OnePlus shrugs off malware scare to unveil OnePlus 5T aimed squarely at Samsung and Apple

Facial recognition biometrics and 18:9 display for the same price as the five-month-old OnePlus 5

OnePlus has unveiled its second flagship smartphone in less than six months, launching the OnePlus 5T, which supercedes the OnePlus 5 launched in June. The new device boasts a bezel-free design, a better camera and facial recognition biometrics for unlocking the 'phone.

The device is an improvement on the OnePlus 5, which was only launched in June. Its slimmer bezel enables OnePlus to squeeze in a larger six inchn 1080x2160 AMOLED display, which compares to the Galaxy S8 with its 18:9 aspect ratio.

There's also a new mode called 'Sunlight Display' that, in a similar way to Apple's TrueTone technology, "adapts to harsh light to facilitate a great viewing experience".

With the bezels slimmed down, OnePlus has moved the fingerprint scanner to the rear of the aluminum-clad 5T. If you're not fond of rear-facing fingerprint sensors, OnePlus has also added an iPhone X-style 'Face Unlock' feature that utilises more than 100 identifiers, which means you can unlock the device by staring at it.

Under the hood of the OnePlus 5T you'll find Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 processor, naturally, paired with an Adreno 540 GPU, 8GB RAM and either 64GB or 128GB built-in storage. There's no microSD for memory expansion, but OnePlus has retained the 3.5mm headphone jack.

OnePlus is quite keen to talk up the 5T's improved camera credentials, too. While it features the 20MP + 16MP dual lens set up as its predecessor, the 5T's secondary camera comes equipped with a larger f/1.7 aperture which should make for improved low-light photography.

Elsewhere, OnePlus' Intelligent Pixel Technology will see the secondary camera merge four pixels into one, reducing noise in low-light environments and enhancing clarity, while a new Portrait Mode will make selfies less fuzzy, the company claims.

Oxygen OS will also see some improvements on the OnePlus 5T, with the company promising a more "refined" software experience that's "faster, cleaner and more customisable" than those offered by rival manufacturers.

This is thanks to Oxygen OS's new platform, that enables a more streamlined software development process, resulting in faster, more consistent updates.

OnePlus will start selling the 5T from 21 November, with prices starting at £449 in the UK.

However, O2 has already started taking pre-orders and those who order before 6 December can bag 12 months of free Xbox Live Gold.