OnePlus 7 Pro Unboxing - It's ALL SCREEN

The OnePlus 7 Pro: A Device that's Redefining the Smartphone Experience

OnePlus has always been known for its ambitious approach to designing smartphones, and the latest device to hit the market is no exception. The OnePlus 7 Pro, with a starting price of $669, promises to deliver a premium experience at a fraction of the cost of other flagships on the market.

The bezel-less design of the OnePlus 7 Pro is certainly one of its standout features. There's no distraction, just video and display. This is the trade-off that OnePlus is asking users to make: a front-facing camera that pops out with a motor, hidden most of the time in exchange for an uninterrupted viewing experience.

When you think about video consumption and content consumption on a smartphone, this is exactly what most people do frequently. But could it be a huge issue if the camera didn't come up from one day to another? Maybe, but this right here is everyday use. The display on this unit is 90Hz, which is kind of unusual. We've seen some gaming phones with increased Hertz ratings in the past, and what this means is that it's not just for gaming; it's also your input, like when you're swiping through a list. It's the impression of reactiveness and responsiveness, and it's just a little bit more twitchy.

The display on this device is a true standout feature. With an OLED panel, 90Hz refresh rate, and no notch to cover up any element of the gameplay, this could be an interesting target device for gamers. The combination of these features, along with stereo speakers, makes it a compelling choice for those who want a premium gaming experience without breaking the bank.

One of the things that's worth noting is the RAM and Snapdragon 855 processor. This is definitely not your average smartphone processor. And while the phone is available in other colors - including Nebula Blue, Mirror Gray, and Almond Gold - it's the bezel-less design that really sets it apart.

The pop-up camera mechanism has been tested over three hundred thousand times, which means if you were to use the camera 150 times a day, you'd still be able to use it for five years. The camera module will retract into its housing in a fraction of a second if the device is in freefall, as detected by the accelerometer and gyroscope. This feature is like some sort of "turtle shell" protecting the camera.

So what can we say about this device? It's one thing that OnePlus has been doing - continuing their trend upwards, continuing to get more premium with a more premium price tag to match. The bezel-less design is a relatively nice thing that we're getting, and it's definitely something that sets this phone apart from others in its class.

The X Factor on this device is going to be the camera, especially on the front-facing side. We saw a demo of portrait mode, which looked surprisingly good. But we need to put the SIM card in here and take some daily snaps to see if it can really deliver. Will it exceed our expectations? Only time will tell.

In any case, I'm actually more excited for this device having it in my hand because what it represents is different from what the other flagships are doing. I've experimented with bezel-less devices in the past but never daily driven one. Whether you hate that term or not, putting your SIM card in a smartphone is the best way to describe using this device.

I'm going to do it because I'm happy with the software in the OnePlus package in general. I've used OnePlus devices in the past exclusively, so I'm going to pop my SIM card in here and be excited to see how it works out. The front of the display is all display, and it's just not that many devices out there right now offering that.

Of course, one thing that might give some people pause is the price. $669 is definitely not cheap. But what you're getting for that price is a premium device with top-of-the-line specs. This is an interesting package, to say the least.