OnePlus has announced an upgrade to its OnePlus 5 smartphone. The new device, called the OnePlus 5T, is available to pre-order as of 16 November, five months after the original 2017 flagship from the company.

We've compared its specs to the OnePlus 5 in a separate feature, but here we are looking at how it compares to last year's OnePlus 3T and OnePlus 3.

OnePlus 5T vs OnePlus 3T vs OnePlus 3: Design

  • OnePlus 3T offers same design as OnePlus 3
  • OnePlus 5T repositions fingerprint sensor
  • OnePlus 5T has dual rear-camera

The OnePlus 3 features an anodised aluminium build that is slimmer and lighter than the OnePlus 2 it replaced. It measures 152.7 x 74.7 x 7.35mm, hits the scales at 158g and when it launched, it came in Graphite and Champagne Gold colour options.

The OnePlus 3T offers the same design as the OnePlus 3 with the same measurements. Both devices have a front-mounted fingerprint sensor below the screen, a USB Type-C port at the bottom and a textured alert slider on the left edge next to the volume buttons.

The OnePlus 5T meanwhile also comes with a full aluminium build, though the fingerprint sensor has been repositioned to the rear of the device in order to make room for the 18:9 aspect ratio display on the front.

It measures 156.1 x 75 x 7.3mm and weighs 162g and like the OnePlus 5, it has more rounded corners than the 3 and 3T models. The OnePlus 5T also brings with it the 5's dual rear camera setup. All three devices being compared here retain a 3.5mm headphone jack.

OnePlus 5T vs OnePlus 3T vs OnePlus 3: Display

  • OnePlus 3 and 3T have 5.5-inch Full HD displays
  • All use AMOLED panels
  • OnePlus 5T offers 18:9 aspect ratio

The OnePlus 3 has a 5.5-inch display with a Full HD resolution, resulting in a pixel density of 401ppi, just like the OnePlus 2. The display technology switched from LCD to Optic AMOLED on the OnePlus 3 however, meaning much richer, deeper colours and inky blacks.

The OnePlus 3T offers the same display, resolution and technology as the OnePlus 3, including Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protection and a 16:9 aspect ratio, while the OnePlus 5T changes things up.

The new device still comes with an AMOLED display, but it has an 18:9 aspect ratio, meaning the display encompasses most of the front of the device, like other 2017 flagship devices have done such as the LG G6.

The OnePlus 5T offers a display of 6.01-inches with a Full HD resolution, which is 2160 x 1080 pixels at the 18:9 aspect ratio, like the Huawei Mate 10 Pro offers. Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection is also on board, as it was on the OnePlus 5.

OnePlus 5T vs OnePlus 3T vs OnePlus 3: Hardware

  • OnePlus 3 features SD820, 6GB RAM, 64GB storage, 3000mAh battery
  • OnePlus 3T features SD821, 6GB RAM, 64GB storage, 3400mAh battery
  • OnePlus 5T features SD835, 6/8GB RAM, 64/128GB storage, 3300mAh battery

The OnePlus 3 opts for the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, Adreno 530 graphics, 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The battery capacity sits at 3000mAh, meaning it is smaller than the OnePlus 2 it replaced, but it supports Dash Charge, which is similar to Qualcomm's Quick Charge 3.0 for a quick top up when you're running low.

The OnePlus 3T comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 chip, which is an enhanced version of the SD820, resulting in a faster and more efficient device that is more capable, especially when it comes to virtual reality. It also comes with a beefier battery. At 3400mAh, it's got 14 per cent more battery juice than the 3. 

OnePlus 3T retains the 6GB RAM and 64GB storage options of the OnePlus 3, but offers a more capacious 128GB option too, which could be very useful, especially since there's no expandable storage on OnePlus devices.

The OnePlus 5T meanwhile comes with the same hardware as the OnePlus 5, which includes the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor and a choice of 6GB of RAM with 64GB of storage, or 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Battery capacity is the same as the 5 at 3300mAh with Dash Charge supported again.

The OnePlus 3 offers NFC, meaning support for Android Pay, something the OnePlus 2 missed off its spec sheet. As you might expect, the OnePlus 3T and OnePlus 5T both also support NFC.

OnePlus 5T vs OnePlus 3T vs OnePlus 3: Camera

  • OnePlus 3 and 3T have same rear camera resolutions
  • OnePlus 3T front camera double resolution of OnePlus 3
  • OnePlus 5T has dual rear camera

The OnePlus 3 has a 16-megapixel rear snapper offering an aperture of f/2.0 and OIS, with phase detection autofocus also included and 4K video recording capture. The front-facing camera is 8-megapixels with 1.4µm pixels and fixed autofocus.

The OnePlus 3T offers mostly the same camera specifications as the OnePlus 3, which means features such as Auto HDR and manual control, along with good results in varying light levels. One important difference is the EIS (electronic image stabilisation) improvement, which kicks in during video recording to ensure much smoother movement. 

OnePlus also boosted the front camera of the 3T to a 16-megapixel sensor. For low light selfies, it can bind pixels together, effectively creating fewer, bigger pixels to capture more light and colour. 

The OnePlus 5T comes with a dual-rear camera setup, like the OnePlus 5 did earlier this year. It does change things up slightly though, with a 16-megapixel f/1.7 sensor and a 20-megapixel f/1.7 sensor, rather than a telephoto sensor as the secondary one.

Electronic image stabilisation is on board the OnePlus 5T too, along with features including Portrait Mode and Pro Mode. The front camera on the OnePlus 5T is a 16-megapixel sensor with an f/2.0 aperture, like the OnePlus 5, but it adds a new feature called Face Unlock, which is facial recognition for unlocking your device.

OnePlus 5T vs OnePlus 3T vs OnePlus 3: Software

  • All run customised version of Android Nougat
  • OnePlus 5T will have a couple of extra features

The OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T both arrived on a customised version of Android Marshmallow called OxygenOS, while the OnePlus 5T arrives on the OxygenOS too, but it will be a customised version of Android Nougat.

Both the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T are on the list to be upgraded to Android Oreo however, as will the 5T, so eventually, all three devices should offer a similar overall software experiences, even if there will be a few extras on the newer device in terms of camera at least.

OnePlus 5T vs OnePlus 3T vs OnePlus 3: Price

  • OnePlus 3 cost £329 when it launched
  • OnePlus 3T cost £399 when it arrived
  • OnePlus 5T starts at £449 

The OnePlus 3 was priced at £329 when it first arrived in June 2016. The OnePlus 3T that followed upped this price by £70, costing £399 when it launched five months later.

The OnePlus 5T will start at the same as the OnePlus 5 however, which costs £449 or £499 depending on the storage model.

Although this means the OnePlus 5T is more expensive than the 3 and 3T models, it is still significantly cheaper than other 18:9 smartphone alternatives like the £689 Samsung Galaxy S8, or the £999 Apple iPhone X.

OnePlus 5T vs OnePlus 3T vs OnePlus 3: Conclusion

Generally speaking, a succeeding smartphone always makes improvements on its predecessor in a couple of areas, whether that be camera, processor, design or battery. 

The OnePlus 5 offered this over the OnePlus 3 and 3T when it arrived earlier this year and the OnePlus 5T does the same, especially in terms of the 18:9 aspect ratio display.

The OnePlus 5T might not be dramatically different to the OnePlus 5 in terms of specs (apart from that screen) but if you're considering upgrading from the OnePlus 3 or OnePlus 3T, you're likely to notice a big difference with the OnePlus 5T.