OnePlus 6 may feature wireless charging: Here’s why

OnePlus gave valid reasons of not embracing wireless charging technology with OnePlus 5T last year. However, the company may consider different possibilities with OnePlus 6.

OnePlus 6 will feature a glass back with five printed layers of nanotech coating. (OnePlus)

OnePlus will bring forth radical changes and features with its upcoming smartphone, OnePlus 6. The biggest talk so far has been the iPhone X-like notch display on OnePlus 6. However, the company may surprise fans by introducing wireless charging on the smartphone.

OnePlus 6 will feature a glass back which is a change from the metal body seen on past OnePlus smartphones. The easiest assumption that forms with a glass body is wireless charging which would also be another first for a OnePlus phone.

From the technology point of view, a glass panel on the back makes the phone compatible with wireless charging — one of the reasons why the likes of Samsung and Apple have that material on their flagship phones.

An all-metal back panel, though they seem sturdier, aren't considered conducive for wireless charging. Qualcomm, however, has already developed a technology that makes it possible. We are yet to see metal-plus-wireless-charging become mainstream.

In the case of OnePlus, the company has been quite vocal about its thoughts on wireless charging. Last year, ahead of OnePlus 5T launch, CEO Pete Lau explained about the company's decision to not go for wireless charging.

"Wireless charging requires you to keep your device perfectly aligned on the pad to get the advertised charging rates and energy efficiency. Some of the best wireless charging pads market the theoretical potential of 15 watts of power, but that's only if you position your phone correctly. Wirelessly charging more than one device at a time further divides that number, leading to even slower charging per device," he wrote in a forum post.

"An attractive promise of wireless charging is that you can just set your phone down on a surface and charge. Nice in theory, but not as simple in reality. You can't pick up your phone to game or take a photo while charging. Given present-day infrastructures, wireless charging brings more limitations than freedom. Wireless charging pads, cases, tables, and lamps — these all add up if you want to charge on the go or outfit your home for true convenience, creating constraints for the user," he added.

Lau did conclude the post stating, "We'll consider adopting the wireless charging technology when the time is right. Until then, we'll stick to Dash Charge." Perhaps, with OnePlus 6, the company is going to take that leap of faith, or maybe not.

OnePlus 6 is going to be a stark departure from the existing lineup of OnePlus phones. For starters, it will have a notch-display on the front - a hot new trend in the world of Android. The glass back panel for that matter is also going to be quite something to look forward to.

"The advantages of glass over metal are manifold: glass communicates a transparent, bright, and pure feeling. The way glass transforms under different lighting is a particularly important challenge—the OnePlus design team tested over 70 glass prototypes before selecting the best one," the company said last month.

The glass back will feature five printed layers of nanotech coating, which the company says will be a first in the smartphone industry.

OnePlus claims OnePlus 6 glass designed is aimed at delivering "sense of value" and "premium hand-feel." (OnePlus)

OnePlus claims OnePlus 6 glass designed is aimed at delivering "sense of value" and "premium hand-feel." (OnePlus)

"The phone has five layers of Nanotech Coating instead of three, even though the degree of separation between each layer is extremely subtle and tough to discern as the additional layers give the back of the device a stronger impression of depth," OnePlus said in a note.

OnePlus 6 full specifications
Under the hood, OnePlus 6 will run a Snapdragon 845 processor along with 8GB RAM. There will also be a 256GB model. According to an online listing, the phone will have 6GB RAM and 64GB onboard storage. OnePlus 6 is expected to sport a dual-camera setup at the rear with a combination of 20-megapixel and 16-megapixel sensors. It will sport a 16-megapixel selfie camera. Other details in this listing revealed a 3,300mAh battery and Android 8.1 Oreo for the phone.

OnePlus 6 India launch
OnePlus 6 will be launched in India on May 17, a day after the global unveiling in London. The company will host an early-preview sale for OnePlus 6 exclusively via Amazon India on May 21. Those interested in buying offline can check out the company's pop-up events on May 21 and 22 in eight Indian cities..