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OnePlus is releasing yet another powerhouse phone without the premium price tag, and this time around they’re packing in some cutting-edge fingerprint scanning technology too. Beginning at the retail price of £499/€549/$549, the OnePlus 6T continues to represent some of the absolute best value in the flagship-tier smartphone category, and it does so without skimping on important core parts of the experience. Packing the fastest mobile processor available from Qualcomm, a choice of 6GB, 8GB or 10GB of RAM, and plenty of internal storage options as well, the bulk of the core experience is a solid one. Where OnePlus cuts the price tag the most is in the bells and whistles department, as you’ll not find an IP-rating for water or dust resistance on this phone, no wireless charging, and for the first time ever on a OnePlus device, no 3.5mm audio jack either. What you will find, however, is a phone that looks gorgeous, runs incredibly fast, and features smaller bezels and a smaller notch than the OnePlus 6.
One hardware advantage OnePlus continues to hold is located just above that power button on the right: the Alert slider. The inclusion of this slider since the OnePlus 2 days has, for some weird reason, never been copied by other OEMs, and I really have no idea why. It’s brilliant to be able to switch between mute, vibrate and regular sound modes with a quick slide, and I don’t even have to look at the phone to do it. Simply reach in my pocket and click. It’s pure genius and is one of the most unique things OnePlus continues to do versus the competition. On the camera front, the phone features an identical setup to the OnePlus 6 in every way. Same sensors, same configuration, same software. OnePlus’s camera UI is still the most intuitive out of the current crop of so-so designs in the industry, as a quick swipe up will pop out a drawer with every single mode available, all within a thumb’s reach no matter which orientation you’re holding the phone in.
OxygenOS is also a dream come true in most respects, as it sports a beautiful new look and feel, thanks to a customized Android 9 Pie back-end. OnePlus continues to offer one of the fastest experiences on the market without skimping on customization or features, and while it’s not as full-featured as OEM skins from companies like Samsung, LG or Huawei in every regard, it still sports plenty of unique features and ways to quickly and conveniently get things done. One of the most unique traits is found in that in-glass fingerprint scanner, where holding it down will bring up a quick-launch tray to jump start to your favorite apps or commonly used shortcuts, all without having to lift your finger off the display. Check out everything we go over in the review below, with a phone we’ve been using for over 60 days now, and see if this is the budget flagship device you’re looking for. Don’t forget to subscribe to us on YouTube as well!