OnePlus 6 vs OnePlus 5T: What’s New?

OnePlus' previous flagship OnePlus 5T was a perfect device with that time's industry best processor, 18:9 ratio display, good cameras, powerful battery and everything else a consumer demands. This year, OnePlus has taken a step forward in terms of design and the OnePlus 6 is an upgraded OnePlus 5T.

So what's new that OnePlus 6 offers? Well there's a lot. The new handset features the latest Snapdragon 845 processor, 19:9 display with 84 percent screen-to-body ratio, glass body, water resistance (kind of) and the latest Android P Beta update. We have compared specifications, price and other features of both devices, let’s see how different they are.

Price

OnePlus 5T was priced exactly the same as its predecessor (OnePlus 5). The 64GB variant comes at Rs 32,999 and 128GB variant at Rs 37,999.

This year, OnePlus has increased the price of their flagship by Rs 2,000 each on both 64GB and 128GB variant. OnePlus 6 price in India is Rs 34,999 for 64GB and Rs 39,999 for 128GB variant.

The OnePlus 6 Marvel Avengers Limited Edition is priced at Rs 44,999 in India.

Specifications

Both devices run on OxygenOS based on Android 8.1 Oreo. When launched, OnePlus 5T arrived with OxygenOS 4.7 which has now been upgraded to 5.1 OnePlus 6 was launched with OxygenOS 5.1 with Android Oreo out-of-the-box.

Both handsets have two RAM+Storage options of 6GB+64GB and 8GB+128GB without a MicroSD card slot. The only difference is between is their processors, OnePlus 5T had Snapdragon 835 octa-core processor while OnePlus 6 has Snapdragon 845 octa-core processor.

Both handsets are dual-SIM and have a 3,300mAh battery which comes with Dash Charge. However, the handset does not support wireless charging even after the inclusion of glass body.

Connectivity options for both include Wi-Fi 802.11ac, 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, 3.5mm, NFC, headphone-jack, USB Type-C (2.0), and Location.

This time the company has also launched Avengers Limited Edition of OnePlus 6 which has 8GB RAM and 256GB of storage. The limited edition variant has a glass body with Karbon fiber case pattern. Also, the alert slider has a golden shade and Avengers logo is carved on the body. It ships with an Iron Man body cover.

For security, both handsets have fingerprint sensor which unlocks it in 0.2 seconds and face unlock feature which does the same in 0.4 seconds.

Camera

Both OnePlus 6 and 5T sport a dual camera setup at rear which includes 16-megapixels+20-megapixels sensors with LED flash, Pro mode, HDR and Portrait Mode.

This seems similar to OnePlus 5T’s dual camera but that isn’t true. This year, the company has upgraded the primary 16-megapixels sensor of OnePlus 5T (Sony IMX398) to Sony IMX519 which has 1.22 μm pixel size (an increase of 19 percent), which results in sharper and clear images. The primary camera now also includes both OIS and EIS.

The secondary 20-megapixels rear sensor is same as OnePlus 5T’s Sony IMX376K with 1.0 μm pixel size which is used for depth enabling and low-light conditions.

Both phones have the same 16-megapixel front camera with f/2.0 aperture and Screen Flash. OnePlus 6 will soon get Portrait mode for front camera through a software update.

This year’s OnePlus flagship is capable of shooting 4K videos at 60fps. It can also record videos in super slow-motion with 1080p at 240fps and 720p at 480fps.

OP 5T pn the other hand captures 4K videos 30 fps, 1080p at 60 fps, Slow motion 720p videos at 120fps.

Design and Display

The major noticeable difference between OnePlus 5T and OnePlus 6 is among their design and display.

OnePlus 6 inherits the iPhone X’s notch design which in my opinion is a smart move because it makes way for extra screen space (84 % screen-to-body ratio) to the user without increasing the body size.

The front panel of OnePlus 6 is entirely screen with a tiny notch (which houses front camera and a bunch of sensors), small chin and thin bezels on both sides.

OP 6 has a glass body which gives it premium look. Plus the company has used Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on both front and back of the phone to prevent scratches. On the other hand, OP 5T has a metal body.

Talking about the display, OnePlus 6 has a 6.28-inches FHD+ (2280x1080) optic AMOLED display with 19:9 aspect ratio. On the other hand, OnePlus 5T has a 6.01-inch full HD (2160x1080) AMOLED display with 18:9 ratio and Corning Gorilla Glass 5.

There are also new colours available for buyers to choose from, OnePlus 6 comes in Mirror Black, Midnight Black, and Silk White colour options. Whereas, OnePlus 5T was launched in Midnight Black colour only. However, other limited editions of 5T in Sandstone White and Lava Red colours were launched later.

OnePlus 6 measures 155.7 x 75.4 x 7.75mm and weighs 177 grams. While, OP 5T measures 156.1 x 75.7 x 7.3mm and weighs 162 grams. There isn’t much difference between the sizes of both handsets, it is just that OP 6 feels a little bulkier in comparison to its predecessor.  

A major criticism OnePlus 5T faced last year was the lack of water resistance. This year’s OnePlus flagship is water resistant However OnePlus 6 does not have an official IP rating for waterproofing but the handset maker says they have used waterproofed materials and filled the gaps around buttons with silicone loops to prevent it from damaging.

Though it can survive rain or water spillage and the company themselves advice users not to go swimming with your phone.