OnePlus 7 Pro Review: Killer Display, Great Performance And Value

The OnePlus 7 Pro is one of the most highly anticipated Android phones to hit the market this year for a number of reasons. At first blush, it was about a few stand-out specs. The phone's 6.7-inch display supports a speedy 90Hz refresh rate and a super-tight 3120x1440 QHD+ resolution in punchy, HDR10+ certified OLED technology. The new OnePlus phone is also powered by the fastest Qualcomm chip on the market currently, the Snapdragon 855, but it's also backed up but up to 12GB of RAM as well as up to 256GB of snappy new UFS 3.0 based Flash storage. Oh, and the aforementioned display is not marred by either a notch, nor a bullet-hole punch-out for its front facing camera -- nothing, nada, just a clean super-thin bezel design.

So, then we move to the OnePlus 7 Pro's triple rear camera array with a primary 48MP Sony IMX586-powered shooter, telephoto, and a super-wide angle camera as well, and cap all that horsepower and capability off with a stout 4,000 mAh battery and 6 AMP "Warp" fast charging. You'd think we're looking at another $1000+ smartphone, a trend that has become all-too painfully common these days, but you'd be mistaken. 

The OnePlus 7 Pro starts at $669 for its 6GB of RAM / 128GB of storage base config, hits $699 at 8GB / 256GB and tops out at $749 for its top-end 12GB RAM / 256GB of storage flagship configuration. When you consider an iPhone XR starts at $749 with 64GB of storage, 3GB of RAM, and a much lower resolution IPS display, it sounds like Apple is engaged in thievery. And comparatively, at least metaphorically speaking, it is. 

We'd suggest you peruse a few more specs of the OnePlus 7 Pro below here, just to underscore the point of its value proposition. Then we'll journey on to see if the sum of its parts truly equates to something as special as it sounds among Android smartphone offerings in the market today...

SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
Display	6.67-inch 18:9 (3120x1440) QHD+ AMOLED, 516ppi, 90Hz Fluid AMOLED Display
Memory	Up To 12GB LPDDR4X
Storage	Up To 256GB UFS 3.0 Two-Lane Fast Storage
Rear-Facing Cameras	48MP Sony IMX586  f/1.6, AF, 3x Optical Zoom W/ OIS, 8MP Telephoto f/2.4 W/ OIS, 16MP Ultra-Wide Angle f/2.2
Front-Facing Cameras	16MP Sony IMX471, f/2.0 Fix Focus With EIS
Video Recording	4K at 30/60 fps, 1080p at 30/60/240 fps, 720p at 480 fps
Battery	4000 mAh Li-Po, non-removable, Warp Charge 30 Fast Charging At 5V/6A
OS	Android 9.0 Pie
Dimensions	6.4 x 0.34 x 2.98 Inches (162.6 x 75.9 x 8.8 mm)
Weight	7.26 ounces (206 grams)
Connectivity	802.11ac Wi-Fi 2x2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, USB-C
Colors	Almond, Mirror Gray, Nebula Blue
Pricing	Starting at $649

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The OnePlus 7 Pro's Nebula Blue finish is sharp and slightly bold, without being overstated. And when you hit that selfie cam button for the first time, the smooth motion of its camera periscope will inspire you to watch it over again and again for the first few times. It's a unique, well-designed but simple feature that we're hoping takes off in the market. It may not be the ultimate solution to notchless, thin bezel displays but it's a well-executed compromise we think has much more merit than hacking up a beautiful edge-to-edge OLED display.

With the OnePlus 7 Pro, the company includes its 5V / 6A Warp Charge AC adapter that OnePlus claims cranks its charging speed up over the previous generation by 34%. OnePlus notes that "your OnePlus 7 Pro will be ready to go in just 20 minutes," which doesn't tell us a lot in terms of what to expect for charging time. However, we would note that the OnePlus 7 pro and its Warp charger might be the fastest charging Android phone we're ever tested. Also included with the phone is a heavy-gauge Warp Type-C synch and charge cable, an applied screen protector, SIM tray extractor tool, a clear case, and various literature items, including a quick start guide. 

What was not included, however, are the OnePlus Bullets Wireless 2 buds you see here. These $99 optional Bluetooth earbuds deliver excellent sound reproduction with nice bass response and crisp highs, so long as you make sure to fit them to your ears properly with the included soft rubber inserts that fit you best. Ten minutes of charging gives you 10 hours of playback time, while a full charge delivers 14 hours. We're still testing here but in general their wrap-around design with two small bump-out batteries offers excellent up-time to be sure.

Let's get a closer look at the OnePlus 7 Pro, next...