From 15 November South African consumers will be able to buy the OnePlus 5 smartphone locally for R12,000 via Cernotech, the same company that distributes Cat Phones. The device will also be available from FNB for R600/month for 24 months. Originally launched in June, the OnePlus 5 offers seriously impressive specs, including the Snapdragon 835 processor found in Samsung’s S8/S8+/Note 8, LG’s V30/V30+, Sony’s Xperia XZ Premium, the Nokia 8 and the forthcoming Essential Phone.
The OnePlus 5 also includes a whopping 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage (a 64GB version is offered elsewhere, but won’t be available in South Africa). The device also includes an impressive dual camera setup of a 20MP and 16MP sensor, one with a regular field of view and one telephoto. “Pro mode” gives users control over features like white balance, shutter-speed, ISO and exposure compensation and the option to shoot images in RAW.
OnePlus has made its name offering top-end devices with mid-range pricing. Granted, R12,000 might not sound very “mid-range”, but compared to Samsung’s Note 8, Huawei’s Mate 10 Pro, and the Apple iPhone X — which is expected to cost over R20,000 when it goes on sale in South Africa on 24 November — it’s very aggressively priced considering its feature set.
Buyers can also look forward to Dash Charge, OnePlus’s high-speed charging tech that promises a working-day’s charge in half an hour from the 3300mAh battery, and the company’s custom take on the Android operating system, called OxygenOS. Some of the unique OS features include “Gaming Do Not Disturb Mode” that mutes notifications and prevents inadvertent hardware button presses when playing games, and “App Priority” while as the name suggests prioritises users most-used apps.
Next week OnePlus will be unveiling its latest device — the OnePlus 5T — at a launch in New York City. Cernotech says that device will eventually go on sale in South Africa, too, but can’t commit to a timeframe.
