OnePlus 6 review

Introduction

If the letter T is OnePlus' way of branding an interim half-generation upgrade, why isn't this latest one named the 5TT? Yes, we're talking about the OnePlus 6, and a quick look at the specs will tell you what we are on about. Still let's not dwell on what hasn't changed and focus instead on what has.

First off, there's a notch. The 5T brought a tall 18:9 display, the 6 takes it to the next level with a 19:9 aspect and a cutout up top for the classic phone bits. It's still AMOLED ('Optic AMOLED' OnePlus calls it), and it's still 1080px on the short side, but this time 120px more on the long end - subtracting those gone under the notch, of course.

A major design change sees the back now made of glass, but sadly no wireless charging has come with that, for those that care. There's no explicit IP rating either, though official materials and teardowns have mentioned some waterproofing measures.

The secondary camera on the back is the same and it hasn't magically started making sense to us a few months into the 5T's existence. The good news is the primary module has been upgraded - a detail you could easily miss seeing the same pixel count. The 16MP sensor is now bigger (1/2.6" vs. 1/2.8") and the bright f/1.7 aperture lens is stabilized - we'll go with 'kudos, OnePlus' instead of 'about time' since we're positive like that.

OnePlus 6 specs

• Body: Aluminum frame, glass back, 2.5D Gorilla Glass 5 display glass. Mirror Black, Midnight Black, Silk White color schemes.
• Display: 6.28" Optic AMOLED, 2,280x1,080px resolution, 19:9 aspect ratio, 402ppi; sRGB/DCI-P3 color space support.
• Rear cameras: Main camera: Sony IMX519 1/2.6" sensor, 16MP, 1.22µm pixel size, f/1.7 aperture, phase detection autofocus, OIS, EIS. Secondary camera: Sony IMX376K sensor, 20MP, 1.0µm pixel size, f/1.7 aperture. 2160p/60fps video recording, 1080p/240fps or 720p/480fps slow motion
• Front camera: Sony IMX371 sensor, 16MP, 1.0µm pixel size, f/2.0 aperture; 1080p/30fps video recording.
• OS/Software: Android 8.1 Oreo; OxygenOS custom overlay.
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 845: octa-core CPU (4x2.7 GHz Kryo 385 Gold & 4x1.7 GHz Kryo 385 Silver), Adreno 630 GPU.
• Memory: 6/8GB of LPDDR4X RAM; 64/128/256GB UFS 2.1 storage.
• Battery: 3,300mAh Li-Po (sealed); Dash Charge proprietary fast charging (5V/4A).
• Connectivity: Dual SIM; 4-Band carrier aggregation, LTE Cat.16/13 (1024Mbps/150Mbps); USB Type-C (v2.0); Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac; GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo; NFC; Bluetooth 5.0.
• Misc: Rear-mounted fingerprint reader; single speaker on the bottom; 3.5mm jack; tri-position Alert Slider.

Naturally, the latest top-grade Snapdragon is in charge, with the base model OP6 packing 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, and you can step up to 8GB of RAM and 128/256GB of storage (the 5/5T topped out at 8/128GB). No microSD slot, of course, the OnePlus X was a one-off in this respect.

The latest-gen OnePlus phone comes with yet another price bump - once again minor, but they've been adding up. Yet, with the big players going for much bigger price hikes lately, it appears OnePlus can get away with it. Let's have a look at what you'd be getting for your bills.

OnePlus 6 unboxing

Removing the white cardboard lid reveals a red box with the phone on top. Inside, you'll find the Dash charger and cable, both of which you need if you want the ultra-fast charging. Here's the jist of it: proprietary standards - bad, 1:15h from 0% to 100% - good. Having a 3.5mm jack means no #donglelife, so that's about everything you'll find in the box - there are no earbuds bundled here.

Oh, wait - OnePlus has thrown in a soft transparent silicone case to protect that glass back. And protect the back it will, plus thanks to its raised corners on the front it will also keep your display a good millimeter away from the table surface if you're the type who leaves your phone face down. Then again, if that's the case you should probably consider speaking to someone about it - it's not natural.