OnePlus has once again trotted out a limited edition color of its phone, this time going with a "Soft Gold" variant of the OnePlus 5. This fair-skinned version of the OnePlus 5 has all of the exact same specs and features — 6GB of RAM, 64GB storage, etc. — as the "Slate Grey" color, and even has the same price. But it also has the distinct advantage of being relatively exclusive; once OnePlus sells out of these soft gold OnePlus 5s, it won't restock them, so you're going to be part of an exclusive club.
Now a new color isn't worth dropping your current OnePlus 5 to get, but if you were considering the phone and want something a bit less generic looking, here's what you can expect from the soft gold model.
OnePlus uses the word "soft" to describe the finish, and it's accurate. The gold is more of a champagne-like finish, and in bright light from some angles it almost looks silver (as you can see in some photos here). It definitely stands out from the black models, particularly with the shinier OnePlus logo on the back and shiny bevel where the metal frame meets the front. The antennas aren't as surreptitious as the original dark colors, but they're at least a beige color that attempts to fit in instead of plain white.
Here's the one big problem: that soft gold anodization job on the back and sides of the phone is matched up with a white front surrounding the 5.5-inch display. Now this isn't surprising as a vast majority of lighter-toned phones often go with a white front, but it does have a legitimate influence on how well you can view the screen in bright sunlight. A white-framed screen reflects more light than a black one, making it tougher to see the screen itself. It can also be rather distracting for your eyes — even if you're turning on the OnePlus 5's excellent Reading Mode for the display itself.
Whatever your initial thoughts are on the soft gold OnePlus 5, you'll have to solidify them quickly if you're planning on buying one. Sales kick off today, August 7, over at the OnePlus online store and this color was explicitly made in limited quantities with no expectation of new stock coming available. Sure that stock could last a month ... but it could also last a few days. Make your decision early, lest you be disappointed later.
