The Indian mobile phone market is an interesting place. On the one hand, there are numerous Android handset vendors that launch a slew of devices around the year, primarily to keep the buzz alive around their offerings. Then, there are a miniscule lot—Apple is a case in point—who launch just one or two devices and yet manage to create a lot of excitement among the consumers. Chinese device maker OnePlus is in the league of the world’s most famous smartphone brand too; it unveils just a handful of phones and the interest-level around these is simply astounding.
After months of anxious wait, the OnePlus 6 is finally in India; it was launched in Mumbai last week by none other than Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan. India has quickly surpassed other regions to become the biggest and the most important market for OnePlus. This Shenzhen-based firm is already among top three premium smartphone brands with over 25% share in the above Rs 30,000 price segment). In the past, we have reviewed the OnePlus 3 and 5 & 5T variants and were impressed by their good design and great performance. Here is our lowdown of its latest premium flagship device, OnePlus 6 (Mirror Black, 128GB), which is the company’s most sophisticated handset to date; it looks like an expensive phone and to put it in subtle terms, it is a beautiful balance of power and design.
Specifications
-Dimensions: 155.7 x 75.4 x 7.75 mm
-Display: 6.28-inch Optic AMOLED Display
-Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor
-Operating system: OxygenOS based on Android Oreo
-Memory & storage: 8GB RAM, 128GB internal storage
-Camera: 16 + 20 MP Dual Camera
-Battery: 3300 mAh non-removable battery
-Estimated street price: Rs 39,999
The new device—it is said to have set a new record with `100 crore sales in 10 minutes—is the first in OnePlus’s line of flagships to feature an all-glass design. Company officials explain that with this glass design, the OnePlus 6 facilitates better transmission of radio waves, providing users with upto 1 Gigabit of download speed. At first look, it is beautiful and functional in equal measure—with more screen than ever before. Switched on, the new flagship’s screen comes to life with its 6.28-inch Full Optic AMOLED display, enabling super crisp details and incredible viewing angles. It offers a great viewing experience, while keeping a form factor similar to that of OnePlus 5T.
To provide users with as much screen real estate as possible, R&D guys at OnePlus have designed the navigation bar so that it can be replaced with gesture control, freeing up even more viewing space for a cleaner look. OnePlus has used Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on both the front and the back of the device, shaping it with slight curves to create an uninterrupted look and feel. There is also a thin layer of film underneath the glass to create a sense of depth as light and shadow move on the device.
Internally, the OnePlus 6 is powered by one of the most powerful processors on the market, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, which, company officials claim, improves performance by 30%, while being 10% more power efficient. Coupled with the Adreno 630, which is 30% faster than the previous generation, the OnePlus 6 is a super-slick device for everything from streaming HD video to playing graphically intense games. OnePlus’s operating system, OxygenOS, offers a refined Android experience that is faster, cleaner and more customisable than other Android experiences.
With up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB internal storage, the OnePlus 6 effortlessly switches between multiple apps running at the same time without any lag, allowing users to multitask with ease. The phone’s dual-lane storage, based on UFS 2.1, ensures faster app loading and read/write speeds. In actual usage, the phone is pretty smooth, fast and responsive, and I did not encounter any lag. Its user interface is also stable and the phone didn’t stall on any occasion in my use. Phone calls were crisp and clear.
On the camera front, the OnePlus 6’s dual camera system features a 16MP main camera, supported by a 20MP secondary camera. With an f/1.7 aperture, the 16MP main camera has been bolstered by a 19% larger sensor and OIS for outstanding performance in a range of lighting conditions. With Advanced HDR, OnePlus’s improved High Dynamic Range algorithm, the OnePlus 6 brings out shadows and enhances lighting in photos. Using AI, the front camera is able to apply a depth of field effect to selfies. Newly added bokeh effects, including circles, hearts and stars offer new ways for users to customise their portraits. The OnePlus 6 also sees the introduction of OnePlus’s Slow-Motion mode, which can capture HD video frame-by-frame with great detail, ensuring users never miss the action.
Lastly, the OnePlus 6’s Dash charge—a favourite feature amongst OnePlus users —offers one of the fastest charging solutions on the market. A half-hour charge gives the phone enough power for the entire day. In my usage, the OnePlus 6 lasted more than two days of moderate use.
In summary, the OnePlus 6 is a beautiful, classy device and a top-notch Android phone. Highly recommended.
