OnePlus 5 in 'soft gold' is perfect for everyone who's tired of boring matte black
The OnePlus 5 is the best value if you want a premium Android phone for hundreds of dollars less than an iPhone or Samsung. But until now, you only had two shades of black to pick from.
Today, OnePlus is finally giving customers more options with the addition of a limited edition gold-colored version that is more vibrant.
The new “Soft Gold” version of the OnePlus 5 comes in the same anodized aluminum color the OnePlus 3 and 3T came in. But you don’t want to sit on your buying decision for too long because OnePlus says the gold version, which is priced the same as the entry-level OnePlus 5 ($479/£449/€499), will only be sold in limited quantities until supply runs out.
I’ve been playing with the new version for few days (see my unboxing video above), and though I’m usually not a fan of gold phones, this one's actually pretty great. The gold is such a light shade that it looks more like silver most of the time. I still prefer the Midnight Black color, but if you’re not into black at least the front’s white.
New color aside, the phone is technically identical to the Slate Gray model, which comes with 64GB of storage and 6GB of RAM. You’re out of luck if you want the gold with the Midnight Black’s 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM.
Even with the smaller storage and RAM configurations, the OnePlus 5 still flies and easily competes with more expensive Android phones like Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and LG’s G6.
The 5.5-inch AMOLED display is bright, vivid, and crisp. Battery life is excellent, lasting up to a day and a half. Android Nougat with OnePlus’s OxygenOS customizations add instead of subtract from the experience. And the dual cameras are pretty damn great.
Sure, the phone looks like an iPhone 7 Plus, but when you consider the hundreds of dollars you’re saving with the OnePlus 5, it’s a helluva value that few other phones can match.
In addition to the new gold OnePlus 5, the phone startup’s also adding a Slate Gray version with 128GB storage and 8GB of RAM that’ll cost the same $540. You know, for those who want the best specs, but aren’t into the complete matte black look.
There are now four models the OnePlus 5 now comes in:
64GB of storage with 6GB of RAM: Soft Gold and Slate Gray
128GB of storage with 8GB of RAM: Slate Gray and Midnight Black
The two new additions come a little over a month since the flagship phone launched and OnePlus fans might be upset over the new models, but they really shouldn’t be.
OnePlus prides itself on its scrappiness and ability to quickly react to customer demand. Its fans asked for a gold version and a Slate Gray model with the better specs, and now OnePlus is giving them what they want. The phone maker’s moving super fast, but not because it needs to, but because it can.
Raymond Wong is Mashable's Senior Tech Correspondent. He reviews gadgets and tech toys and analyzes the tech industry. Raymond's also a bit of a camera geek, gamer, and fine chocolate lover. Before arriving at Mashable, he was the Deputy Editor of NBC Universal's tech publication DVICE. His writing has appeared on G4TV, BGR, Yahoo and Ubergizmo, to name a few. You can follow Raymond on Twitter @raywongy or Instagram @sourlemons.
