OnePlus 6: Should you just settle for OnePlus 6T?

OnePlus, which is known for its 'flagship killer' moniker, enjoys a cult following among smartphone enthusiasts around the world. Over the years, the company has launched phones top-of-the-line specifications and a price tag half that of flagship phones of Sony, Samsung and Apple. Just recently its OnePlus 5T was named top-selling premium phone in India. And now, the Chinese handset company is now gearing up for its biggest launch of 2018 - OnePlus 6.

Unsurprisingly, there's a lot of euphoria around the new OnePlus 6. The catch with OnePlus 6, however, is that there could be another model with just a T suffix within six months. Hence, should you just wait for the OnePlus 6T instead?

According to a new Express.co.uk report , OnePlus phones lose their 80% of their trade-in value in just six months , mainly because of the launch of a new phone. The report said that OnePlus 5 lost 80% of its trade-in value after OnePlus 5T launch. And same is speculated for OnePlus 5T, when OnePlus 6 launches. Will that be the case for OnePlus 6 when another new model launches in less than six months?

Let us be very clear, at the moment, there's no word on a possible OnePlus 6T. Perhaps, such a phone may not even come. But hear me out.

In 2016, OnePlus introduced its OnePlus 3 in India. The phone, which was well received back then, featured top-of-the-line specifications of its time such as Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor. The smartphone launched with a price tag of ₹27,999.

Then in less than six months, OnePlus introduced OnePlus 3T with improved specifications. For instance, it ran on Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor. It had 16-megapixel selfie camera as compared to 8-megapixel of OnePlus 3's. The battery capacity was bumped to 3,400mAh battery from 3,000mAh on OnePlus 3. Moreover, OnePlus 3T came in better storage options, 64GB and 128GB while rest of the features remained almost same.

The company followed the same routine next year with OnePlus 5, which too was quite successful. But the company soon followed up with a newer OnePlus 5T model in less than six months. OnePlus 5T, unlike OnePlus 3T, was a big upgrade considering the screen size changed from 5.5-inch full-HD AMOLED screen to 6-inch full-HD+ screen with 18:9 aspect ratio. Another big change was relocation of fingerprint sensor from the front panel to the rear panel in order to make for a higher screen-to-body ratio. ALSO READ: OnePlus 6 India launch on May 17: Everything we know about OnePlus' new flagship

The point here is that OnePlus upgrades its phones in less than six months whereas Samsung and Apple upgrade their phones annually. And even Samsung and Apple users are reluctant to buy the newer models because of the perception that it could be obsolete by next year. For instance, Apple suffered a similar problem last year when a lot of customers put off their new iPhone purchase in anticipation of iPhone X, ultimately hurting the prospects of iPhone 8.

In defence of OnePlus, the company does give away newer options as and when they're ready. At the moment, OnePlus 6 looks like another big upgrade already. The company has already confirmed it will have an iPhone X-like notch display and slimmer profile.

Keeping up with the tradition, OnePlus 6 will be running on the fastest chipset till date, Qualcomm Snapdragon 845. It will feature 8GB RAM and will have a 256GB storage model. The phone is scheduled to launch in India on May 17.

Will you be buying the new OnePlus 6 right away or wait a few months for a newer model? Let us know in the comments section below.