Introduction
Different people focus on different things when choosing a smartphone. Some focus on the camera, some on the battery, and some on the numbers regarding the CPU and the GPU. OnePlus is a brand that many people still don’t know about, but it’s definitely the fastest device out there at the moment.
What makes the new OnePlus special, and what features does it bring? Stay with us to find out!
As opposed to the last year’s model 5T this device s completely redesigned. This is the first time that OnePlus has implemented a glass back panel on their device, and not just any glass – this panel went through 40 different steps in order to look as unique and to be this strong.
Holding this phone provides a special feeling different from every other glass back device. All your senses somehow feel the device, which is truly indescribable, almost as if your fingers somehow merge with the phone itself.
Curved edges even more emphasize this feeling. Handling experience is really outstanding. Beneath the glass there are 5 nano layers that leave a sense of depth, clarity and purity. A great news is that both panels are protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5. However, it is still – glass, and it cannot be fully protected so as not to break when it falls down, also it picks up fingerprints quite a lot. Still, the phone in its Mirror Black version looks just stunning.
Another feature of the device we’re talking about today is waterproofing – the phone is not IP certified, but it seems as if it would easily be able to get one. Be as it may, we can now be sure that the speakers won’t break if a few drops of rain manage to find their way there.
What did OnePlus include it the box? A Dash charger, a charging and data transfer cable, user manuals, a SIM tray tool, silicon case as well as some OnePlus stickers.
Let’s now go through each section and take a closer look at the phone.
Video review
Unboxing
Display
A feature that wasn’t exactly welcomed by the community is the, you guessed it, the notch. Some might like it, but we honestly consider it absurd. Of course, there is an option to remove the notch through software, but in that case you essentially end up with a 5mm top bezel which most users don’t like.
This is an Optic AMOLED display and it has phenomenal adjustment capabilities. It reproduces very deep blacks and combined with the 1080p resolution and the aspect ratio of 19:9 all content viewed is crystal clear and with vivid colors.
Hardware and OS
All new flagships come with the newest chipset. In the case of OnePlus 6, it is the Snapdragon 845 which represents the very top of what the market has to offer. The difference between other phones and this specific phone is that the OnePlus 6 has a custom OS built just for it, where the focus is on the speed. This phone opens all applications instantaneously, there are no problems in loading, navigating through the menu, screen transitions or playing high demanding games. Every task is over before you have a chance to blink!
Some minor changes to the OS also became available with the OnePlus 6, such as the improved Game Mode, Notch support in display and application settings, Video Editor, changes to the Alert Slider etc. Once again, OnePlus did a great job combining the hardware with the Oxygen OS and it brought absolute pleasure to the users. Oxygen OS very closely resembles stock Android environment, but with a lot of interface customizations. There is no bloatware on this device whatsoever, and software is definitely one of the best ways to install Android on smartphones. We gave this phone to a few people in order to let them feel the speed themselves – it’s not an exaggeration to say that we draw a smile on everyone’s face. Snapdragon 845 is truly a remarkable chipset, especially combined with either of the memory configurations – 6 or 8 GB of RAM are both more than enough for smooth performance, while 64, 128 or 256 GB of internal storage memory should be more than enough for all your data.
We have to mention dual-lane UFS 2.1 data transfer technology which enables data to be transmitted both ways simultaneously.
Camera
Every new phone of today has to have a double camera setup, right? OnePlus introduced the double camera setup back in the model 5, where the second camera sensor was a telephoto sensor. On the next flagship, the 5T, it served to make better night time photos, but to be frank, these weren’t the best more because camera performances weren’t that emphasized. Learning from their mistakes, the system is now improved in a different way.
The main sensor has the same number of megapixels but it makes better photos because changes have been made in order to let more light through the lens. Optical image stabilization is of course here to help make even better photos. Aperture of the lens is f/1.7. All this together adds up to much better photos in low light shooting conditions, and OnePlus 6 now makes excellent photos in the dark. We cannot say that the camera is the best there is, but it is definitely on par with other flagships.
Did we not mention the other sensor yet? We didn’t forget it! Additional 20 megapixels are here to help in the portrait mode, gathering information about the depth of field, and this time in portrait photos we see much more nicely separated objects with no mistakes regarding small parts such as hair etc.
The selfie sensor is the 16 megapixel camera that we’ve had a chance to see in two previous generations, which means that nothing here has changed. OnePlus 6 should soon enable the portrait mode on the front facing camera as well, but before that happens there’s nothing to talk about since we have no idea about the quality of these photos. For now the results are very good, but there is still plenty of room for improvement, and improvements are sure to come.
Connectivity
Once again, just as every other time, there is the dual SIM support without an option to add a memory card. The phone uses two nano SIM cards, and there is still the 3.5mm headphone port, a feature that we most definitely like. OnePlus maintains the tradition of putting this port in their devices, and they don’t plan on changing it. On the bottom of the device there is also a Type–C port used for charging and data transfer and there is also NFC support. When it comes to other connectivity options we’d like to point out dual band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0 as well as aptX HD support for your favorite sounds.
Comm. list:
- Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, WiFi Direct, DLNA, hotspot
- Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX HD
- GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO
- NFC
Network frequencies:
- 2G GSM: 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
- 3G : 850, 900, 1700, 1900, 2100 MHz
- 4G LTE: 700, 800, 850, 900, 1500, 1700, 1800, 1900, 2100, 2600 MHz
Battery
When we mention charging in newer OnePlus devices, we immediately think of the Dash Charge system. Why is this charging system special? Because it is very fast, yet very safe.
This charging method employs the VOOC system which essentially means that you can safely use your phone to its upper limits even when it’s charging, while other devices might start overheating is such situations. Speaking of speed, there’s a lot to say about it when it comes to charging.
OnePlus says that in order to last a day, you only need to charge the device for 30 minutes. And that’s really true! Of course, it depends on how you look at it, it’s not enough for 24 hours of screen on time, but rather a full day of moderate, average use. A full charge of this 3300 mAh battery takes up around 1 hour and 20 minutes which means that it can not only compete with other flagships but easily win in the competition. How often has it happened to you that you have woken up in the morning and realized that you had forgotten to put your phone to charge the night before? This is exactly the point, you have nothing to worry about because the phone will be ready to last through the day while you’re finished with your morning coffee.
This feature was introduced two years ago back in the OnePlus 3 which only proves how far ahead the competition OnePlus has been even then.
Final words
If all that you have read so far hasn’t impressed you, then you should know that this is the device that scored best of the AnTuTu benchmark test so far – 267000 points! Entry model costs 519 euros while the best version costs 619 euros. This is really a lot of money but still far less than Samsung or Apple flagships. If you like the speed and you’re an Android fan OnePlus 6 packs amazing characteristics for a good price.
Do you like the OnePlus 6? We’d like to hear your opinion in the comment section below. If you have any suggestions or you would like to see some new devices being reviewed, let us know either here or on our Facebook page. If you liked this review, subscribe to our YouTube channel, like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram, sit back and relax as we’re working hard on new material for you.