OnePlus 5 release date and everything you need to know

OnePlus has been going less than four years, but we’re already on the fifth flagship phone from the company – and the new OnePlus 5 looks to be the best handset from the company yet.

It features some top-of-the-range specs across the board, as well as a new focus on the camera with the aim of making it one of the best on the market.

You may be asking why this new phone is called the OnePlus 5 and not the OnePlus 4. That's because the number four is considered unlucky in China, plus OnePlus said it wanted to name the phone after its favorite NBA player, who wears a number 5 jersey.

Below you'll find everything announced about the OnePlus 5.

Want to know what we think of the phone? Read our full OnePlus 5 review now.

Cut to the chase

What is it? The next flagship phone from Chinese company OnePlus
When is it out? Now for some, but officially available June 27
What will it cost? Prices start at $479 (£449, around AU$630)

OnePlus 5 release date

If you watched the livestream, you can buy it now with a code
If not, you'll have to wait until June 27 for the full online release

You’ll be glad to know the days of the OnePlus waiting lists are long behind us, and you’ll be able to buy the OnePlus 5 relatively easily.

If you’ve watched the launch livestream for the OnePlus 5 you’ll be able to buy one immediately, using a code displayed on the screen during the conference.

If not, you’ll have to wait to buy the phone in store or online at a later date. The official release date for the OnePlus 5 online is June 27, while you can buy the phone from a variety of pop-up shops on June 21 and June 22.

Details of the exact locations for the pop-ups are a little unclear at the moment, but we know they'll be appearing in the US on June 21 and in the UK on June 22.

If you’re in Australia there’s no confirmed release date for the OnePlus 5 and we wouldn’t hold out much hope for a release there as the company hasn’t released in the market before.

OnePlus 5 price

More expensive than the OnePlus 3T
Lowest price model costs $479 (£449, around AU$630)
High end model with 128GB of storage costs $539 (£499, around AU$710)

Here’s the bad news – the OnePlus 5 is the most expensive handset from the company yet. The 64GB storage and 6GB of RAM version of the OnePlus 5 will cost you $479 (£449, around AU$630).

The slightly higher spec version of the OnePlus 5 comes with 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM and will cost you $539 (£499, around AU$710).

That’s quite a lot more than the OnePlus 3T, which cost $439 (£399, around AU$580) for the 64GB and $479 (£439, around AU$630) for the 128GB version.

OnePlus 5 design

OnePlus has made a more premium feel phone than ever before in its latest edition to the range.

This feels like the kind of phone Apple or Samsung would release and comes with a full metal design that’s more curved than previous iterations.

It’s thinner than ever with dimensions of 154.2 x 74.1 x 7.25mm and a weight of 153g, making it light in the hand too.

It's a full metal unibody design and is made of anodized aluminum to make it feel premium to the touch.

The volume rocker sits on the left edge of the phone, with an alert slider just above. That switch will allow you to change between Silent, Do Not Disturb and normal notifications mode with ease.

The power button sits on the right edge, while the bottom edge has a speaker grille, USB-C port and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Yes, OnePlus hasn't got rid of the legacy headphone tech, so you'll be able to use wired headsets with this phone.

At the bottom of the phone on the front there's a ceramic fingerprint sensor, which works in 0.2 seconds according to OnePlus.

OnePlus 5 colors

Color choices on the OnePlus 5 are more limited than most other phone releases. If you’re after the 64GB/6GB version of the phone, you’ll be getting it in Slate Grey.

Those who want the slightly more expensive 128GB/8GB version of the phone will be getting the Midnight Black color which is in most of the images in this article. That’s also the phone we used in our full review.

A OnePlus representative confirmed to TechRadar the company doesn’t plan to announce any new colors for the OnePlus 5. That doesn’t mean plans won’t change in the future though, so if you liked the gold OnePlus 3T you may want to wait to see if it’s released further down the line.

OnePlus 5 screen

One area OnePlus hasn't given much attention to is the screen, as just like the OnePlus 3T the OnePlus 5 has a 5.5-inch 1080 x 1920 AMOLED screen, giving it a pixel density of 401 pixels per inch.

That leaves it lagging behind rivals like the Samsung Galaxy S8, but still in line with the iPhone 7 Plus, and the lack of extra pixels isn't something you'll probably notice too much unless you put it side by side with a sharper display.

OnePlus 5 specs

Here’s where the OnePlus 5 begins to get truly interesting, with a lot of high-end spec here offered for a lower price than most of the competition.

Under the hood there's a top-end Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 system-on-a-chip that uses an Adreno 540 GPU as well as either 6GB or 8GB of RAM. You’ll get the choice of RAM options when you buy your phone, but the larger version will cost more.

The 6GB of RAM version only comes in 64GB while the 8GB of RAM model is only available with 128GB of storage. Unlike many other Android devices the OnePlus 5 doesn't support microSD cards, so whatever you buy is what you get.

The battery in the OnePlus 5 is a little smaller than the OnePlus 3T at 3,300mAh compared to 3,400mAh, but you can recharge it quickly with Dash Charge technology built-in.

To do that you’ll find a USB-C port at the bottom of your phone, but you’ll need to use the charger included in the box to be able to get the fast charging benefits.

It's also running the latest OxygenOS software 4.5, which is based on Android 7.1.1. New features specifically included by OnePlus are Reading Mode, which will take away the blue light from the screen on the apps of your choice, as well as customized vibration levels and an automatic night mode.

OnePlus 5 camera

Here's where OnePlus would like its new phone to truly shine. The OnePlus 5 features a dual-sensor setup that combines a 16MP and a 20MP sensor on the rear to allow for lossless zoom and all round better shots.

It works in a similar way to the iPhone 7 Plus with the 20MP lens being designed specifically so you can shoot at longer distances. And like the iPhone 7 Plus you can also use the two lenses to create a bokeh effect - blurring the background while the subject stays in focus.

Both lenses are designed by Sony and the main 16MP shooter has an aperture of f/1.7. Other camera features include a dual-LED flash, 4K video recording and slow-motion recording at 720p/120fps.