The OnePlus 6 release date is May 22 in North America, Europe and India, with the handset arriving in a host of other countries soon after.
The OnePlus 6 comes with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage configuration, 8GB/128GB variant and the new top-end 8GB/256GB model, which officially takes the title of the most expensive OnePlus smartphone ever.
OnePlus 6 has finally ditched the full metallic approach, replacing it with a glass-clad design. It comes in three flavors: a glossy Mirror Black that gives off a ceramic-like shine, a matte Midnight Black with a softer finish and an equally smooth matte Silk White, which is wrapped in a rose gold frame.
OnePlus also keeps its physical alert slider with three settings. In last year's OnePlus 5T, it lived on the left side. Now it's moved to the right and toggles between ring, vibrate and silent -- it used to be ring, do not disturb and silent.
The SIM tray has space for two nanoSIMs, and both slots allow for a 4G connection, which means you can benefit from maximum data speeds on two separate networks. This is especially useful for those who travel a lot, allowing you to keep your personal SIM active while taking advantage of a local SIM from the country you’re visiting, with lower data rates.
On the rear you’ll find the fingerprint scanner below the protruding dual-camera stack; however you’ll notice that the scanner has been reduced in size.
OnePlus maintains that its fingerprint scanner can unlock the 6 in 0.2 seconds, and it’s certainly rapid, but it’s not the only biometric tech in play here.
The OnePlus 6 also comes with face unlock, which OnePlus says can recognize and unlock your phone in 0.4 seconds.
The OnePlus 6 comes with a 3,300mAh battery, which is the same size as the power packs found in the 5 and 5T.
While the OnePlus 6 does have a glass body, it doesn’t support wireless charging – one of the advantages of glass bodies is that they enable wireless charging (too much metal interferes with electrical fields), and while it wasn’t even a possibility with the metal unibodies of previous OnePlus handsets it’s a shame not to see it implemented here.
As with the screen resolution, the absence of wireless charging tech is likely to be in the interests of keeping costs down. What you do get with the OnePlus 6 is Dash Charge, the firm’s own fast-charging technology.
You get a Dash Charge plug in the box, and it can replenish the OnePlus 6 from 0% to 60% in 30 minutes; OnePlus says it gives you ‘a day’s power in half an hour’, although we’ve found average daily usage generally needs closer to 80%. Still, it’s quick, and that’s useful.
The OnePlus 6 display is one of the big new features on the phone. In fact, it’s the biggest display the firm has ever squeezed into a phone, with the 6.28-inch Full Optic AMOLED panel covering a good 84 percent of the body.
OnePlus has continued to support the now-popular 19:9 aspect ratio too, giving you a taller display that offers up more on screen when you’re scrolling lists such as your Twitter feed.
While the display may be bigger, the resolution stays the same at ‘just’ Full HD. That’s 2280 x 1080 to be exact, which ensures it keeps the 402 pixels-per-inch density of previous OnePlus flagships.
The OnePlus 6's main camera has a new sensor that's 19 percent larger than last year's OnePlus 5T. The bigger sensor combined with optical image stabilization (OIS) is a solid recipe for capturing good nighttime and low-light photos. And the OnePlus 6 does just that. It balances image noise without too much noise reduction.
Video from the OnePlus 6 has punchy contrast and looks filmic. The OnePlus 6 has electronic image stabilization (EIS) to smooth out some of the shakes caused by your hands and walking.
Like the iPhone X and the Galaxy S9 Plus, the OnePlus 6 has slow motion at 240 frames per second at 1080p. Videos look dramatic and pretty sharp.
One thing is for certain though: the OnePlus 6 is fast. With either 6GB or 8GB of RAM, there’s more than enough performance under the hood to keep you going.
The tagline for the OnePlus 6 is ‘The speed you need’, and to achieve such speed it uses a Snapdragon 845 chipset to keep everything running smoothly.
OnePlus says it’s worked hard to ensure there’s no slowdown or lag, optimizing the CPU and Adreno 630 GPU by up to 30%, while they draw up to 30% less power compared to the 5T.
As a refinement of the already well-made OnePlus 5T, the OnePlus 6 is a big step toward the company's vision of "the perfect smartphone." Still, it depends on how one defines "perfect"; at least from a technical standpoint, the OnePlus 6 is stuck with a lower screen resolution than other flagships, and it never hurts to have a brighter screen, or wireless charging.
The OnePlus 6 has hit most of the sweet spots: This is a uniquely gorgeous device with intuitive features, as well as solid battery life and a great camera. And remember that attractive price.
It may not pack as many bells and whistles as its competitors, but it's not as if it'll be needing those: Most of us don't need AR Emoji, Animoji or AI-assisted camera filters. It's safe to say that the OnePlus 6 will most likely win over existing fans, and hopefully win the affections of other buyers along the way, too.
