The official launch for the OnePlus 3 has come and gone, and all the specifications are known as is the price for the launch regions, coming in at $399 USD here in the U.S. for a device model with 64GB of internal storage, 6GB of RAM, a 16MP rear-camera, and an 8MP front camera. Perhaps unsurprising, OnePlus also chose to stick with the 1080P resolution for the screen with the third iteration of their flagship smartphone, although they did change up the display type as they now use an AMOLED panel using technology they call Optic AMOLED. With the AMOELD onboard, the 1080p resolution is sure to look bright, vivid, and crisp, yet, many consumers were probably hoping for a display that was QHD like many of the other top flagship devices. So, why the choice to stay with 1080p? OnePlus’ Co-Founder, Carl Pei, explains the decision behind their reasoning to keep the same resolution of the last two phones.
During an AMA on Reddit today, a handful of OnePlus staff have taken to answering questions about the OnePlus 3 itself, the device launch and the overall experience. One user asked why they chose to stay with a 1080p display, and while it might seem like OnePlus has made a decision in error by not going with 2K, there is apparently method to the madness, and according to Pei, anything using a screen resolution above 1080p would “only be beneficial for VR,” and also holds drawbacks that OnePlus didn’t want for the device, although he never mentioned any drawbacks specifically.
Pei also noted that VR isn’t yet mainstream and that consumers wouldn’t be using VR on smartphones that often, so they chose to go with a 1080p screen to optimize the experience for the most common use case, which in their explanation is going to be experiences outside of VR, stating that they believe most uses will likely spend more than 95 percent of the time outside of a VR experience when using the phone. Whether or not you agree, 1080p has its merits. It’s going to draw less power, which means longer battery life, and with the use of the AMOLED panel that should also use up less energy, a 3,000mAh battery and the new Dash Charge technology that’s built-in, the OnePlus 3 should still end up as a decent user experience for many consumers, even with the 1080p resolution.