OnePlus 6 Review

June 21, 2018 | Amy Davies | Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star Half rating star

Introduction

OnePlus’s latest smartphone is another model designed to compete with the likes of Samsung Galaxy and Apple iPhone models, but at a much cheaper price.

The tagline of the OnePlus 6 is “the speed you need”, and has been designed to be quite different from the last few OnePlus phones. There has been upgrades to the screen, the design of the phone, the camera and battery.

In terms of the camera, it uses a dual-camera setup, with a 20 megapixel and 16 megapixel sensor, both equipped with f/1.7 aperture lenses. The second camera (the 20 megapixel device), is used for detail, and for the portrait mode - it’s not used as a telephoto lens, such as you might find on several current flagship phones, such as the Huawei P20 Pro, iPhone X or the Samsung S9+.

A re-addition for the OnePlus 6 is optical image stabilisation, something which was missing from the OnePlus 5 and the OnePlus 5T. This is aimed at making the OnePlus 6 better equipped to take good shots in low light. There’s also 4K video recording at up to 60fps, as well as super slow motion video which can be recorded for up to a minute.

The sensor’s also had its pixel size increased to 1.22 microns, which represents a 19% increase and has been designed to capture more detail, without adding too much noise.

Pricing for the OnePlus 6 starts at £469, representing a significant saving when comparing it to the majority of high-end flagship smartphones.

Ease of Use

The OnePlus 6 is almost the same size as its previous devices, the OnePlus 5T and the OnePlus 5, but it has a bigger screen thanks to a much slimmer bezel. The 6.28-inch screen is the largest OnePlus display to date - and also incorporates a notch at the top of the screen, just like you’d find with an iPhone X or a Huawei P20 Pro. The navigation bar previously found at the bottom of the screen has been removed, to make way for gesture control.

Constructed from glass, the OnePlus 6 marks a departure from the metal bodies of the previous devices. OnePlus says that it wanted to emulate the look and feel of ceramic phones, but without the fragility and weight. While you may think glass would also be fragile, this is Corning Gorilla Glass 5, with the company’s own tests show that the OnePlus 6 is just as resilient against being dropped as any previous phones.

There are three colours available - “Mirror Black”, “Midnight Black” and “Silk White”. The latter of the three is a limited edition, so may be more difficult to get hold of. We’ve been using the Silk White edition to review the phone - it’s a very attractive finish, with a pearlescent sheen which has a premium look about it. Mirror Black features a shiny surface, which is very prone to fingerprints - Midnight Black uses a matte finish and is much more resilient to smudges.

OnePlus 6
Front of the OnePlus 6

In the box you’ll find that the phone comes ready equipped with a screen protector. This is a good way to help keep your screen from picking up scratches, but you might want to remove it if you want the “cleanest” view possible of the screen. Also included in the box is a rubberised phone case. Again this detracts somewhat from the clean sleek lines of the phone, but helps to protect it from scuffs, marks and scratches. Other phone cases are available to buy separately.

You can unlock the phone in a number of ways. Setting up Face Unlock enables very quick unlocking of the screen, while you can also set up a password or pattern. If you just want to access the camera though, you don’t need to fully unlock the phone, and instead the native camera app can be accessed by swiping up from the bottom right hand corner. If you do that, you’ll only be able to view images you’ve taken in the current session - fully unlock the phone to see more images.

The native app has a very simple and clean layout, which is refreshingly simple to use. Along the bottom of the screen, you’ve got three choices - Video, Photo and Portrait. The Portrait Mode is a shallow depth of field effect mode, which can be used for photos of people, as well as creating shallow depth of field effects with other subjects, such as animals, plants and so on.

OnePlus 6
Rear of the OnePlus 6

Along the top of the screen in standard Photo mode, you’ve got a few options which you can toggle between, including switching HDR on and off, switching the aspect ratio, turning the flash and the timer on/off.

You’ll see on the screen a circle with “1x” inside it. If you tap it, it’ll change to “2x”. You can use this to activate the digital zoom - despite the fact that the OnePlus 6 has two lenses, the second one is only used for detail, not as a telephoto zoom. You can zoom in even further by using a pinching motion on the screen - up to 8x is available. Any time you want to go back to the standard “1x” option, simply tap the circle on the screen.

Tapping around the screen allows you to change the autofocus point. You’ll also see when you do this that a slider appears which allows you to adjust brightness (or exposure compensation).

