OnePlus 6 review – in pictures
The original flagship killer aims for bargain status once again
TOP SPECS, LOW PRICE
As ever, the successor to last year’s OnePlus 5T serves up top-level specs for considerably less than you’d expect in a design that’s as polished as ever. That means an AMOLED screen, lightning-fast performance and a dual camera to boot. Still sounds like one hell of a deal, right? Well, you’re bang on the money. Despite a few quibbles here and there, this is a phenomenally good phone. So long as you’re OK with spending the extra this time around.
HEART OF GLASS
Already familiar with the OnePlus 5T? There aren’t a huge amount of surprises to be found with the OnePlus 6. Other than its newfound glass design, which replaces the matte-aluminium vibes of old. It’s a very Samsung-inspired choice of aesthetic and one that I’m pretty ambivalent about. While OnePlus’ phones have always been an ergonomic delight with welcome flourishes such as a headphone jack and volume rocker, they’ve never really wowed in the hand and this edition is no different. Its glass back is well done, but no different to the many handsets that have done the same thing before and certainly a par below the shimmering effects of the HTC U11 and Huawei P20 Pro.
HANDY HANDSET
Where other OnePlus handsets were unrefined, this one is smart and functional. And there’s nothing particularly wrong with that. It’s lightweight to hold at 177g, and is thin enough to tuck right into your pocket without a problem. Even if you’ve got a case clamped onto it, such as the one that handily comes boxed in here. So as much as I’m not all that fussed by the OnePlus 6’s build, the only gripe I have with it is a rear-facing fingerprint scanner that’s a strip instead of a circle, which means it can be tricky for the phone to get a read on your index finger. Apparently, this was done so it didn’t look there was a giant exclamation mark on the back of the phone. There’s an insight into the mindset of multinational corporations for you.
DUAL SNAPPER
Last year’s OnePlus 5 was the manufacturer’s first phone to bring a dual camera to the party, but this double whammy was necessarily refined by the OnePlus 5T for a superior low-light performance. Expecting another leap forward here? Well, it’s more of a leisurely stride in the right direction. As per previously, you get a 16MP main camera that’s backed up by a 20MP secondary camera. Both have an f/1.7 aperture, while the main camera now has both a larger sensor and optical image stabilization. All of which should serve you better in dim-lighting conditions, as the OnePlus 6 will be able to capture more light and now shouldn’t be as thrown off by things like camera shake or the necessity for longer exposure. Bottom line, your drunken bar shots should look better than ever on this phone.
PICTURE TIME
How does it work out in the flesh? Well, this is a pretty good camera. More than good enough for the money, but once again photos and design are the main dividing lines between a OnePlus phone and the flagship competition it’s chasing. Rather than dwell on the fine margins between the OnePlus 6 and Samsung Galaxy S9, it’s worth emphasising just how much this camera gets right for starters. Pictures are punchy and full of detail, especially when there’s plenty of sun about to illuminate the scenery around you. Combined with its accomplished handling of skin tones, this is a snapper that’ll travel well on your summer holidays.
NOTCH A PROBLEM
Honestly, I’m a bit tired writing about notches now, so let’s just say this one is pretty small and can be turned off in the phone’s settings menu if you please. I think it looks fine. The far more important thing to note here is that this is a fantastic screen to behold with an ample 1080×2280 resolution. There’s a great balance between brightness, contrast and detail that serves you well regardless of what you’re watching. Even the frenetic pace of UFC 224 doesn’t catch this display off guard. As usual, there’s a fair bit of letterboxing going on with some content, but that’s par for the course with these screens. The best compliment I can pay the OnePlus 6’s display? A non-techy friend remarked on how good it was after we’d been YouTubing World Cup highlights down the pub. So don’t just take my word for it.
SMOOTH OS
As you’d expect, the OnePlus 6 runs on Android Oreo 8.1 via the manufacturer’s slick Oxygen OS interface. Such is the stripped-back nature of Oxygen, I’m not enough of an Android geek to really tell the difference between it and pure Oreo. It’s smooth, responsive and I haven’t had any issues flicking between apps and the like for the week or so I’ve been using this phone. If that makes the OnePlus 6 sound as though it’s no longer a phone for super-nerds, then rest assured that’s not the case. Why? This is one of the few handsets that supports the Android P beta straight out of the box. That means the opportunity to try notification muting, smarter volume controls and all new gestures months ahead of their official launch.
POWER PLAY
Such is the oomph that’s been packed into the OnePlus 6, you could actually argue it’s overpowered. With a Snapdragon 845 and up to 8GB of RAM to its name, the OnePlus 6 chomps through pretty much any app you care to throw at it. Where other flagship phones, such as the Huawei P20 Pro, get toasty under pressure this handset shows no such signs of strain. Even a quick crack at the intensely demanding PUBG Mobile is no trouble at all. You get plenty of storage for apps, music, movies and the like as well. The entry-level OnePlus 6 with 6GB RAM and 64GB storage comes will set you back $529, but stepping up to 8GB RAM and 128GB storage is no great stretch at $579 is no great stretch. Whatever OnePlus you plump for, you’ll have a 3300mAh battery to power it. That’s the same capacity as last year’s model with a slightly larger panel to power, but happily proves enough juice for a day and a bit’s use.
BANG FOR YOUR BUCK
It might be the most expensive OnePlus ever made, but stack this phone against any of its flagship rivals and it still offers incredibly good value for your cash. From a huge OLED screen to those ridiculously speedy internals, everything you’d expect from a flagship phone is here for hundreds of pounds less. Crucially, all these specs hang together seamlessly in what is an extremely polished product. Sure, there are even better looking glass phones out there and dual cameras with more in the way of finesse, but that’s why the OnePlus 6’s rivals all cost closer to a grand. For less than half that total, you really can’t say fairer. If you’re not minded towards flagships such as the iPhone X and Huawei P20 Pro, this phone should be your first port of call. And if you are? The OnePlus 6 should be reason enough to reconsider.
