Newsletter
Following the images that surfaced earlier today, OnePlus has just announced a new variant of the OnePlus 6T, the so-called OnePlus 6T Thunder Purple model. This handset got announced in China, OnePlus’ homeland, and it seems like earlier leaks were spot on when it comes to the design of the device. This smartphone looks basically the same as the OnePlus 6T Midnight Black model, in every way except one, the color of its back and sides. The back of this smartphone is mostly purple-colored, though not the whole back is, the upper portion of its back is black-colored, like 25-30-percent off it, it’s like the purple color is slowly transitioning into the black, at least that’s what it looks like in the provided renders. The phone’s frame is also purple-colored, and those are the only design differences compared to all the other OnePlus 6T models. The letter ‘S’ still appears on the back of the phone as a result of reflection, same as on the Midnight Black OnePlus 6 and 6T models. Having said that, this is the third variant of the OnePlus 6T that the company announced, as the original two (Mirror Black and Midnight Black) got announced about a week ago.
It is worth noting that this variant of the phone launched alongside the Mirror Black and Midnight Black in China, as the company held its OnePlus 6T announcement even in China today, a week after the phone got announced on a global scale. The OnePlus 6T Thunder Purple variant comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, and that is the only option that was announced in China. As far as the rest of the specs are concerned, the OnePlus 6T Thunder Purple model is exactly the same as all the other OnePlus 6T variants. In China, the Thunder Purple model of the OnePlus 6T is priced at 3,599 Yuan ($521), and the only variant that is more expensive than that is the Midnight Black model with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage which costs 3,999 Yuan ($579). The most affordable variant of the OnePlus 6T in China comes with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, and it is priced at 3,399 Yuan, that is the Mirror Black model, as the Midnight Black and Thunder Purple variants are not available in that RAM and storage setup. It is worth noting that the OnePlus 6T in China comes with HydrogenOS, not OxygenOS, though it is quite possible that this variant of the phone may become available outside of China in the near future as well, though OnePlus did not share any info regarding that as of yet.
Background: As already mentioned, the OnePlus 6T Thunder Purple model sports the same specs as all the other variants of the device, though it comes in a variant with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage only. As a reminder, the OnePlus 6T (including this model) features a 6.39-inch fullHD Optic AMOLED display, while a 3,700mAh battery is included in the package as well, and it is not removable. You will use OnePlus’ proprietary fast charging method in order to replenish that battery, though that method is no longer called ‘Dash Charge’, as OnePlus got sued a while back because they used that name. The device comes with two SIM card slots (2x nano SIM), while you cannot expand its storage using a microSD card, the company does not offer that option. A 3.5mm headphone jack is not included in the package, while the device features an in-display fingerprint scanner instead of a rear-facing capacitive fingerprint scanner. The OnePlus 6T also comes with a ‘teardrop’ notch, which makes it better-looking than the OnePlus 6, though that’s all a matter of taste.
The device features 16-megapixel and 20-megapixel cameras on the back, the former features an f/1.7 aperture lens, 1.22um pixel size, and OIS, while the second one comes with the same aperture lens size, and sports 1.0um pixel size. A 16-megapixel camera can be found on the front of the device, and we’re looking at a 25mm lens here with 1.0um pixel size. Bluetooth 5.0 is packed into the OnePlus 6T as well, while the device weighs 185 grams. It is a bit narrower, a bit thicker, and a bit taller than the OnePlus 6, in case you’re wondering. The phone is fueled by the Snapdragon 845 64-bit octa-core processor, which is the best processor Qualcomm has to offer at the moment. Android 9 Pie comes pre-installed on the phone, and as already mentioned, HydrogenOS comes pre-installed on the device in China, while OxygenOS is packed on top of Android 9 Pie everywhere else.
Impact: The OnePlus 6T Thunder Purple variant is a breath of fresh air in terms of colors, as the other two OnePlus 6T variants are both black-colored, Mirror Black and Midnight Black options. The Thunder Purple OnePlus 6T does pop next to those two, quite a bit, and that’s the whole point of it. It remains to be seen if OnePlus plans to introduce a red-colored OnePlus 6T at some point, but at the moment, it seems like the Thunder Purple variant is here instead of the red-colored phone. OnePlus did release the OnePlus 6 in Mirror Black, Midnight Black, Silk White, and Red color variants, though the red-colored OnePlus 6 arrived later on, so it’s possible that OnePlus is aiming to release either a red-colored OnePlus 6T down the line, or some other color. Special edition OnePlus 6T models are also a possibility, though we’ll see what will happen. The OnePlus 6T Thunder Purple variant of the phone is currently exclusive to China, though it is quite possible that OnePlus may release this phone in other markets in the near future, it wouldn’t be the first time that has happened with a OnePlus device that was exclusive to one region at first. If the company opts to release this phone internationally, it will become available in both Europe and the US, in addition to a number of other markets out there, quite possibly in India as well, but we’ll see.
