[Opinion] The best phone you've never heard of: the OnePlus 3T

I'll start this article by saying there probably aren't too many of you interested in buying a new smartphone right now.  And there are a bunch of new phones coming in the first half of 2017 - offerings are likely from LG, Samsung, and even HTC.  So for most people, playing the waiting game makes a lot of sense.

Having said that, if you are (or at the very least might be considering a purchase in the next 2/3 months) there's a phone you probably haven't heard of but should make your list.  If you listened to the Best of Tech 2016 Silicon Theory podcast (and you really should), you probably know where I'm going.  Let's talk a little bit about the OnePlus 3T.

[Preview] Initial thoughts on the OnePlus 3

Greetings fellow tech seekers!  As noted, Sean P. has a OnePlus 3 in house and is setting it up for a friend, so he thought he'd give some initial impressions now, with a review of the device soon to come.  For those looking at a new phone, and if you're willing to take a chance on a startup phone OEM like OnePlus, this looks to be a solid deal for $399 off contract.  See Sean's notes after the jump, along with some unboxing photos.  

[News] We have a OnePlus 3 on order!

As was mentioned in the latest episode of the podcast, we have a OnePlus 3 device on order for a friend of the pod, and will have it in house in the next week to do a quick testing and review on.  If you haven't heard of OnePlus, then their business model of making a high end Android phone at a VERY reasonable price point might shock you.  There are some early reviews out in the wild already, and by and large, the press on this device is quite good.

Look for that to be coming soon!  Another device we discussed in the "Rumor Roundup" was the Moto Z, and Moto Z Force - as this will be a Verizon exclusive for quite a while, we won't be doing a review on the device - but we do have some additional thoughts after the official announcement.  Look for those in the next few days as well.

Have a great weekend!

[Podcast] Silicon Theory Podcast, episode 4

Welcome to the rumor round up episode of the Silicon Theory Podcast.  We dig into the specifics of the rumors surrounding the Moto Z, OnePlus 3, Note 6/7, and the iPhone 7.  Some of the rumors have been bourne out on the new Moto Z devices; the announcement of which came on Thursday.  We'll have a recap of those notes, but in the meantime, check out the pod and get our thoughts on some of the next wave of mobile devices.

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If you enjoyed the pod (or any of the podcasts), please subscribe and feel free to leave us a review on your preferred platform.  Or if you have a topic you'd like to see covered in a future podcast, feel free to email us at silicontheory@gmail.com - thanks for listening!

[Rumors] What's coming up next?

While we enter a bit of a doldrums phase, what with most of the early device launches over and Google I/O recently ending.   That doesn't mean there is a shortage of phones coming on the horizon though...some of them are even shaping up to be pretty cool.

While we work up our 2016 Buyers Guide for the first half of the year, check out some of the latest rumors of what's to come...