OnePlus 6
Front of the OnePlus 6

Portrait Mode is something which is becoming very popular among smartphone manufacturers. In essence, it recreates the look of using a DSLR or CSC to create a shallow depth of field effect. A fun addition for the OnePlus 6 is “Light Bokeh”, which gives you the option to choose differently shaped bokeh, such as orbs, stars and hearts. Although there’s just three options right now, it’s more than possible that OnePlus could add other bokeh shapes with software updates at some point in the future.

An OS update for the OnePlus 6 has brought Portrait mode to the front-facing camera. As the front-facing camera is only one sensor/lens, it estimates the portrait effect using software only. You also don’t get the opportunity to use the different shaped bokeh as in the main Portrait mode.

In Video mode, you’ll be able to tap an icon at the top of the screen which allows to choose between the different resolutions. You’ve got the choice starting from 720p all the way up to 4K at 60fps. Considering this is a mid-range smartphone, having 4K at 60fps is quite an advanced feature.

OnePlus 6
Front of the OnePlus 6

If you want to get a little more complicated, you can swipe up from the bottom of the screen to reveal a few extra modes. Most intriguing of all of these is the “Pro” mode, which means you can adjust a variety of parameters, including white balance (you can even set custom white balance options), ISO, shutter speed, focus type and exposure compensation.

Interestingly, you can also shoot in raw format - something which is relatively rare, especially at this segment of the market. In the Pro mode, a couple of extra features which could prove useful are a histogram and a horizontal reference line (a level for helping when shooting landscapes). Also in Pro mode you can set the exposure point separately from the focal point. Tap the point on screen you want to use to expose from, then drag your finger across the screen and you can select a separate focal point. For some reason, flash is not available when shooting in Pro mode.

Slow-motion video mode can also be accessed by swiping up from the bottom of the screen. You’ve got the choice b between 480fps (720p) and 240fps (1080). Other modes available in the swipe up menu include Time-lapse and Panorama.

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this review were taken using the 20 megapixel JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 5Mb.

In good light, the OnePlus 6 camera produces excellent photographs. Colours are vibrant and pleasing, without going overboard, while the overall impression of detail is great. Automatic mode gets things right the majority of time, but having the option to delve into a Pro mode to tweak settings is great for those who are a little more advanced.

As light levels drop, the performance is a little more mid-range than high-end, but for a phone which costs under £500, it’s still an impressive performance. In lower light, images can be a little more smudgy, with a loss of detail and some noise introduced.

On the whole, all-purpose metering does a good job of getting exposures well-balanced, with little need to make adjustments to brightness or exposure compensation. The automatic white balance works well with different lighting settings, but it’s especially useful to have the custom white balance option should you be shooting under tricky lighting.

Like many other smartphones, the OnePlus 6 has a portrait mode. It does a reasonable job when photographing people, but you’ll likely notice that around fine details, such as hair, it’s a little obvious that it’s a fake effect. The selfie camera also results in a slightly odd effect when using the Portrait mode. Still, if you’re only going to be sharing your shots at small sizes (such as for Instagram), the effect is convincing enough. Results for other subjects are mixed - if the subject is complicated, the camera really struggles, while those with a more definite outline fare much better.

Noise

JPEG

RAW

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

iso100.jpg iso100raw.jpg
   

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

iso200.jpg iso200raw.jpg
   

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

iso400.jpg iso400raw.jpg
   

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

iso800.jpg iso800raw.jpg
   

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

iso1600.jpg iso1600raw.jpg
   

ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

iso3200.jpg iso3200raw.jpg

Focal Range

Optical Zoom - 1x

wide.jpg
 

Digital Zoom - 2x

zoom1.jpg
 

Digital Zoom - 10x

zoom2.jpg

Flash

Rear Camera - Flash Off

rear-camera-noflash.jpg
 

Rear Camera - Flash On

rear-camera-flash.jpg
 

Selfie - Flash Off

selfie-camera-noflash.jpg
 

Selfie - Flash On

selfie-camera-flash.jpg
 

Selfie - Portrait Mode

selfie-camera-portrait-mode.jpg
 

Rear Camera - Flash Off

whitewallnoflash.jpg
 

Rear Camera - Flash On

whitewallflash.jpg

Macro

macro.jpg

Night

night.jpg

Bokeh

bokeh1.jpg
 
bokeh2.jpg

Panorama

panorama.jpg

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the OnePlus 6 camera, which were all taken using the 20 megapixel JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample RAW Images

The OnePlus 6 enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We've provided some OnePlus RAW (DNG) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).

Sample Movie & Video

This is a sample movie at the highest quality setting of 3840x2160 at 60 frames per second. Please note that this 17 second movie is 245Mb in size.

