive. You can then transfer data to and from your phone as you could on a regular drive. But it doesn't have preset text messages, and you can't create custom preset text messages.
PHONE: We tested this phone under a variety of conditions to simulate environments ranging from the quiet indoors to noisy roadsides. We found voice quality was good when talking and listening. Battery life, overall, was very good. Talk time was an ample 18.5 hours. The OnePlus 3 complements its very-good battery life with its rapid charging capability, which in our tests, took about 30 minutes to bring a drained battery to roughly 60 percent capacity using the included charger. This phone has a very good mixture of controls and features for making and taking calls. Excellent keypad readability under most lighting conditions. Its voice command allows you to conveniently dial numbers from your phone book by speaking the name, without the usual training. You can also dial numbers by pronouncing the digits. It has Bluetooth for wireless hands-free voice communication. Can be used internationally. This model can simultaneously be on a phone call and an Internet-based connection over the cellular network. But auto answer doesn't work with headset.
MULTIMEDIA: The 16.1-megapixel camera produced very-good-quality pictures at ISO settings up to 200. The camera also performed very well under low-light conditions. The camera's optical image stabilizer improves your chances of taking better handheld photos and videos under low-light conditions. Its touch focus feature lets you override the autofocus by tapping on any subject on the screen. The camera's built-in flash and ISO-setting controls help improve your chances of taking better pictures under low-light conditions. Its face detection comes in handy when you're snapping pics of babies, toddlers, or other fussy subjects. You can capture pictures at the same time you're shooting a video. You can also record in slow motion. The camera took decent 1080p video, probably adequate for casual use such as uploading to the Web. This model can record in Ultra HD (4K) video format, which has benefits when viewing on an Ultra HD TV, giving you more detail for extra clarity. But the file size in Ultra HD is about three times the size of HD, and you are limited to ten minutes per recording. The high-resolution front-facing 8-megapixel camera, one of the highest we've seen on a phone, allows easy self-portraits, and can support video chats. It can also record at 1080p.
The music player has the capabilities and controls of a typical stand-alone MP3 player, including an equalizer, music shuffle and repeat controls, and options for sorting music by album, artist, etc. This model also supports Bluetooth stereo headsets, and can download music over the phone. Its Bluetooth data support enables the phone to wirelessly share pictures, contacts, and other files with compatible printers, computers, and mobile devices.
GPS navigation capability provides spoken turn-by-turn directions and automatic re-routing. The OnePlus 3 can act as a mobile hotspot for WiFi-enabled devices. This model also comes with a protective case. It has 64GB of built-in memory. Its memory capacity is beneficial for storing music, videos, pictures, and other types of files. This model also has a USB Type-C connection, whose main advantage is that it can be inserted into the phone no matter which way you hold it, so there is no "wrong-side up" as there is with micro USB cables. But the battery is non-removable.
