One of the most anticipated handsets of 2017 was revealed today: the OnePlus 5–the flagship phone from OnePlus. On spec alone it looks like a terrific Android phone, but is that enough to take on reigning king, the iPhone 7 Plus? You can be sure that OnePlus designed this beast to take on the iPhone—and it even was throwing some serious guff at the Cupertino company’s design choices of late when during OnePlus’s announcement event Diego Heinz, a designer at OnePlus, said:

"On the bottom, you'll notice that we ditched the 3.5mm headphone jack. The elegance of the overall design is instantly heightened. And who needs a headphone jack anyway? That's why Bluetooth exists, right? Just kidding. Of course, the OnePlus 5 has a headphone jack."

So it is on! Just which phone is better? The OnePlus 5 or the iPhone 7 Plus? We took a look to find out.

OnePlus 5 vs iPhone 7 Plus: Specs

Here’s the specs for the iPhone 7 Plus:

• Display: 5.5in Retina HD display with 1920x1080 resolution at 401ppi, 3D Touch enabled
• Dimensions: 158.2mm x 77.9 mm x 7.3 mm
• Weight: 188 grams
• Storage: 32, 128, or 256GB
• Memory: 3 GB RAM
• Processors: A10 (2x 2.34 GHz quad-core 64-bit)
• Front camera: 7 MP
• Rear camera: 12 MP Dual Lens telephoto and wide-angle
• Battery: 2900mAh

And here’s the specs for the OnePlus 5:

• Display: 5.5in display with a 1920x1080 resolution at 401ppi
• Dimensions: 152.7mm x 74.7 mm x 7.25mm
• Weight: 153 grams
• Storage: 64 or 128GB
• Memory: 6 GB of 8GB RAM
• Processors: Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 (Octa-core, 10nm, up to 2.45GHz)
• Front camera: 16 MP
• Rear camera: Dual camera 16 MP wide-angle lens and 20 MP telephoto lens.
• Battery: 3300 mAh

As far as processors go, in reported tests the A10 found in the iPhone 7 Plus seems to outperform the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 Snapdragon found in the OnePlus 5. However, processor performance comes down to a lot of things: which apps you are using, how well those apps are coded to take advantage of the processor’s architecture, etc. Apple has always had the advantage and experience of getting the most out of their chips since they design the silicon to work hand-in-hand with the OS, which they also make. Because of that, virtually all comparisons of the Snapdragon 835 versus the A10 show the A10 being superior in performance tests and less of a battery drain.

However, processor performance comes down to a lot of things: which apps you are using, how well those apps are coded to take advantage of the processor’s architecture, etc. Apple has always had the advantage and experience of getting the most out of their chips since they design the silicon to work hand-in-hand with the OS, which they also make. Because of that, virtually all comparisons of the Snapdragon 835 versus the A10 show the A10 being superior in performance tests and less of a battery drain.

Because of that, virtually all comparisons of the Snapdragon 835 versus the A10 show the A10 being superior in performance tests and less of a battery drain.

However, the OnePlus 5 KILLS it with 6GB of 8GB of DDR4 RAM (depending on which model you get). The iPhone 7 Plus only has 3GB of DDR4 RAM. As for storage, neither phone features and external SD card slot, so what you buy is what you get. The iPhone 7 Plus has three options starting at 32GB and going to 128 and 256GB and the OnePlus 5 has two options: 64GB and 128GB.

The iPhone 7 Plus has three options starting at 32GB and going to 128 and 256GB and the OnePlus 5 has two options: 64GB and 128GB.

OnePlus 5 vs iPhone 7 Plus: Design & Build

Both phones are made with a unibody aluminum enclosure and both look pretty damn beautiful in their own right. I think the winner here, however, is the iPhone, since it comes in five color options and the OnePlus 5 only comes in Midnight Black / Slate Gray. However, the iPhone 7 Plus only wins for variety. The OnePlus 5’s Midnight Black / Slate Gray option looks better than the iPhone 7 Plus’s matte black option.

However, the iPhone 7 Plus only wins for variety. The OnePlus 5’s Midnight Black / Slate Gray option looks better than the iPhone 7 Plus’s matte black option.

When it comes to thinness, the OnePlus 5 wins–although just barely. Its 7.25mm thin where the iPhone 7 Plus is 7.3mm thin. Sure, that’s ALMOST the same size, but still…

OnePlus 5 vs iPhone 7 Plus: Display and Battery

Each phone actually has a very similar display. Both phones offer a 5.5in display with 1920x1080 resolution at 401ppi. There is, however, a big difference in additional display technology. The killer display tech on the iPhone 7 Plus is its 3D Touch pressure-sensitive display, something the OnePlus 5 lacks entirely.

As for the battery, the OnePlus 5 wins, with its 3300 mAh pack. That’s compared to the iPhone 7 Plus’s 2900 mAh battery. But how long a phone’s battery lasts has as much to do with the size of the pack as it does with how well the software works to conserve power.

OnePlus 5 vs iPhone 7 Plus: Cameras

Here is where things get interesting. The iPhone 7 Plus offers a 12MP rear camera with dual lenses. It’s that dual lens system that gives the iPhone 7 Plus its incredible zoom and allows for jaw-dropping shots. This was unheard of on most smartphones until last year. But now OnePlus has upped the game by including a dual lens rear camera on the OnePlus 5 as well. BUT the dual lens camera on the OnePlus 5 outdoes the dual lens found on the iPhone 7 Plus. Why? Because the OnePlus 5 has a higher 16MP wide-angle lens and 20 MP telephoto lens in its dual lens setup. The OnePlus 5 also bests the iPhone 7 Plus in the front camera department, offering a 16MP lens whereas the iPhone 7 Plus only has a 7MP lens.

BUT the dual lens camera on the OnePlus 5 outdoes the dual lens found on the iPhone 7 Plus. Why? Because the OnePlus 5 has a higher 16MP wide-angle lens and 20 MP telephoto lens in its dual lens setup. The OnePlus 5 also bests the iPhone 7 Plus in the front camera department, offering a 16MP lens whereas the iPhone 7 Plus only has a 7MP lens.

OnePlus 5 vs iPhone 7 Plus: Verdict

It’s a really tough call, but we’re calling it for the OnePlus 5 for a few reasons: first, it has the superior dual lens rear camera and the better front camera as well. Second, it also has the better

Second, it also has the better spec’d raw processing powered with a technically faster chipset and 2-2.5x the RAM. But while the OnePlus 5 beats the iPhone 7 Plus for now, know that we’re comparing OnePlus’s 2017 flagship versus Apple’s 2016 flagship. In just three months Apple’s 2017 flagship will be out—and it’s likely it will blow the OnePlus 5 away. One final thought: if you’re an Android or iOS fanboy, how much do the raw specs and cameras really matter? You’re going to pick the phone with the OS you love. The good thing is both these phones are worthy carries of their respective OS.

The other big thing to consider is the price: for ALL those specs, you'll pay £429 for the OnePlus 5. That's way cheaper than an iPhone 7, even a used one, and it'll be more than 50% cheaper than the iPhone 8 when that lands later this year. 

If you value money and don't care about which OS you use, this one's a no-brainer – OnePlus is streets ahead.