Product Images

Huawei P20 Pro
 
Huawei P20 Pro
 
Huawei P20 Pro
 
Huawei P20 Pro
 
Huawei P20 Pro
 
Huawei P20 Pro
 
Huawei P20 Pro
 
Huawei P20 Pro
 
Huawei P20 Pro

Conclusion

There are lots of fantastic smartphones on the market at the moment, many of which are aimed primarily at those looking for a well-performing camera. Most of the best ones though are very expensive, and out of the budget of many. 

The OnePlus 6 therefore offers a much more affordable option for those looking to spend a little less but still hoping to have something good. Although the OnePlus 6 doesn’t offer the best smartphone camera on the market, it does a little better than the sub-£500 price tag might suggest. 

Straight from the camera, images are very good, with vibrant colours and plenty of detail. Low light performance is above average, but not amazing - how often you like to shoot in low light conditions is something you might like to think about when considering the OnePlus 6. 

The camera app itself is simple to use, but has advanced features available for those that want them - it’s great to be able to change certain parameters, while shooting in raw format is a bonus not usually found in this area of the market. Other advanced features such as 4K at 60fps and super-slow motion video which can be recorded for as long as a minute also set the OnePlus 6 apart from other budget models. 

We’ve been using the very attractive “Silk White” version of the phone, but the other colour variants are also very nice. The skin OnePlus uses for the Android operating system is also sleek and simple, making it great to use for purposes other than the camera. 

At under £470, the OnePlus 6 is without doubt one of the best value phones currently available on the market. It is not the cheapest, but what you get for your money makes it a great investment. It’s got a host of attractive features, while the camera app is excellent for anyone with a greater than average interest in photography, while the results are pretty good too. 

If the camera aspect of your phone is important, but you don’t need the absolute best available, consider the OnePlus 6 a fantastic alternative to Samsung, iPhone and Huawei if you don’t want to spend lots of money on a smartphone. 

4.5 stars

Ratings (out of 5)
Design 4.5
Features 4.5
Ease-of-use 4.5
Image quality 4
Value for money 5

Main Rivals

Listed below are some of the rivals of the OnePlus 6.

Apple iPhone X

The Apple iPhone X is the most anticipated smartphone of 2017, but can its photographic capabilities really satisfy the keen photographer? Read our in-depth Apple iPhone X review to find out...

Asus Zenfone 4

The Asus Zenfone 4 is a flagship smartphone with a mid-range price and a surprisingly long list of photographer-friendly features. Read our in-depth Asus Zenfone 4 review to find out if it's the right smartphone for the keen snapper...

Google Pixel 2

According to DXO, the Google Pixel 2 offers the best image quality of any smartphone currently on the market, but is it really the best option for photographers? Read our in-depth Google Pixel 2 review to find out...

Honor 7X

The Honor 7X is a mid-range smartphone that offers a lot of bang for your buck, including a 18:9 format 6-inch screen, a 16 megapixel rear camera with additional 2 megapixel depth sensing camera, and Full HD 1080p videos at 30fps. Read our in-depth Honor 7X review for photographers now...

Honor View 10

The Honor View 10 is a flagship smartphone that won't break the bank. Key features include a 18:9 format 6-inch screen, a 16 megapixel twin rear-facing cameras each with f/1.8 apertures, and 4K video at 30fps. Read our in-depth Honor View 10 review for photographers now...

Huawei Mate 10 Pro

The Mate 10 Pro is the latest flagship phone from the Chinese manufacturer Huawei, and as with a lot of new smartphones these days, it promises a lot for the keen photographer, not least Leica-branded f/1.6 lenses and dual colour / monochrome image sensors. Read our in-depth Huawei Mate 10 Pro review for photographers now...

Huawei P10 Lite

The Huawei P10 Lite is a new budget smartphone with a 12 megapixel sensor, fast-charging battery and a 5.2-inch Full HD display. Read our Huawei P10 Lite review now...

Huawei P10 Plus

The new Huawei P10 Plus smartphone has once again been co-developed with Leica, this time around focusing on delivering "stunning artistic portrait shots in the Leica image style". Is this the best smartphone for photographers? Find out by reading our in-depth Huawei P10 Plus review...

Huawei P20 Pro

The Huawei P20 Pro is one of the most exciting new smartphones of 2018 for photographers - find out why by reading our in-depth Huawei P20 Pro review with full-size sample images and videos...

Huawei P20

The Huawei P20 is the cheaper alternative to the flagship P20 Pro smartphone that wowed us a couple of weeks ago, but that doesn't mean that it's not worth a look. Check out our in-depth Huawei P20 Pro review with full-size sample images and videos...

