OnePlus 6T Review: Performance, Quality And Price Leadership Again

Name: OnePlus 6T
Brand: OnePlus

by Dave Altavilla — Monday, December 03, 2018, 11:45 AM EDT

OnePlus 6T: The Best Value In Android Phones Gets Bigger And Better

Earlier this year we took a detailed look at the OnePlus 6 and determined it was one of the best values in Android flagship smartphones on the market. The OP6 has a beautiful, large display, a clean near-stock Android setup and great performance with 6GB or 8GB RAM standard at price points of $529 and $579 respectively. When rumors of the OnePlus 6T hit, we wondered if OnePlus could really improve on an already great design and offer even more of a good thing. As is the case with virtually any high tech device, trade-offs are a constant in the overall design equation. Then again, with its mantra of "Never Settle" seemingly driving the company's design choices, the question remained, how would OnePlus one-up themselves and the original OnePlus 6?

On the pages ahead, we'll be diving deep into the new OnePlus 6T to try and answer some of these questions for you and ourselves. On paper, with a larger 6.41-inch, higher resolution OLED display sporting a smaller teardrop notch, along with the same beefy 6GB or 8GB of RAM setup, the OnePlus 6T seems to be simply a bigger and better version for roughly the same price of $549 (6GB/128GB) and $579 (8GB/128GB). So let's take a closer look at the OnePlus 6T and find out...

OnePlus 6T

Specifications & Features

Display	6.41” AMOLED Display, 19.5:9 Aspect Ratio, 2340x1080, Teardrop Notch, 3D curved glass, Gorilla Glass 6
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
Storage	128/256GB
Expandability	None - Dual nano-SIM Slot
RAM	6/8GB
Primary Rear Camera	16MP DCAF, OIS, f1.7
Secondary Rear Camera	20MP, PDAF, f1.7
Front Camera	16MP, f2.0, fixed focus
Connectivity	2x2 MIMO Wi-Fi 802.11ac, DL CAT16/ UL CAT13 (1Gbps/150 Mbps), Bluetooth 5.0, aptX HD
Audio	Single bottom facing speaker, Dirac HD Sound, Dirac Power Sound
Battery	3700mAh (Non-removable)
Charging	Fast Charging (5V 4A)
Water/Dust Resistance	Not rated, built in resistance
Security	In-display fingerprint sensor, face detection/unlock
Operating System	Android 9.0 Pie With OxygenOS
Dimensions	157.574.88.2 mm
Weight	6.53 ounces (185g)
Colors	Mirror Black, Midnight Black

Starting At $529, $579 As Tested (128GB/6GB RAM)

Scanning through the spec sheet of the OnePlus 6T you realize the similarities between this new OnePlus flagship and its non-T sibling. The processing engine and platform remains the same with the OnePlus 6T as Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845 is back under the hood. The majority of the rest of this phone's configuration, and even the camera array, is indeed identical as well. However, there are some notable enhancements on board in a number of areas; starting with the OnePlus 6T's larger 6.41-inch OLED display with its teardrop notch and a bit of leading-edge tech wizardry under its hood as well, with an in-display fingerprint sensor. More on this later.

The OnePlus 6T's display is also a bit taller at 2340 pixels, versus the 2280 in the OnePlus 6, but it still sports a 1080p resolution. The battery onboard the 6T is also larger at 3700 mAh, which weighs in slightly larger than a Google Pixel 3 XL's 3430 mAh, but not quite as beefy as the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 at 4000 mAh. The OnePlus 6T also comes equipped with OnePlus' excellent 5V/4Amp Dash charger and extra thick high current USB-C cable for extremely quick recharge and top-off times. In fact, the previous gen OnePlus 6 is one of the fastest charging phones on the market and the OnePlus 6T continues that, along with a nice note (seen above) from the president of the company, welcoming you to the family.

Let's get a closer look at the hardware side of things next for the OnePlus 6T. Then we'll roll on to software, the experience, camera results and finally its performance metrics...