The latest "flagship killer" just launched in India this past week: the OnePlus 6T. And it's quite a snazzy device to mess around with. However, we couldn't help but get a feeling of d¨¦j¨¤ vu when comparing it with its predecessor. So, here are our impressions of the hyped 6T.
Images courtesy: Jayesh Shinde
The OnePlus 6T is almost the same height as the OnePlus 6 yet it carries a slightly larger display; 6.4-inches to the latter's 6.2. The display is just as good as on the 6 though, which we had mentioned seemed to be better optimised than past OnePlus devices. Default colours are great, especially if you're the kind to keep the screen at max brightness.
The OnePlus 6T gets rid of the rear-placed fingerprint scanner we loved so much on the 6. That was a joy to use, feeling natural after just a day or two. They didn't just throw it in the trash though, instead the 6T goes down the Vivo path, embedded the scanner underneath the display. We have to admit, it's not as tactile as the previous or anywhere near as fast, but it does seem to work reliably at that.
Not that it's a deal breaker because there's something even better. The OnePlus 6T's Face Unlock is even better this time around, taking barely a fraction of a second to register your mug and unlock. It works in all kinds of light too, even off the phone's back light in a dark room in some situations. Trust me, you're probably going to be using this so much you forget about the fingerprint scanner.
Where the OnePlus 6 had a horizontal bar notch, almost exactly the same one as on the iPhone X, the OnPlus 6T instead goes for the more recently popular waterdrop notch. Even the former notch tended to fade into the background when using the OnePlus 6, so the new waterdrop notch here is somehow even less intrusive.
As has come to be expected from OnePlus, battery life on the 6T is absolutely stellar, with the 3700mAh lasting more than a working day on a single charge with regular usage. And even if you're scrolling Reddit and manage to drain your battery fifteen minutes before you leave, have no fear. Thanks to the proprietary Dash charging technology, that 15 minutes should be enough to regain at least 40 to 50 percent of your battery.
Oxygen OS is a joy to use, as always. This time around, the 6T ships with Android 9.0 Pie out of the box, with a complete lack of bloatware. Menus are also quick and easy to navigate, but arguably the most appealing aspect of Oxygen OS is it's universal Dark mode option for menus.
With all this gushing about the OnePlus 6T, there's one glaring problem. Aside from the waterdrop notch, and the fingerprint scanner, we've said all these things about the OnePlus 6 before. Indeed, both of those are pretty much just aesthetic changes, serving no real convenience benefit at all. Additionally, we're sorry to say that this isn't the flagship killer it promised to be either. As far as the camera goes, the device has good photos objectively. However, place them next to photos from real flagships like the iPhone XR or the Google Pixel 3, and the gulf is apparent.
OnePlus 6T (Left) vs iPhone XR (Right)
Pixel 3XL (Left) vs OnePlus 6T (Right)
Don't imagine either, we took the liberty of doing it for you.
iPhone XR (Left) OnePlus 6T (Middle) and Pixel 3 XL (Right)
You can find the full-sized photos (unedited) at these links: iPhone XR, OnePlus 6T, Pixel 3 XL
And yet, where the OnePlus 6 was priced starting at Rs 34,999, the OnePlus 6T starts at Rs 37,999. There's not even an improvement in hardware specs, both base versions feature 6GB RAM, 128GB internal storage, and Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845 SoC.
Let's get one thing straight; the OnePlus 6T is a good smartphone. It's just that it's easy to make a good thing twice in a row. So if you don't mind paying a few extra grand for the new notch and fingerprint scanner, have at it. The 6T is still the best phone in its segment, we just wish its segment didn't keep rising upward each year.