OnePlus 3 specs: iPhone7 alternative for practical buyers [REVIEW]

Staying ironclad by its mantra “Never Settle,” OnePlus 3 flaunts a US$399 (AU$520) price tag compared to iPhone 7’s AU$1100 to AU$1300 speculated price. Its high end specs for the price proved to be a powerful combo in shaking up the competition in the smartphone arena.

The Internet is ablaze with speculations and rumours on the upcoming iPhone 7. Following the current release trend by Apple, the iPhone 7 announcement could very well happen in September 2016. A quick comparison between OnePlus 3 and the rumoured iPhone 7 will prove, for now, if OnePlus 3 is worthy of its “Flagship Killer” title.

OnePlus 3 is slightly smaller than its predecessor but retains its 5.5in screen size. It has an aluminium but irremovable back plate, body and curved edges. On the other hand, the iPhone is rumoured to and confirmed by “leaked photos” to look almost like the current iPhone 6.

This points to the idea that iPhone 7’s screen size would be more or less around 4.7in (5.5in S version) on release. OnePlus 3’s 1920x1080 display is at a disadvantage against iPhone 7’s expected QHD 2560x1440. Even so, OnePlus 3’s lesser pixel per inch display is not something to scoff at either.

OnePlus 3’s biggest selling point is its processing speed for its price. It boasts a beefy 6GB RAM and Snapdragon 820 processor compared to the speculated iPhone 7’s 3GM RAM and A10 processor.

OnePlus 3 and iPhone both sport a camera capable of image stabilisation and 4k video recording, though the former uses a 16MP camera compared to the former’s 12MP. iPhone users however believe that in terms of camera the iPhone 7 will definitely pull ahead in the end.

iPhone 7’s wide range of selectable storage capacities (32GB, 64GB, 128GB, and possible 258GB) trumps over OnePlus 3’s only 64GB selection. Though one can argue that anything more than 64GB on a phone is overkill, the availability of choice is still a big win, especially with how OnePlus 3 lacks an SD card port.

Until Apple finally announces the successor to iPhone 6, iPhone 7 can either be what we speculated it to be, something greater, or a disappointment. OnePlus 3, however, is already here and has proved to most critics to be a worthy contender. Undoubtedly, the iPhone 7 will have features and specs that will surpass OnePlus 3’s but, will it be worth costing almost twice more?