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Performance
As expected from a phone running off the Snapdragon 835 processor, with 8GB RAM no less, the 5T is an absolute speed demon. It blitzed through our synthetic tests – second only to the iPhone 8 Plus in Geekbench 4 – and proved a dream to use in the real world as well.
Day to day, I had zero issues related to performance. Switching between open apps was always smooth and snappy, while opening new apps from cold didn't take much time either.
Other impressive aspects of the 5T's performance include the fingerprint scanner and facial recognition. OnePlus claims the scanner can read your fingerprint and unlock the phone in 0.2 seconds, and I'd say that's about right – it is absolutely rapid, and proved very reliable as well.
The facial recognition, however, is arguably even more impressive. To set it up, I only had to let the phone scan my face for a couple of seconds, and then as soon as I pressed the power button, the screen turned on and almost instantly the phone had unlocked and put me on the home screen. Not only is the process very fast, it also worked very well in low-light situations, and having my glasses on or off didn't seem to matter.
Software
At the time of writing, the 5T runs Oxygen OS 5.0.3, based on Android 8.0 Oreo. It's a very stock experience but with just a few minor tweaks to help with the overall usability of the phone.
My favourite of these added features is the ability to hide the nav bar which allows you to really make the most of the large 6.01in display. You can also tinker with the layout of the home buttons and set extra functions to long presses or double-taps.
There's also gesture support, with a swipe down on the fingerprint scanner revealing your notifications panel, and a three-finger swipe will also take a screen-shot.
Another great feature is what OnePlus calls ‘parallel apps'. This isn't new, but it allows for two instances of the same app to be installed on the phone – great if you have a second SIM or manage two social media accounts.
I can't say how far OnePlus will be supporting the 5T with new updates – it was, after all, a bit disappointing to see the phone launch with Android Nougat – but as of now, the software experience is really great.
