Is the OnePlus 3 a true flagship killer?

The OnePlus 2 is a great smartphone, but it’s far from the “flagship killer” that OnePlus describes it as. For a company whose motto is “Never Settle,” OnePlus did a lot of settling with the OnePlus 2, and the smartphone hasn’t been able to capture fans in quite the same way the OnePlus One did. However, it looks like OnePlus learned from its mistakes, and now it’s back with a smartphone that might actually be a true flagship killer: the OnePlus 3.

Third time’s a charm, right? Well that’s what OnePlus will be hoping with its third-generation flagship smartphone, the OnePlus 3. True to its ‘Never Settle’ mantra, OnePlus is pushing forward with its ‘flagship specs for half the price’ game plan, and with the new OnePlus 3 the signs are positive. After the initial breakout success of the OnePlus One in 2014, the follow up from the Chinese outfit was a little lackluster, with the OnePlus 2 failing to reach the same heights as its predecessor. If anything, OnePlus was a victim of its own success, as expectations for its second installment went above and beyond what the still-small firm was capable of. OnePlus founder Carl Pei told me during a briefing for the OnePlus 3 that “people have very, very high expectations. We got very lucky with the first device, and people wanted more. We have to balance expectations with what we’re capable of”. As you may expect then, from a flagship handset costing just US$399 (£309, around AU$450), OnePlus has indeed had to balance features against expectation, but with the OnePlus 3 the compromises are more acceptable.