Here’s why OnePlus 6 is going to be a big upgrade over OnePlus 5T

OnePlus 6 comes with major upgrades over its predecessor, OnePlus 5T with the biggest being the notch display design.

OnePlus 6 is placed over OnePlus 5T. (OnePlus)

OnePlus 6 has been doing rounds on the internet lately. The smartphone will be launched on May 16 in London, followed by its India arrival on May 17. The smartphone has been caught up in extensive rumours and leaks with official confirmations as well by the company. OnePlus has been teasing the smartphone with key features revealed already.

OnePlus 6 will not only pit itself against flagship smartphones like Samsung Galaxy S9 but also prove to be a major upgrade over its predecessor. OnePlus 5T was itself a major upgrade over OnePlus 5 but this time we'll get to see some interesting changes. Let us compare OnePlus 6 (with whatever details we have) and the last year's OnePlus 5T.

Design
It may be recalled that OnePlus 5T was the first OnePlus phone to embrace the popular edge-to-edge screen. OnePlus 5T came with 6.01-inch 18:9 Infinity Display (edge-to-edge screen) with custom 1080 x 2160 pixels resolution as compared to OnePlus 5's 5.5-inch 1080 x 1920 pixels resolution. To accommodate a full-screen panel, OnePlus rightly shifted the front home button which also doubled as fingerprint sensor to the back.

With OnePlus 6, OnePlus is going to take the edge-to-edge panel a notch up. The new phone is expected to come with a 6.28-inch QHD+ display. The company has already confirmed that OnePlus 6 will feature a small cut on the display, similar to what we've seen on plenty of Android smartphones recently. Apple, however, can be given credit for making the notch-screen popular with iPhone X.

OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has a proper explanation for the decision as well. "Our components no longer require the entire width of a top bezel," he said. "Moving the module elsewhere would affect the angle of the camera, making it harder to orient the camera and take photos quickly. Such a move would also compromise the speed and reliability of our industry-leading Face Unlock feature."

He also added that the custom Oxygen OS has also been optimised for the new screen.

But this doesn't mean OnePlus 6 will have a full glass front like Xiaomi Mi MIX or MIX 2. Pete Lau says the phone will still retain a little bit of bezel on the bottom to fit components. And that's not negative considering OnePlus isn't going to sacrifice the 3.5mm headphone jack on its new phone as well. A lot of companies have succeeded in increasing screen to body ratio but at the same time they've removed the headphone jack. For instance, Google's Pixel 2 XL.

Another big change one will notice is the inclusion of a glass back panel. It will be a big departure from the metal panels that the company has been using it in older phones. And let's not forget there will be another premium OnePlus 6 Avengers Infinity War edition of the phone.

OnePlus moved the front-facing fingerprint sensor to the rear panel on OnePlus 5T. (OnePlus)

OnePlus moved the front-facing fingerprint sensor to the rear panel on OnePlus 5T. (OnePlus)

Camera
Based on the recent camera samples shared by CEO Pete Lau on Weibo, OnePlus 6 seems to be a big upgrade over the predecessor. As pointed out in our earlier detailed review, OnePlus 5T matched the performance of the likes of Samsung Galaxy S9 at various fronts, but lagged behind in the camera department. OnePlus 6 is expected to have dual-cameras at the back but with significant improvements which allow it to take sharper portrait shots and richer photos in bright light conditions.

OnePlus 6: New camera samples indicate big upgrade (OnePlus )

OnePlus 6: New camera samples indicate big upgrade (OnePlus )

Specifications
For OnePlus, delivering top-of-the-line specifications at affordable price has remained its USP. And the trend is going to continue with OnePlus 6. The company has already confirmed the phone will run on Qualcomm's best Snapdragon 845 processor. It is expected to be coupled with 8GB of RAM. There will also be a 256GB model. The phone will be powered by a 3450mAh battery and run on Android 8.1 Oreo-based custom Oxygen OS.

Miscellaneous
According to recent teasers shared by OnePlus, the alert slider on OnePlus 6 will boast of new features. A teaser titled "Slide to focus with the Alert Slider" hints on additional. Another teaser shows OnePlus 6 placed below its predecessor, OnePlus 5T. The changes highlighted here are the antenna lines running on the sides and the alert slider missing from the left side. There will be new gestures as well. Similar to Apple iPhone X's, new gestures will allow users to make optimum use of new edge-to-edge screen on the phone.

OnePlus 6 India launch
OnePlus 6 will be globally launched on May 16 in London at 12 pm EDT (9.30 pm IST). The smartphone will launch in India on May 17 with the first sale taking place on May 21 via Amazon India. Only Amazon Prime subscribers will be eligible for the first sale.