Kodak Ektra

The new Kodak Ektra is billed as the perfect smartphone for keen photographers, from enthusiasts to experts, but does it offer enough to replace the smartphone that's currently in your pocket? Find out by reading our Kodak Ektra review...

Samsung Galaxy Note 8

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is Samsung's biggest and most expensive smartphone, but is it also the best? Find out what it offers photographers in our in-depth Samsung Galaxy Note 8 review...

Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus

The Galaxy S9 Plus is Samsung's flagship smartphone for 2018, boasting a 6.2-inch screen, dual cameras with dual-aperture, 4K video at 60fps and super slow motion video at 960fps. Is this the ultimate smartphone for keen photographers? Find out by reading our in-depth Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus review...

Samsung Galaxy S9

The Galaxy S9 is the smaller of two new flagship smartphones from Samsung for 2018, featuring the much heralded variable aperture lens and super slow-motion video recording at 960fps. Read our in-depth Samsung Galaxy S9 review with full-size sample images and videos now...

Sony Xperia XZ1

The Sony Xperia XZ1 is a new flagship smartphone that's a little more affordable than the other flagships out there. For photographers, it offers a 19 megapixel Exmor RS sensor, f/2 25mm Sony G branded lens, 4K video recording, and a manual shooting mode. Read our Sony Xperia XZ review now to find out more about Sony's latest handset...

Review Roundup

Reviews of the OnePlus 6 from around the web.

trustedreviews.com »

It’s impressive how that in less than five years, OnePlus has gone from releasing phones barely anyone had heard of to having a glitzy launch party at the Olympic Stadium in London. The OnePlus 6 is the brand’s best phone yet, and it’s competition to the Samsung Galaxy S9, iPhone X and LG G7.
Read the full review »

techadvisor.co.uk »

Just four years into the industry, and OnePlus is already on its eighth phone if you include the X. The OnePlus 6 arrives a point where notches are all the rage and the flagship market is competitive as ever. It might not have everything a phone can have, but the OnePlus 6 is an amazing deal as you'll see in our in-depth OnePlus 6 review.
Read the full review »

expertreviews.co.uk »

“The speed you need”. The focus group that combined those four words to create the OnePlus 6's vague, unfocused tagline haven't done the Chinese firm’s eighth smartphone justice. Suggesting that the OnePlus 6 only offers the processing power that’s necessary, and no more, well, that's underselling it somewhat. Let me explain.
Read the full review »

Specifications

Basic parameters

Dimensions

155.7x75.4x7.75 mm

Weight

6.2 ounces (177g)

Material

Glass

Colors

Mirror Black/ Midnight Black/ Silk White

Operating System

OxygenOS based on Android™ Oreo

CPU

Qualcomm® Snapdragon 845 (Octa-core, 10nm, up to 2.8 GHz), within AIE

GPU

Adreno 630

Notification Light

RGB LED notification light

Vibration

Haptic vibration motor

RAM

6 GB / 8 GB LPDDR4X

Storage

UFS 2.1 2-LANE 64 GB / 128 GB / 256 GB

Sensors

Fingerprint, Hall, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Proximity, RGB Ambient Light Sensor, Electronic Compass, Sensor Core

Ports

USB 2.0, Type-C, Support USB Audio
Dual nano-SIM slot
3.5 mm audio jack

Battery

3300 mAh (non-removable) Fast Charging (5V 4A)

Buttons

Gestures and on-screen navigation support Alert Slider

Audio

Bottom-facing speaker
Noise cancellation support
Dirac HD Sound®
Dirac Power Sound®

Unlock Options

Fingerprint
Face Unlock

Connectivity

LTE/LTE-A

DL 4CA/256QAM, UL CA/64QAM, 4x4 MIMO
Supports up to DL CAT16/ UL CAT13 (1Gbps/150 Mbps) depending on carrier support

Bands

FDD LTE:
Band 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/17/18/19/20/25/26/28/29/30/32/66/71
TDD LTE: Band 34/38/39/40/41
TD-SCDMA: Band 34/39
UMTS(WCDMA): Band 1/2/4/5/8/9/19
CDMA: BC0/BC1
GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz

Check carrier compatibility

Wi-Fi

2x2 MIMO, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, 2.4G/5G

Bluetooth

Bluetooth 5.0, support aptX & aptX HD

NFC

NFC enabled

Positioning

GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo

Display

Size: 6.28 inches (The corners of the screen are within a standard rectangle. Measured diagonally, the screen size is 6.28 inches in the full rectangle and 6.12 inches accounting for the rounded corners.)
Resolution: 2280 x 1080 pixels
Aspect Ratio: 19:9
Type: Optic AMOLED
Support sRGB, DCI-P3
Cover Glass: 2.5D Corning® Gorilla® Glass 5

