OnePlus 6T Review – Still The Best Phone For Its Price

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Sticking to its bi-yearly launch cycle, OnePlus recently updated the 6 to 6T. The OnePlus 6 was a terrific phone for its price and went almost unchallenged through its short 5-month life-span. The 6T is the next big step for OnePlus and also marks the company going mainstream in the US (OnePlus 6T Review हिंदी में पढ़िए).

The OnePlus 6 wasn’t a particularly feature loaded phone, but it too ushered in some controversial changes (the Notch) that were accepted overtime. Owing to bold changes like eliminating audio jack and capacitive fingerprint sensor, the OnePlus 6T is bound to meet some initial resistance from its demanding user base, and we were quite eager to judge for ourselves if the company is headed in the right direction.

Now that we have had enough time and experience with the phone to formulate an opinion, we are ready to answer a few pressing questions related to OnePlus 6T. Let’s begin.

OnePlus 6T Box Content

  • USB Type-C to 3.5mm audio jack connector
  • Translucent case cover
  • Pre-installed screen protector
  • Type-C cable
  • Fast charging adaptor

OnePlus 6T Specifications and Price

Model OnePlus 6T
Display 6.41-inch AMOLED display with 19.5:9 aspect ratio

86% screen-to-body ratio

Gorilla Glass 6

Processor 2.8GHz Snapdragon 845 Octa-core processor, Adreno 630
RAM 6GB/8GB
Internal Storage 128/256GB
Software Android 9 Pie based OxygenOS
Primary Camera 16MP f/1.7 + 20MP f/1.7 with Dual LED flash; 4K video at 60fps + Super Slow Motion
Secondary Camera 16MP f/2.0; 1080p at 30fps
Battery 3700 mAh battery with One Plus Fast Charge
Others Dual SIM, 4G LTE, WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, 2.4GHz- 5GHz dual band, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS,GLONASS,NFC USB Type-C, In-display fingerprint sensor
Dimensions 157.5x 74.8 x 8.2mm ; 185g
Price  $549 – 6GB + 128GB (India price Rs. 37,999)

$579 – 8 + 128GB (India price Rs. 41,999)

$629 – 8 + 256GB (India price Rs. 45,999)

ALSO READ: 7 New OnePlus 6T Features – Is it better than OnePlus 6?

OnePlus 6T Review: Design and Build

OnePlus 6T doesn’t look or feel very different from the OnePlus 6, but there are a few notable changes, though. For starters, the notch is now smaller which lets the 6T retain 2 to 3 more icons on the status bar compared to the OnePlus 6.

Moving on to the back of the phone, there is no fingerprint sensor and the under-display fingerprint sensor that replaces it makes the 6T a hair thicker.

The back panel is neat and will be available in multiple finishes. All cool color options will be reserved for the higher priced 8GB RAM variants. The base variant with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage is only available in mirror-black finish.

The bigger battery housed within makes 6T a tad heavier, but that’s something we could get used to.

After using the 6T for more than a week, we have concluded that OnePlus has managed to house more tech in the 6T without taking away the premium finish and comfortable feel that was one of the key highlights of the 6.

OnePlus 6T Review: Display

The OnePlus 6T has a marginally bigger 6.4-inch AMOLED screen (19.5:9) with Full HD+ (2340 x 1080) resolution. Apart from the obvious changes in the cut-out at the top, the display quality felt the same as that of OnePlus 6 – which is good news.

The best thing about OnePlus phone displays is their AMOLED nature, and the option to switch between color accurate and light-on-eyes profiles. The default color pre-set is unnaturally bluish and, as always, we’d advise you should switch to the sRGB or DCI P3 color profile right away.

Other than that, the 6T offers perks like Always-on screen and reading mode. The screen is shielded by Gorilla Glass 6 but that doesn’t mean it won’t accumulate scratches or you won’t need to protect it with a case cover. It just makes OnePlus 6 a bit more resistant to drops. Our review unit is picking scratches rather effortlessly.

ALSO READ: 17 OnePlus 6T Hidden Feature, Useful Tips and Tricks

OnePlus 6T Review: In-display Fingerprint sensor and Face Unlock

One of the biggest talking points of the 6T is its in-display fingerprint sensor. Just like Vivo, OnePlus is using an optical-type sensor on the 6T. But it’s certainly more convenient to live with compared to any other in-display sensor that we have used so far.

The sensor isn’t any faster than what you’d get on Vivo phones, but it surely is more consistent, and that really helps. It’s still slower and less consistent than the regular fingerprint reader on OnePlus 6, but not jarringly so.

