OnePlus 6: Pete Lau shares first camera samples indicating major improvements

The first camera samples of OnePlus 6 shows that it will already be a tough competitor to existing flagship smartphones.

OnePlus 6 will feature an iPhone X-like notch display. (OnePlus)

Following major leaks and rumours, OnePlus has slowly started revealing details about its OnePlus 6. The smartphone will be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845 processor coupled with 8GB of RAM. OnePlus 6 will also be the first for the company to offer a 256GB model.

OnePlus has impressed us with its camera skills and with the OnePlus 6, the company has promised to improve on the specifics and features. OnePlus' CEO Pete Lau earlier this week shared a few camera shots taken by the unreleased OnePlus 6. These photos are all taken in broad daylight and produce impressive results.

Shared on Chinese social media platform Weibo, one of the photos features a macro shot of flowers, indicating rich details, sharpness and top-notch colour reproduction. The photo also appears to be a sample of the phone's dual-camera capabilities, most probably including a telephoto lens.

Another shot taken in bright daylight, most probably afternoon when taking a good photo is quite challenging, shows deep blacks and balanced shadows.

But it is still too early to declare OnePlus 6's camera a winner based on these sample photographs. But they do give us a hope that the phone will have improved camera performance. And this is great news for OnePlus enthusiasts.

A macro/portrait shot by OnePlus 6. (Pete Lau)

A macro/portrait shot by OnePlus 6. (Pete Lau)

As pointed out in our OnePlus 5T review, the OnePlus flagship does come close to the likes of Galaxy Note 8 and other Android flagship rivals in terms of speed and performance, but leaves a lot of scope of improvement in camera quality. If OnePlus manages to pull off a camera that's equivalent to the Galaxy S9's, the company may have a higher chances of sweeping the premium smartphone segment in India - a new category that has seen a positive growth in the country over the past few months.

A shot taken in bright sunlight, notice the balanced shadows. (Pete Lau)

A shot taken in bright sunlight, notice the balanced shadows. (Pete Lau)

OnePlus 6: Specifications

Let's just recap what we know about OnePlus' new flagship smartphone so far. The smartphone will sport an iPhone X-like notch display which simply means it will have a cutout on top, like we have seen on Asus Zenfone 5 and Vivo V9.

It will be powered by Qualcomm's top-end Snapdragon 845 processor coupled with 8GB RAM. The company will also introduce a 256GB storage model of the smartphone.

Other rumoured features of the phone include a 6.28-inch QHD+ display Android 8.1 Oreo, and a 3,450mAh battery.

OnePlus 6 India availability

While we are yet to find out when the phone will hit the Indian shores, Amazon India has started accepting registrations from today. Basically, customers can just register for "notify me" on the e-commerce platform.

OnePlus 6: The Lab programme

OnePlus has launched a new initiative called The Lab which lets you grab a OnePlus 6 phone before everyone else. If you're interested, you can submit your application to "join the lab". The submissions are open till 10:00 PM EDT on May 2. The company will announce the final reviewer squad at 10:00 PM EDT on May 12.

"Your analysis is incredibly valuable, not just to us, but to every member of the OnePlus community. This is your chance to write an unbiased, unfiltered review, that covers every aspect of our latest device and accessories. Make a name for yourself as a tech influencer, all the while shaping the global image of the OnePlus 6. Those who get the honor of being selected will be among the first ones to receive the OnePlus 6 in the world," OnePlus says on its forum.