OnePlus 6 and 6T 2020 review: these phones were designed to last

2018 was a great year for OnePlus; OnePlus 6 and 6T enabled the company to increase its market share in the flagship value segment. The OnePlus 6 was the first OnePlus phone to offer a metal and glass design, and the 6T became the first with an in-display fingerprint reader, and the first to get rid of the 3.5mm jack.

Both phones offered a more premium design as OnePlus sought to differentiate itself in this area. With the OnePlus 6 priced at $ 529 and the launch of the 6T at $ 549, OnePlus had to nail down the design and feature set to effectively compete in this segment – and managed to do just that.

The OnePlus 6T was an important device for OnePlus’ ambitions in the United States, because it was the first phone the company sold through T-Mobile. The operators association allowed OnePlus to break the barrier of the mainstream in the US as the company sought to gain market share in the country.

I went back to using OnePlus 6 and 6T for a few days to see how the device is maintained. Here’s what you need to know about OnePlus 2018 phones and how they work in 2020.

OnePlus 6 and 6T are based on the third iteration of the OnePlus design language. The first wave was with the Sandstone finish of OnePlus One and OnePlus 2, and the second iteration was the metallic phase that included OnePlus 3 / 3T and 5 / 5T. With the OnePlus 6 series, OnePlus switched to a glass and metal design that has continued until 2020.

OnePlus 6 and 6T set the stage for OnePlus design ambitions.

The design itself has been updated in the past two years as the phones got taller and OnePlus started using curved panels, but the aesthetic is pretty much the same. There’s a familiarity with the design that was evident when I switched to the OnePlus 6T from the OnePlus 8 Pro. Flowing curves, the position of the alert slider on the power button on the right, and the matte coating on the back of the glass are identical.

With that said, OnePlus 6 and 6T feel different in hand due to their size. They are shorter and wider than the OnePlus 8 series, and serve as a reminder of the height of the phones in the past two years. It just feels more comfortable to use OnePlus 6 and 6T as there is no discomfort with a curved screen or trouble adjusting your grip to access a tile from the notification panel.

OnePlus introduced a host of gorgeous color options in the past six years, and OnePlus 6 Red and OnePlus 6T in Thunder Purple live up to the Blue Marble OnePlus Nord and Glacial Green of the OnePlus 8 series in terms of bold design. The OnePlus 6’s red hue is still just as eye-catching, and I love the meticulous attention to detail in the OnePlus 6T Thunder Purple, with the two-tone finish extending down to the mid-frame. These phones have aged very gracefully and look great two years later.

The OnePlus 6 stood out for the wrong reasons when it launched due to the wide cutout that housed the camera module and earpiece. Most of the phones released in the first half of 2018 had this notch, and it defined that generation of smartphones. In contrast, the perforated cut that is everywhere today feels much more stylish.

Going back to OnePlus 6 made me realize how much I miss the physical fingerprint sensor.

The OnePlus 6 also had the distinction of being the first OnePlus phone with a vertically arranged camera case on the back. Even with budget phones these days that feature quad cameras on the back, the dual sensors on the back of the OnePlus 6 and 6T feel almost picturesque.

In that regard, it was good to re-familiarize myself with the fingerprint sensor on the back of the OnePlus 6. As much as I like a seamless design and enjoy the novelty of using an on-screen fingerprint module, it’s easier. use a capacitive sensor physical device to unlock the phone. Oh, and the OnePlus 6 has the distinction of being the latest OnePlus phone with a 3.5mm jack. I no longer miss the analog port, but just like the physical fingerprint sensor, the 3.5mm jack feels like another relic from a past world.

The phone makers collectively decided to ditch the 3.5mm jack to boost their Bluetooth products that gave them better margins, and we agreed. The result is that instead of connecting a pair of headphones to a phone and just playing music, we are now constantly messing around with the Bluetooth pairing settings and expecting things to work the first time.

