OnePlus 6 Review: Powerful Performance, Marvelous Design

OnePlus 6 Review | TelecomDrive.com

OnePlus 6 price in India starts at INR 34,999 for the variant with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage

Big Highlights

OnePlus 6 is the first phone in India that comes with the new top-end Snapdragon 845 SoC

OnePlus 6 comes packed with all new glass rear panel that looks and feels marvelous

OnePlus has increased the screen size to 6.28 inches and it now comes with a notch

OnePlus 6 shines bright under golden light
of Wat Phra Kaew, Bangkok

OnePlus has surely has come a long way since its inception - and today it has become a global entity which is carrying a very strong brand following in all the markets that it is being sold.

As a result, customers look forward to holding its latest version and with OnePlus 6 – the company has not disappointed its customers at all. I reviewed this device while on an international tour of USA, Canada, Singapore and Thailand – here are my observations and review.

Shots of OnePlus 6 taken around Phra Sumen Fort, Bangkok

The all new OnePlus 6 delivers great power-packed performance with a unique style. With this device, OnePlus brings a lot more than merely an update or minor bump in specifications graph. It comes packed with a new processor, a new design, new screen type, and a lot of innovative improvements.

However, on the cost front - surprisingly, it doesn't cost a lot more than the model it is replacing. OnePlus is selling this device with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage at INR 34,999, with the 8GB RAM and 128GB storage variant priced at INR 39,999. It is quite a steal – looking at the speed, precision and performance that it is offering.

OnePlus 6 – Brings Superlative Design

As it has grown many fold – OnePlus has become increasingly sophisticated when it comes to its designs and manufacturing capabilities. OnePlus 6 comes with a glass rear panel, and three distinct versions of the smartphone (plus the Marvel Avengers edition).

The company has used Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on the front and rear of all OnePlus 6 variants – this has delivered double assurance for its customers when it comes to glass protection on the front as well as in the rear part of its body.

While reviewing this device quite comprehensively, I felt that this phone is quite comfortable to hold, all thanks to its curved glass rear. It carries a weight of 177g, which is quite OK. In my opinion, the overall construction design of this device is excellent and carries a unique stamp of OnePlus built and quality.

OnePlus 6 specifications and software

There is another reason that makes this device – all the more special. It is the first device to feature Qualcomm's new top-end Snapdragon 845 SoC. This is a completely new-age capabilities driven SoC.

It comes with has eight Kryo 385 cores, integrated Adreno 630 graphics, an improved security and image processing subsystems and a faster LTE modem. Injecting AI capabilities, it has dedicated hardware for AI processing as well.

It comes with a notch and hence, its screen measures 6.28 inches diagonally. There is a display setting that lets you mask the notch, and I did not have any issue with any fullscreen apps. It delivers 1080x2280 resolution and the results are quite good.

OnePlus 6 comes with two Nano-SIM slots, Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX HD, NFC, GPS, GLONASS, and multiple sensors including a gyroscope as well. This device carries a battery capacity of 3300mAh.

OxygenOS is a huge differentiator for OnePlus. It's based on Android 8.1. OxygenOS is nearly identical to stock Android on the surface but has a number of useful additions – which can be used by users as per their specific needs and preferences – such as night and reading modes, selection on system fonts and configurable colours for the notification LED.

Gaming Mode

One of the most interesting and innovative features of this device comes in the form of ‘Gaming Mode’ - that not only suppresses non-essential notifications coming to the device, it has the capability to route calls directly to the loudspeaker so you don't have to stop playing. Gaming Mode can also limit running of background apps' Internet usage. This makes a huge difference while playing online games.

This device supports face recognition and I found this to be extremely quick most of the time – both in low light as well as bright sunlight conditions.

OnePlus 6 - Battery and Performance

During the time that I have reviewed this device, I have found OnePlus 6 to be extraordinarily good in terms of handling multi-tasking. I never had to pause for apps to load and there was no lag in any of its performance – while clicking pictures in quick succession or shooting time lapse or slow-motion.

OnePlus 6 comes with AMOLED screen which is quite vivid, and delivers punchy colours and great viewing angles. Videos looks great, and smooth to the eyes.

Users can select between Default, sRGB, DCI-P3, and Adaptive modes, or even set your own custom colour temperature if you want to go to that level of personalization. This device delivers great sound which is great for the ears and completely distortion free.

On the battery front – the device did not disappoint me at all. Battery life was good even when I used the phone quite extensively, which involved using GPS for Maps, few hours of gaming, streaming videos, taking pictures, listening to music and of course taking calls in the middle of all that. I usually got through my day with about 15-20 percent left at the end of the day, which is quite good.

OnePlus 6 Cameras

While launching the device - OnePlus confirmed a number of innovative improvements to OnePlus 6 cameras and I experienced all those improvements – first hand during my review of this device across multiple countries, cities. OnePlus 6 primary 16-megapixel rear sensor comes with optical image stabilisation.

Pictures taken with OnePlus 6 inside Wat Phra Kaew -
under strong sunlight

The sensor is also 19 percent physically larger – this makes room for more light to be captured – and this translates into better detail being captured and sharper shots.

This innovation helped me take great shots even in low light conditions – during my visit to the magnificent Niagara Falls in Canada – we reached there when the light was going down pretty fast but with OnePlus 6 – I was able to take some very interesting shots and videos even in low light and pressing conditions.

Extraordinary picture results with OnePlus 6...
In and around Toronto

The secondary 20-megapixel camera of this device is supposed to be used in low light and for depth effects. Most of the shots that I took turned out to be really good.

And while reviewing this device in Singapore and Bangkok – the daylight shots carried great vivacity and captured superb color tones of the surroundings.

Especially while inside the Temple of Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew) in Bangkok - colours popped nicely and close-up subjects were handled quite well too.

Pictures taken during the day carried superb details and textures which were quite realistic. I took some pictures – directly facing the sun and yet the camera was able to capture details quite efficiently. The phone did a marvelous job when shooting subjects against the light.

Nature - upclose and personal with OnePlus 6....
In and around Singapore

With OnePlus 6, video recording goes up to 60fps at 4K (with a five-minute time limit) and my videos with this device look extremely sharp and smooth. This device also comes with an all new super-slow-motion mode that lets you take 480fps footage 720p for one minute duration. All said and done, OnePlus 6 brings some amazing camera capabilities and it is surely one of the big assets for this device.

Final Verdict

OnePlus 6 has got all what a customer can expect from a flagship device - it is extremely powerful, good-looking, well designed, comes with great battery support. This device is completely there for you while you do multi-tasking and doesn’t get tired – performing difficult functionalities at ease and with a style of its own. When compared to other devices available in similar price bracket - this phone scores well above others with the help of its sheer power and never-say-die performance.

Available at INR 39,999, Snapdragon 845 is powering this device to the next level and making the big difference as well. The software and hardware of this device are married quite seamlessly and hence are together able to deliver a unique experience to customer, that’s second to none. OnePlus 6 is a superlative smartphone that has got it all covered for you.