OnePlus 6 – Not the right time to upgrade, here is why!

By now half the world must be talking about the OnePlus 6 and you might be tempted to upgrade to more speed you need as the company claims to be. Should you? Let’s figure it out in this article.

Let’s begin with the OnePlus 6 specs:

• 6.28-inch AMOLED Display
• 2280 x 1080 resolution
• 19:9 aspect ratio
• Snapdragon 845
• 6/8 GB LPDDR4X RAM
• 64/128/256 GB Storage
• 19 percent larger primery camera sensor (1.22μm pixels)
• Dual cameras: Wide-angle, 16MP, f/1.7, 1.22μm pixel size, OIS; Telephoto, 20MP, f/1.7, 1.0μm pixel size
• 16MP, f/2.0 Selfie camera
• 4K Capture at 60fps, 480fps slow mo
• Portrait mode on front and rear camera
• 3300 mAh battery with Dash charging
• Water-resistent (but no IP rating)
• 4×4 MIMO for Gigabit LTE
• Android P beta available
• Mirror black, Midnight black, and silk white colors

So what has changed?

The new OnePlus 6 is slightly thicker, a bit heavier and has a bigger screen in the same dimension. While the OnePlus 5T was 7.3mm in thickness, the OnePlus 6 is 7.75mm and at 177 grams, it is 15 grams heavier than the previous generation. It also houses a 6.28-inch display compared to the 6.01-inch of the 5T in almost the same dimension. The screen resolution remains the same with FHD+ but has a 2,280 x 1,080 pixels resolution due to what we would talk next. Also gets a notch dressing. While the Android world is divided over the notch design, the OnePlus 6 embraces the notch and so the display is now a bit more taller with a 19:9 aspect ratio. It also has a slight upgrade to the internals with the OnePlus 6 powered by the latest and mightiest Snapdragon 845 against the 835 in the 5T. A bigger sensor for the camera. While the pixel count remains the same, OnePlus has included a slightly bigger sensor for better low light images and also claim to have some improvements over slow motion at 480fps video capture with an ability for a long slomo video. But let’s make it clear, it is no where near the 960fps that most flagships offer now. It also has OIS+EIS now for image stabilisation.

Rear camera

OnePlus 6 Dual cameras: Wide-angle, 16MP, f/1.7, 1.22μm pixel size, OIS; Telephoto, 20MP, f/1.7, 1.0μm pixel size

OnePlus 5T Dual cameras: Wide-angle, 16MP, f/1.7, 1.12μm pixel size; Telephoto, 20MP, f/1.7, 1.0μm pixel size

The battery remains the same and rest almost is same too. “A singer can shatter glass with the proper high note,” he said, “but the simplest way to break glass is simply to drop it on the floor.”  OnePlus always prided for its build quality, with a metal body it was strong. You could have slipped it down and it might have survived. But things have changed with the OnePlus 6, they have opted for glass back with all the glossy talk that it is as strong as ever before. But we all know, glass is glass and metal is metal whatever treatment it gets. There is something reassuring about the metal unibody construction. Glass back also deprives the clean one-piece unibody design.  It does look good though even if the cheapest mirror black doesn’t impress you and gathers more fingerprint smudges, the midnight black and the limited edition silk white might entice you.

Alright, there is some refreshes. But is it compelling enough to upgrade?

For that let’s see what OnePlus 6 misses out.

No wireless charging

Most flagship Smartphones worth the salt opt for glass casing to enable wireless charging. While OnePlus 6 is dressed up with glass and is ready for the party, the wireless charging feature is sorely missed. They did give a lame excuse that they did not include because the wireless charging is not as quick as their dash charging but then people do love futuristic technologies and is a shame the OnePlus 6 misses this out.

Its not IP-certified

OnePlus says the OnePlus 6 is water resistance but is shy of declaring its IP ratings. While it might (I am just going by their words) survive few splashes, you cannot dunk it in water or heavy shower at least not without the official declaration. One word of advice, keep it wrapped when in doubt.

But in-display fingerprint sensor might be the trend in waiting…

According to a recent report last month  smartphone having fingerprint sensor built in to the screen might be very well mainstream by the end of 2019 with an expected 100 million Smartphones. Before that the next flagships in-waiting this year might very well include them with the rumours of in-display in Samsung Galaxy S10. Why wait for the flagship,  the Vivo X21UD already has it. This could be a big regret if you plan to invest on OnePlus 6 with a rear fingerprint sensor only to go through the mental agony when you find 6T flaunting it. Hold on, OnePlus 6T might very well come with in-display fingerprint sensor and enough reason for you to skip this and wait for the next iteration. I feel the followup to the OnePlus 6 might be worth the wait and if you are owning OnePlus 5T hold on your horse and wait for the OnePlus 6T, meanwhile you will also receive the Android P for your 5T and it is still a good phone for the stretch ahead. You don’t have to be disappointed like the OnePlus 5 buyers, right?]]>