OnePlus earlier this month unveiled its new flagship smartphone, the OnePlus 7 Pro, which offers multiple attractive and unique features along with an affordable price tag.
MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera checked out the OnePlus 7 Pro when it first launched, but has spent some more time with it for an in-depth comparison that's been shared on our YouTube channel.
The OnePlus 7 Pro is priced starting at $669, making it significantly cheaper than the iPhone XS Max, which is priced starting at $1,099. Though cheaper, the OnePlus 7 Pro doesn't sacrifice many features.
It has a 6.67-inch OLED display that's edge to edge with no bezels aside from a small chin at the bottom. Unlike the iPhone, there's no notch and no cutout for the front-facing camera, and that's because OnePlus has designed a pop out front camera that snaps up when you need to take a selfie.
There have been questions about how durable this pop up camera is, and the short answer is that even though we've spent a bit more time with it, we still don't know how it's going to hold up over time and when exposed to the elements, though it seems to be durable.
The OnePlus offers facial recognition, but as with all Android devices, it's not on par with the iPhone's Face ID. It's 2D image recognition, which means it can't be used for secure operations like making payments. That's fine, because with a pop up camera, it's easier to use the in-display fingerprint sensor.
In-display fingerprint sensors are convenient, but in this case, while it works okay, it's not as fast or as easy to use as Face ID.
The AMOLED display is high-quality and looks great, and there's no denying that no notch is superior to a notch. It does have curved edges at the side, which can make cases and screen protectors inconvenient, but there's the benefit of a 90Hz refresh rate. The iPhone XS Max has a flat display that's more practical, and still just as vivid, bright, and crisp.
When it comes to performance, these are modern smartphones that are equipped with high-end components and in day to day use, both are super quick and you're not going to notice much of a difference between them. The One Plus 7 Pro offers up to 12GB RAM while the iPhone XS Max has 4GB RAM, but Apple has always been better at memory management and thus there's not a discernible difference in performance.
There's a 4,000mAh battery in the OnePlus 7 Pro, but its battery life isn't really beating out the iPhone XS Max. It does win out when it comes to charging, though, because it has a fast charging feature that takes it from 0 to 100 percent in an hour.
The iPhone, of course, has fast charging, but the difference is the OnePlus 7 Pro ships with the power adapter needed to enable the quicker charging while the iPhone doesn't. The OnePlus 7 Pro doesn't have wireless charging though, which is one downside.
There's no water resistance rating on the OnePlus 7 Pro, while the iPhone XS Max has an IP68 rating, meaning it can hold up to submersion in water. OnePlus claims that water resistance certification for the OnePlus 7 Pro would have made each device $30 more expensive and that the smartphone is capable of being soaked in water, but you're going to have to take OnePlus' word for it.
When it comes to the camera, the iPhone XS Max wins. Even though the iPhone's camera is dual lens and not triple lens like the One Plus 7 Pro, the iPhone produces better images. OnePlus has never been known for camera quality, and the company has acknowledged there are issues with the 7 Pro camera. An update is in the works to address some customer complaints, but as is, the iPhone outperforms the OnePlus.
Specifically, highlights are overblown on the OnePlus compared to the iPhone, and the Portrait Mode just isn't as crisp. We did like the ultra wide-angle camera lens, which the iPhone is rumored to be getting in 2019.
The hardware may be similar in terms of ultimate performance between the two smartphones, but there's still a major difference in software, aka iOS vs. Android.
Even though there are pros and cons to both operating systems, most people who are deep into the iOS ecosystem and who prefer iOS devices aren't going to want to venture over into Android even though Android devices like the OnePlus 7 Pro can be much more affordable.
What do you think of the OnePlus 7 Pro? Is its feature set and lower price point worth leaving the Apple ecosystem? Let us know in the comments.
