Flagship, top-of-the-line smartphones need not be expensive. That's what OnePlus's philosophy has been all about. The company seems to continue this legacy with the launch of OnePlus 6, which packs in the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor with 6GB RAM and 64GB onboard storage with a starting price of $529. Here's our first impression of the device.
Launched four years ago, the OnePlus 1 with the sandstone finish is still my favourite OnePlus device. But since then, the company has come a long way. From sandstone finish to the metallic body and now a glass body, OnePlus has adopted the latest and the best. Having an all-glass design, the OnePlus 6 looks stunning. The glass rear has smoothly rounded corners with a curved back that makes it ergonomic yet slippery to hold. Thankfully, the glass body is protected by the toughest Corning Gorilla Glass 5 but I will still suggest you get a nice cover that complements the design. OnePlus has adopted an all-glass body not for the wireless charging support, but for enhancing cellular connectivity.
With the over 6-inch displays becoming common these days, OnePlus too has managed to squeeze one in its new flagship smartphone. The 6.28-inch display with 19:9 aspect ratio feels just the right size for watching videos while the phone continues to be comfortable to hold. It also has the much-criticized iPhone X style notch on the top of the display, which definitely offers a better screen estate. Even though OnePlus hasn't used an OLED screen, the AMOLED display with 2280x1080p resolution feels bright, punchy and offers great colour reproduction.
OnePlus continues to have the notification slider, which has now been moved to the right, just above the power button. The left panel has the volume button and the SIM tray. While the top panel is fairly clean, the bottom panel houses speaker, USB Type-C charging port along with a 3.5mm port. OnePlus had used some praiseworthy cameras in the past and we have high expectations from the vertical dual-camera setup which has been placed at the top centre of the rear. Even the oval-shaped fingerprint sensor is in symmetry, placed right below the camera module.
The neat and clutter free design seems to be replicated in the user interface as well. The OxygenOS 5.1, based on Android 8.1 Oreo, looks polished and comes with some neat features which we are still going through.
From what I could experience till now, the OnePlus 6 looks like a flagship killer, which we are putting to test and will update our review soon.