What OnePlus 6 finally reveals is the tactic that’s lacking on phones these days. We used to push a physical sensor to unlock our phones and plug headphones into the 3.5mm jack to play audio. Now we rely on an optical sensor that is embedded under the glass and tap a few buttons to pair the headphones. Technology has come a long way in the past two years, but in the name of progress, we end up with phones that feel more sterile than ever.

But I digress; Let us return to the subject at hand. While the OnePlus 6 was notable for being the last phone from the manufacturer to offer a 3.5mm jack and a physical fingerprint sensor, the 6T had plenty of possibilities, too. Waterdrop trimming was easier on the eyes, the in-display fingerprint sensor was in line with the times, and the seamless design on the back allowed OnePlus to unleash its creativity, leading to the impressive option Thunder Purple. The phone was also the first from OnePlus to offer 128GB of storage as standard.

The OnePlus 6 and 6T are just as good to use now as they were in 2018, and a lot of that has to do with powerful hardware along with software optimizations. Performance is a key tenet of all OnePlus phones, so it’s no surprise that two-year phones like the OnePlus 6 hold up well in this regard.

OnePlus 6 and 6T aren’t feeling sluggish in 2020, and it all comes down to OxygenOS.

Both the OnePlus 6 and 6T feature the Snapdragon 845 chipset, and it’s still getting stronger. There’s really no slowdown seen in everyday use, and while the experience isn’t quite as smooth as the OnePlus 8 series, it’s clear that none of the phones are low on power. OnePlus equipped both devices with LPDDR4X RAM modules and UFS 2.1 storage modules, and the hardware combined with the optimized user interface with OxygenOS makes OnePlus 6 and 6T a pleasure to use in 2020.

The display is another facet of the hardware that holds up very well. The AMOLED panel on OnePlus 6 and 6T has vibrant colors and lots of customization, and you get all the new software features thanks to OxygenOS.

The software side is where OnePlus has stood out in the past two years. Both OnePlus 6 and 6T have received two platform updates and are on Android 10. The devices also continue to receive regular security patches, and that will be the case for at least another year.

The OxygenOS experience is similar to what you get on the latest OnePlus phones. You get all the cool features that OxygenOS 10 has to offer, including a dark system-wide mode, Android 10 navigation gestures, tweaked notification controls, and improved permissions. Combine that with all the features OnePlus introduced in the past 12 months, a built-in screen recorder and Zen mode just to name a few, and software is what keeps these phones running smoothly in 2020.

OnePlus 6 and 6T What has not aged well

OnePlus 6 and 6T feature a 16MP main camera and 20MP secondary sensor on the back, and a 16MP shooter on the front. The only thing that was immediately evident when using these phones is how unremarkable the cameras are in 2020.

The cameras are beginning to show their age now.

Today, the $ 500 phones give you much more versatility in terms of lenses, and the final image quality is also better thanks to higher resolution sensors and pixel grouping. That said, the OnePlus 6 and 6T perform well enough in daylight and well-lit conditions, but they do battle in low-light environments.

Coming from a 120Hz display on the OnePlus 8 Pro, I observed an infinitesimal delay when starting an app or scrolling through long-form content on OnePlus 6 and 6T. The 90Hz and 120Hz panels have transformed phones in the past 15 months, and you’ll only appreciate the difference they make once you return to a standard 60Hz display.

Then there is the issue of haptics. OnePlus started adding a decent vibration motor with OnePlus 7 Pro, making the haptic motor in OnePlus 6 and 6T mediocre.

OnePlus 6 and 6T Two years later

OnePlus 6 and 6T have aged very well in the past two years. The combination of powerful hardware and an optimized user interface means that they are reliable in daily use and continue to receive regular updates.

The design language is still quite modern, but the phones are beginning to show their age with respect to the cameras. And with the 90Hz and 120Hz panels entering the mainstream with OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro, there are great options available on the market if you’re looking to upgrade.

OnePlus 6 and 6T set the tone for OnePlus’ journey to the premium category. The devices enabled the Chinese manufacturer to outperform Samsung in India in the premium category, and almost two years later, OnePlus is still at the top of the summit.