Surprise! OnePlus 3, 3T also had OnePlus 5T's face-unlock feature all along

The face-unlock feature in earlier devices works flawlessly and is almost as quick as the one in the latest flagship

Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus has been promoting face unlocking as one of the OnePlus 5T, besides other upgrades that the phone brings. The feature is promised to roll out in the OnePlus 5 with the Android Oreo update. However, the yesteryear’s flagships are said to have been kept out from the list of phones that get the feature in the software update.

If you are using one of the earlier OnePlus flagships – OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T – and thinking of upgrading to the OnePlus 5T only for its face-unlock feature, we have a reason for you to stick around for a little more.

It turns out, the face unlock feature has all along been available in the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T devices as well -- sitting within the settings options. And, it works flawlessly -- almost as quickly as the one in the latest flagship.

Here’s how to enable the face-unlock feature in the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T devices running on the Android Oreo operating system:

Step 1: Go to settings and look for ‘security & fingerprint’ option and click on it

Step 2: In the security & fingerprint option, there is another option of ‘Smart Unlock’ under the device security tab

Step 3: The smart unlock option provides 5 different ways that can be used to unlock the device – On-body detection, Trusted places, Trusted devices, Trusted face and Trusted voice. Click on Trusted face option to set up the face-unlock feature

Step 4: Find a place, which is not too bright or too dim before setting up the face-unlock feature, and hold the phone at the eye level

Step 5: The phone recognises your face in the same manner as the OnePlus 5T does. (more)

OnePlus 5 launch imminent; company halts 'flagship' OnePlus 3T production

OnePlus 5 is due to be launched soon and it will feature Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 835 processor

OnePlus has announced that its latest flagship OnePlus 3T, will soon be discontinued. The production of OnePlus 3T has already reached the end of its production life, and sale of the devices will continue till the stock lasts.

The latest development comes days after the company’s CEO revealed that the next flagship smartphone OnePlus 5 will be launched soon and will feature Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 835 processor.

Recently, the China-based smartphone manufacturer OnePlus teamed up with DxO, a software company with expertise in image processing software, to enhance the photography capabilities of the upcoming OnePlus 5 smartphone.

Also Read : Smartphones, TVs with new colour-changing surface offer 3 times resolution

In a blog post on the OnePlus official forum, the company said: "We are happy to announce that we have teamed up with DxO to enhance your photography experience with our upcoming flagship, the OnePlus 5. DxO is perhaps most well-known for creating the defining photography benchmark, the DxOMark. They’ve got years of imaging experience and expertise, both for professional cameras and for smartphones."

"But we can only go so far in telling you that we’re excited to be working with DxO. Our friend Etienne Knauer, SVP Sales & Marketing at DxO, had this to say: “OnePlus has always been one of the leading innovators in the smartphone industry, and we are proud to partner with them and support their exciting mobile photography strategy.” (more)

Flipkart lists 'Amazon exclusive' OnePlus 3 at Rs 18,999

Of late, Flipkart hits the controversy by putting up a banner listing the sale of OnePlus 3 smartphone, which is exclusive to Amazon India, for under Rs 20,000 during the big billion sale, which started today i.e. on December 18.

While the listing brought a lot of attention from prospective buyers, it came as a shock to OnePlus CEO, Carl Pei who took to Twitter asking Flipkart’s co-founder Sachin Bansal to clear the ambiguity around the sale of OnePlus 3 on Flipkart.

The tweet saw no reply from Flipkart or from Sachin Bansal and soon Amazon India took to Twitter to warn customers to buy OnePlus 3 from Flipkart ‘on their own risk’.

.@_sachinbansal brother, what's this? We're exclusive with @amazonINpic.twitter.com/0QBoyagoXz

— Carl Pei (@getpeid) December 16, 2016

There is still a lot of ambiguity around the issue, but for Flipkart things are as normal as they ever were. The company has put up a sale of OnePlus 3 device at Rs 18,999, which will start at 4 pm (IST) on December 18. On product page, the device details ‘1 year warranty’ on smartphone and ‘6 month warranty’ on accessories.

OnePlus 3 at Rs 18,999 is a deal that will stupefy many but with all the controversy surrounding it worth to take the risk and buy it from Flipkart?

Redefining flagships

Redefining flagships

The OnePlus 3 looks quite different from its predecessors. Its metal and glass construction looks premium, but reassuringly, some things like the notification slider, remain the same.

OnePlus is known for the kind of customisation it offers and this one's no different. The OxygenOS, based on Android Marshmallow, is virtually bloat-free. Swiping to the right, one accesses the Shelf, which displays the weather, recent apps and your choice of widget. Also, all settings are highly customisable, such as tapping to unlock the screen. But some apps take their time opening.

The OnePlus 3 has 6GB of RAM on board, so I downloaded Asphalt 8: Airborne and Need For Speed Most Wanted, two resource-hungry games. The phone heated up while downloading apps or games. Downloads done, I fired up the browser with five tabs, logged into WhatsApp and Facebook and started playing. There was absolutely no lag! But the phone started getting very hot. Shutting background apps did help, but it was still warm after a 15-minute session.

The solution, however, was simple: The review unit came with five different back covers. I selected the bamboo one and didn't feel any heat thereafter.

Click here for more details about OnePlus 3 mobile configuration.