During an event today in New York, OnePlus took the wraps off its latest smartphone, the OnePlus 6T. We’ve heard plenty about the device already such as its security features, carrier compatibility, and even its specs thanks to multiple leaks. Now, though, everything’s been made official. And lucky for you, we have boots on the ground at Pier 36, NY, to cover it all.
For starters, the 6T more or less resembles the OnePlus 6 from earlier this year. They both share similar glass designs with slightly curved edges. The 6T is a bit different, however, especially on the front.
This is where things begin to get interesting. While the OnePlus 6 opts for a 6.3-inch display with a semi-wide notch, the 6T goes with a 6.41-inch Full HD+ 19.5:9 AMOLED display with a waterdrop-style notch. We’ve seen this type of design language in the past with phones from the likes of Oppo, but this is the first time the notch style will make it to the North American market.
Within the notch, OnePlus includes a front-facing camera and all the necessary sensors to make the rest of the 6T’s experience work. There’s also an earpiece crammed up at the top edge of the phone which should be more than fine for the not-so-common phone call.
The features on the front don’t stop there. As previously announced, the 6T also includes a fingerprint sensor underneath the glass. This method of unlocking your phone has been in the works for years at this point, with a few Chinese companies adopting the security method overseas. However, much like the waterdrop notch, the in-display fingerprint sensor will be introduced to the North American market thanks to OnePlus.
Of course, if you don’t want to use the in-display fingerprint reader, OnePlus includes its facial recognition feature on the 6T, although it won’t be as secure.
Under the hood, this is where OnePlus gets to flex on the rest of the competition. The 6T includes a Snapdragon 845 processor with either 6 or 8GB of RAM, depending on which model you opt for, and You also can get up to 256GB of internal storage with this model. OnePlus also includes a large 3,700mAh battery which should get you through at least one full day of average to heavy use. The cell charges over USB-C using OnePlus’ proprietary rapid charging technology.
Unfortunately, the OnePlus 6T isn’t shipping with a headphone jack. Unlike the 6 which was one of the remaining few flagship Android phones to include the port, this generation is instead opting for a wired connection over USB-C and a wireless connection over Bluetooth 5.0. OnePlus will accommodate, however, thanks to its introduction of Bullets Wireless headphones and USB-C-connected Bullets that will cost just $20. Still, though, it’s always sad to see a company ditch the port many people still use in their daily lives.
Cameras have always been a struggle for OnePlus, but the company hopes to make headlines with the 6T’s shooting quality. On the back, you’ll find a main 20MP camera with an f/1.7 aperture paired to a secondary 16MP camera with an f/1.7 aperture. You can capture up to 4K video at 60 frames per second and take portrait mode shots with better precision thanks to the secondary lens.
As always, the company also says the 6T’s cameras work a lot better in low light thanks to a new feature called Nightscape. It’s essentially Google’s Night Sight on the Pixel 3 in which it uses various exposures to construct a single image with better handling of available light. Of course, only real-world usage will determine whether the feature’s actually worth it so stay tuned.
There’s also a 20MP camera up front for selfies.
As far as software goes, OnePlus has always strived in this department. The 6T ships with the company’s OxygenOS based on Android 9.0 Pie. This time around, OnePlus is opting for a new user interface similar to what you’d find on, say, the Google Pixel 3 in which you now navigate the UI with gestures. The entire experience more resembles the iPhone XS with its series of gestures, but we’ll have to try it out first in order to determine whether it’s better than any other gesture-based UI.
OnePlus says the 6T will start at $549 and go up to $629, making it the most expensive OnePlus smartphone to date. It’ll launch on November 1st. It’ll also be available at over 5600 T-Mobile stores, marking the first time OnePlus will ever sell one of its phones through a carrier. In the same breath, the phone will also work on a wider variety of carriers like Verizon.
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