The OnePlus 6T has just been launched in New York amidst a ton of expectations and a lot of buzz. OnePlus has now made a practice of releasing two devices a year. The “T”update generally packs a lot of improvements and feature additions as it comes closer to the end of the year. The OnePlus 6T is an upgrade to the hugely successful OnePlus 6 that has catapulted OnePlus to the top of the premium segment in India. Here are my first impressions of the OnePlus 6T.
A slim frame, smart-arc, and delicate craftmanship together help create the unique light feel in hand. The smart-arc backing and horizon line are crafted at the micron-level to perfectly fit the contour of your hand, improving comfort and grip. The device looks and feels extremely premium. The phone has the all glass crafting that OnePlus moved to with the OnePlus 6 earlier this year. The customary alert slider and power button sit on one side of the frame and the volume rocker sits on the other. In an important move the company has done away with the headphone jack and the physical fingerprint scanner.
The fingerprint scanner has moved under the display and becomes the primary way to unlock the phone. The in-display fingerprint sensor provides a convenient and intuitive approach to unlock the display. Screen Unlock leverages the industry’s fastest and most mature sensor technology available today. Without the need for a back-fingerprint sensor, the look and feel of the phone is further enhanced.
The in-display fingerprint sensor, combined with other features such as Face Unlock, provides additional unlocking options for a fast and smooth user experience based on individual preferences. Screen Unlock can also be used to quick launch apps. Continue to press the screen after the display is unlocked. A customizable app shortcut bar will appear. Move finger over app of choice and swipe up to launch. Looks like OnePlus has thought beyond just a cosmetic use of the in-display fingerprint scanner and added features to it too.
OnePlus claims that this is their most power efficient and comfortable-to-view display that features an impressive 86% screen-to-body ratio. It is a 6.41-inch Optic AMOLED display that supports 2340 x 1080 resolution at 402 pixels per inch. It has a 19.5:9 aspect ratio and is made with Corning Gorilla Glass 6 . In my initial usage, the display is very crisp and sunlight visibility is excellent with great viewing angles. Will test it in detail in the coming days. More in the full review.
The 6.41-inch Optic AMOLED display is optimized for notch-based design, providing a larger viewable area and superior performance. The water drop sized notch occupies minimal space but maintains the three-in-one ambient/ distance/RGB sensor and front-facing camera. This is a good middle path for the company to take to appease both sides on the notch divide.
The OnePlus 6T features a new algorithm that automatically adjusts the front and rear camera to capture high-quality photos of commonly
photographed images including faces, text, food, and night scenes. This is to help people capture better and clearer images with the cameras that have been packed with the device. Hardware-wise the cameras are the same as the ones that came with the OnePlus 6. The strengthening of the software/algorithm with added support for night and low-light images should be interesting to check out in the full review.
The OnePlus 6T features Smart Boost. Smart Boost improves app cold start speeds by 5 to 20 percent by storing data from frequently used apps in the phones RAM. Smart Boost works particularly well for apps requiring large amounts of input /output data. Smart Boost technology is currently applied to gaming apps with additional compatibility, updates, and improvements planned for the future. This will also be an interesting thing to checkout in the full review that is coming soon.
The OnePlus 6T features stock Android features such as navigation gestures and adaptive battery and auto brightness. However, Oxygen OS improves upon Android 9.0’s gestures and do-not-disturb feature with further customization to block alerts and scheduling do-not disturb mode. In my initial testing, this has been implemented well. More in the full review.
The battery is a 3700 mAH non-removable one. This is 400 mAH more than the OnePlus 6T and supports the now customary rapid charging that had the erstwhile name of Dash Charging.
So as far as first impressions go, the OnePlus 6T is a thoughtful upgrade with added innovation that promises a great value add to people looking for a very fast and reliable android experience. I will share more details with you in the full review that is coming up soon. For now, you can count me impressed!
