OnePlus 6 review – this £469 smartphone is a better buy than Apple’s iPhone X
ONEPLUS is back with its best-ever device: the OnePlus 6, a £469 underdog with specs to match its pricey foes.
The emphasis is squarely on performance this time round, with design flourishes pinched from Samsung and Apple.
The end result is a zippy device that’s ideal for everyday app use and hardcore gaming, but a mixed bag elsewhere.
It looks like an iPhone X, thanks to the notch at the top, which is quickly becoming all the rage on Android phones.
The premium feel extends to its all-glass design – a first for the Chinese startup – with Galaxy S9-style curved edges to top it off.
And if you decide to toggle off the notch, it ends up looking even more like Samsung's flagship device.
OnePlus 6 specs
The tech specs in detail...
- Screen: 6.28-inch fullHD AMOLED display
- Chip: Snapdragon 845 (64-bit, 2.8GHz)
- RAM: 6GB / 8GB
- Storage: 64GB / 256GB
- Battery: 3,300mAh
- Dimensions: 155.7 x 75.4 x 7.75 mm
- Weight: 177 grams
- Waterproof: Yes (no IP-rating)
- Rear Camera: 16-megapixel and 20-megapixel dual lens (f/1.7) with OIS
- Front Camera: 16-megapixel
- Price: £469
Then there's the 6.28-inch AMOLED screen (the biggest ever on a OnePlus phone) encased between the tiniest of borders to give you maximum display space.
While not as sharp as the Galaxy S9’s QHD display, it should please most buyers.
All you really need to know is that YouTube and Netflix streams at the optimum setting look great on the device.
Like the OnePlus 5T before it, the new phone also boasts face unlock.
That’s the biometric tech Apple pioneered on the iPhone X that lets you access your phone by looking at it.
But if that’s a bit creepy for privacy-minded folk, you can still fall back on the traditional fingerprint sensor at the rear.
During testing, the phone instantly opened when we glanced at it, though it did have some (expected) hiccups in the dark and at night.
The iPhone X overcomes those hurdles by using an infrared camera, but OnePlus opted to go without one here.
Overall, the feature retains its wow factor even though it’s readily available on a bunch of Android flagships — among them the Huawei P20 and P20 Pro, and the Galaxy S9.
But all the magic tricks in the world are useless if a phone doesn't perform well when you're browsing online or using apps and games.
Fortunately, the OnePlus 6 packs the nippiest of processors to avoid any potential pitfalls: the Snapdragon 845.
Combine that with 6GB RAM on the 64GB storage version (with 8GB RAM/128GB storage costing £519, and 8GB RAM/256GB storage at £569) and you've got a mighty setup on your hands.
That helps when you're swapping between multiple apps and powerful games.
All that high-intensity use inevitably drains the device's sturdy 3,300 mAH battery, which is why OnePlus is again adding a Dash Charge plug in the box.
A half-hour hook-up using the accessory will juice the handset up to 60 percent (a day's worth of power, in other words).
So far so great then.
But a slip-up was inevitable at this price and the camera proved to be the only real stumbling block (kind of).
Don’t get us wrong, the phone's 16-megapixel and 20-megapixel rear dual-camera combo does a solid job taking pics.
It’s just that it can’t match camera processing titans the likes of the iPhone X, Galaxy S9, Google’s Pixel 2, and Huawei's P20 Pro.
Images taken in auto mode in natural light lack the detail offered by its rivals, even though the OnePlus 6 boasts its own AI-assisted “smart capture” mode.
The feature is on-hand to boost picture quality depending on the time of day and the environment you're shooting in — with the firm's HDR algorithm stacked on top for extra polish.
But it’s the optical image stablisation (OIS) that’s the real star, especially in low-light conditions both indoors and outside.
Photos captured at night cram a lot of detail into the frame, from glimmers bouncing off a canal to neon-lit cityscapes.
And the 16-megapixel selfie snapper, complete with Qualcomm's AI smarts, also makes for great mug shots (or group portraits).
A bokeh mode is also present at the front and back in case you’re feeling artsy (or just need to blur out pesky photo-bombers).
There’s even a newly-introduced slo-mo video option that can capture fullHD recordings at 240fps, while 720p HD recordings get even slower at 480fps.
It’s simple to use: just swipe up from the bottom on the camera screen to see all the photography modes, tap “slow motion” and start shooting.
You can capture up to a minute’s worth of footage and apply the slowed-down effect in post when you’re editing.
But be warned, the results look pants unless you’re in a well-lit environment. So crank up the lights or save it for a summer’s day — otherwise you'll be wasting your time.
Finally, OnePlus’ “pro mode” is back for all the professionals out there, allowing you to tweak the ISO, white balance, shutter speed, focus and brightness settings.
Verdict
We fell hard for the OnePlus 6 while testing it over the past few weeks.
But that’s not to say it doesn’t have its drawbacks.
Take the dash charger, for example: it’s a great quick-charging accessory but the phone wildly overestimates the time it takes to reach full power.
Then there’s the sound, which even when maxed out sounds tinny and is outdone by budget blowers like the £229 Nokia 6 — not to mention HTC’s boombox behemoths.
It also lacks the sheer variety of camera perks available on the iPhone X and Galaxy S9. You won't find any playful augmented reality features like Apple's Animoji or Samsung's AR Emoji here.
More troubling is the fact that OnePlus is no longer the sole flagship killer on the scene.
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Arriving just in time to steal its thunder is the Honor 10, another Chinese powerhouse that borrows the iPhone X's features and (at £399) is even cheaper than the OnePlus 6.
There's also the £500 Nokia 8, the comeback kid that's received praise for its premium design, camera, and QHD display.
And with Xiaomi (aka China’s Apple) set to make its UK debut this year, the field is about to get very crowded. And that’s before you take into account the rumoured iPhone SE 2.
The Sun Says: Judged in isolation, there’s very little at fault with the OnePlus 6.
It's still one of the best smartphones on the scene for cash-conscious buyers.
And it can go toe-to-toe with its pricey rivals — though the Galaxy S9 and iPhone X offer more bang for your buck in terms of camera power.
★★★★★
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