Simply put, if the reliability and speed of a regular fingerprint sensor is important to your buying decision, the on-screen reader on OnePlus 6T isn’t the best, but it won’t be a dealbreaker either. You may go ahead.

The Face Unlock is extremely fast, but not very accurate. We can unlock the OnePlus 6T using face unlock even at times when we are wearing a helmet or when our face is partially covered. In our opinion, this isn’t a bad approach at all for Face Unlock. Your friend or family still won’t be able to access your phone. Even the most secure face unlock systems fail for identical twins, so we’d rather have speed.

OnePlus 6T Review: Performance and Software

Through the last six months, we have admired, relished and even gotten used to flawless performance on OnePlus 6. Its seemingly simple ability to quickly and dependably yield desired results is what made the phone supremely attractive.

And the OnePlus 6T isn’t any different. After all, it has all the wherewithals at its disposal – there is Snapdragon 845 octa-core chipset, light, and fast Oxygen OS, and the base 6GB RAM variant now has 128GB internal storage.

To make better use of all the free RAM, OnePlus has added a new feature, Smart Boost, that caches data of frequently used apps in the RAM to reduce app launch time (5 to 20-percent). OnePlus says the Smart Boost enhancements will be visible in apps that need a large amount of input/output data (or gaming apps) but the said changes weren’t very noticeable to us.

The Oxygen OS remains one of our favorite software skins. It retains stock Android appeal while adding meaningful customization options. The new Oxygen OS version further adds swanky animations to further uplift the experience. OnePlus is also good with software updates, and 6T owners can be assured of version updates at least for the next year.

OnePlus 6T Camera Review

The OnePlus 6T retains the same camera hardware as the 6. There is 16MP selfie camera up front and a 16MP + 20MP camera combination on the rear. The new changes in the software have already been passed on to the OnePlus 6, so there are no significant camera upgrades with the T model.

The OnePlus 6T has a new night mode, nightscape, that can automatically lower ISO, keep the shutter open for longer, and negate handshakes using AI. The mode works at times but is not very reliable and consequentially isn’t what we naturally switch to in low light.

Image quality is impressive in daylight. In tricky lighting, OnePlus camera struggles. The software has the propensity to generously bump ISO in lowlight shots, resulting in softer images. The camera quality isn’t bad for the price, but with phones like Pixel 2 XL lurking in the same budget, OnePlus needs to up their camera game.

OnePlus 6T Camera Samples

AS you can see, OnePlus 6T camera once again it did a good job in capturing details in not so favorable condition.
While OnePlus 6T camera Auto mode manages to capture subject almost perfectly, background is hardly visible.
This is shot in OnePlus 6T new night mode. It seems to impress us. Though, you need really stable hands to get that perfect shot.
Looks delicious right?
OnePlus 6T manages to capture different colors almost perfectly.
Another flower shot and was taken in Delhi smog. Turn out well right?
Customary Diwali shot.

Additionally, OnePlus 6T users can download Google Pixel Camera port on their phones and see a significant improvement in portrait mode shots.

OnePlus 6T Review: Battery

As stated above, the OnePlus 6T has a bigger battery (3700mAh). We quite liked the battery backup on the 6, and the 6T is a significant improvement. This is something heavy gamers and PubG addicts would appreciate.

And even though OnePlus no longer uses the term ‘Dash Charge’, the 6T retains the same brilliant tech and can charge incredibly fast. This is a huge convenience. Wireless charging isn’t supported yet.

OnePlus 6T Review Verdict – is it better than OnePlus 6?

This is perhaps for the first time that recent OnePlus buyers won’t covet the T upgrade.

The big flashy change over the 6 is the new in-display fingerprint sensor. The 6T doesn’t offer much over the 6T, but it’s still a great phone.

Even though It’d be hard for me to look past the missing audio jack, this is the phone I’d recommend and buy with confidence for under Rs. 40,000 INR – which is a price point many young buyers don’t wish to go beyond in India.

Alternatives simply aren’t good enough. Yet.

Pros

  • Fast performance
  • Ergonomic design
  • Good quality AMOLED display
  • Excellent software
  • Front fingerprint sensor

Cons

  • No water resistant certification
  • No Audio Jack
  • No LED notification light
Deepak SinghDeepak Singh
Deepak has more than 8 years of experience in covering technology for several eminent publications in India. He currently leads an enthusiastic team of young writers at Smartprix and tries to uphold the highest quality standards.

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1 Comment
User
Jaspreet Grover
Anonymous
5 years ago

Poco F1 is better for price n features in comparison 😂

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