Star Wars, the iconic series that took off in the year 1977 has a long history attached to humanity when you look at it today. Created by George Lucas, the space opera has defined modern technology in ways that could not have been fathomed back then. With the second film in the sequel trilogy, hitting theaters on Friday, OnePlus has launched a Star Wars Edition of their latest flagship smartphone, OnePlus 5T.
OnePlus’ homage to the series is an interesting take on the whole franchise. Here is a company of modern times welcoming back Luke Skywalker, 30 years after the events of Return of the Jedi. And if that itself doesn’t give goosebumps to the Star Wars fan in you, their Star Wars Edition OnePlus 5T surely will. While this special edition has design tweaks, the hardware that comes with it is the same as that of the normal 5T. You can read our full review of OnePlus 5T here.
In a galaxy far, far away
The OnePlus 5T comes in a black box with the markings of Star Wars The Last Jedi, OnePlus 5T in red and white accents. It's a special edition and the company has made it feel just that. Pop-out the cover and you will see the smartphone in all its glory.
The OnePlus 5T Star Wars Edition has a Sandstone white finish on the rear which is how it is placed inside the box, surrounded by the dark side.
It just feels like a surreal mix of Star Wars legacy and smartphones that every fan of the franchise will feel nostalgic, hyperactive and happy when unboxing this special edition. This experience is elated even further when one removes the sheet on which the phone rests. Underneath, there’s a custom-made case for the phone which resembles a miniaturized version of Kylo Ren’s mask.
The case feels sturdy in hand, like one of those Otterbox or Spigen armor cases. It's one thing to have just another armor case to protect your Star Wars edition smartphone, but having this case is just straight-up pizzazz. It has Star Wars The Last Jedi stamped on the inside and the OnePlus insignia engraved on the bottom-right side.
With all of this, you will probably feel overwhelmed just like the fan inside me did. Next item inside the box is the proprietary Dash Charger in a mix of white and red. Things don’t end up there. There’s the usual paperwork followed by a OnePlus Star Wars sticker which looks amazing, ready to go on the laptop.
OnePlus seems to have left no stones unturned with the Star Wars Edition of OnePlus 5T and you will be thrilled to unbox it just like us.
Design and build quality: How's it like?
OnePlus 5T Star Wars Edition treads the line between the dark and light side of the force. The back of the smartphone has a similar finish to that of the Sandstone Black variant of previous OnePlus phones, only white. It’s a rough white finish with the OnePlus logo beneath the ceramic fingerprint sensor in metallic black and the Star Wars emblem in red outline.
On the right edge, the lock/unlock button and the SIM slot have a black accent while on the left only the volume rockers are black colored. The alert slider on the left edge has a red accent (which OnePlus calls Red Mineral) to it that looks really cool.
Now, one might think as to why OnePlus went with the White and Red combination here. One reason for it is that the back of the Star Wars Edition is a reference to the light side of the Force while the all black front more than makes it up to the dark side.
The second reason is that the Sandstone White finish on the rear has got to do with a new planet that will be introduced in The Last Jedi. Planet Crait, which has already made its debut in the film's trailers, is an uninhabited planet in a remote location of the galaxy. It is a small planet with its surface covered with white salt. Hence the back of the OnePlus 5T Star Wars Edition. Underneath, its red mineral cover forms the base of the planet.
In one of the introductory videos, director Rian Johnson curiously says, “what would a battle on a planet like that look like?” and if you have seen the trailers, you do know how they look like.
This red mineral covered planet is the inspiration behind all the red elements on the Star Wars Edition OnePlus 5T.
The phone looks really nice to hold in hand and as OnePlus has done away with the metallic back in lieu of Sandstone White, the 5T feels lighter than the normal version.
To make the OnePlus 5T feel more like a tribute to series, OnePlus has created a special Star Wars red theme for this edition which looks awesome and goes with the theme. Apart from this, there are special Star Wars wallpapers which are really cool and fulfils the overall experience the phone demands.
Other than the design and the theme, it's everything that the OnePlus 5T is. A powerful smartphone powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 paired with 6GB/8GB of RAM and internal storage of 64GB/128GB.
Made for fans
The Star Wars Edition is something that will attract many fans because it stays true to the pop-culture icon that Star Wars is with its design and aesthetics. It's a treat for every fan of the series because the panache is strong with this one.
OnePlus 5T Star Wars Edition price and availability
The OnePlus 5T Star Wars Limited Edition with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage will go on sale starting December 15th midnight at Rs 38,999.