Features

Adaptive Mode
Reading Mode
Night Mode
Lift Up Display

Camera

Rear Camera - Main

Sensor: Sony IMX 519
Megapixels: 16
Pixel Size: 1.22 µm
OIS: Yes
EIS: Yes
Autofocus: DCAF
Aperture: f/1.7

Rear Camera - Secondary

Sensor: Sony IMX 376K
Megapixels: 20
Pixel Size: 1.0 µm
Autofocus: PDAF
Aperture: f/1.7

Flash

Dual LED Flash

Video

4K resolution video at 30/60 fps
1080P resolution video at 30/60 fps
720P resolution video at 30 fps
Super Slow Motion: 1080p video at 240 fps, 720p video at 480 fps
Time-Lapse
Video Editor

Features

Portrait, Pro Mode, Panorama, HDR, HQ, Dynamic Denoise, Clear Image, RAW Image

Front Camera

Front Camera

Sensor: Sony IMX 371
Megapixels: 16
Pixel Size: 1.0 µm
EIS: Yes
Autofocus: Fixed Focus
Aperture: f/2.0

Video

1080P resolution video at 30 fps
720P resolution video at 30 fps
Time-Lapse

Features

Portrait, HDR, Screen Flash, Smile Capture, Face Beauty

Multimedia

Audio Supported Formats

Playback: MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, WAV, FLAC, APE, OGG, MID, M4A, IMY

Video Supported Formats

Playback: MKV, MOV, MP4, H.265(HEVC), AVI, WMV, TS, 3GP, FLV, WEBM
Recording: MP4

Image Supported Formats

Playback: JPEG, PNG, BMP, GIF
Output: JPEG

In the box

1x OnePlus 6
1x Screen Protector (pre-applied)
1x Translucent Case (we recommend assembling the protective case from the bottom)
1x OnePlus Fast Charge Type-C Cable
1x OnePlus Fast Charge Power Adapter
1x SIM Tray Ejector
1x Quick Start Guide
1x Safety Information

News

The OnePlus 6 is the first in OnePlus' line of flagship smartphones to feature an all-glass design. With a 6.28-inch Full Optic AMOLED 19:9 display – OnePlus' largest-ever screen – the OnePlus 6 offers an immersive viewing experience, while keeping a similar form factor to that of the OnePlus 5T. The OnePlus 6 is also the fastest handset the company has ever produced. The OnePlus 6’s dual camera system features a 16MP main camera, supported by a 20MP secondary camera. With an f/1.7 aperture, the 16MP main camera has been bolstered by a 19 percent larger sensor and OIS for outstanding performance in a range of lighting conditions.

The OnePlus 6 in 64 GB, 128 GB and 256 GB storage options will be available in North America and in Europe on May 22nd starting from USD 529 / EUR 519 / 469 GBP.

OnePlus Press Release

Presenting the OnePlus 6 – The Speed You Need

6.28” Full Optic AMOLED Display with 19:9 aspect ratio, and Qualcomm® Snapdragon 845 deliver immersive viewing experience and smooth performance in a sleek flagship smartphone

London – May 16, 2018 – OnePlus today announced its latest premium flagship device, the OnePlus 6.

The OnePlus 6 – the first in OnePlus' line of flagships to feature an all-glass design – is the company's most sophisticated handset to date.

With a 6.28-inch Full Optic AMOLED 19:9 display – OnePlus' largest-ever screen – the OnePlus 6 offers an immersive viewing experience, while keeping a similar form factor to that of the OnePlus 5T.

Combining new technology from Qualcomm® with OnePlus' engineering, the OnePlus 6 is the fastest handset the company has ever produced.

"With the OnePlus 6, we challenged ourselves to deliver an external design as smooth and elegant as the work we've done inside the device," said OnePlus Founder and CEO Pete Lau. "We're proud of what we've accomplished, and we hope our users are too."

Fast and Smooth Experience

Addressing a common pain point among smartphone users, OnePlus is committed to ensuring its phones remain as fast and smooth as the day they came out of the box. OnePlus achieves this goal through a combination of powerful hardware and intelligent software which work seamlessly together.

The OnePlus 6 is powered by one of the most powerful processors on the market, the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 845, which improves performance by 30%, while being 10% more power efficient. Coupled with the Adreno 630, which is 30% faster than the previous generation, the OnePlus 6 is a powerhouse for everything from streaming HD video to playing graphically intense games. 

With up to 8 GB of LPDDR4X RAM, the OnePlus 6 effortlessly switches between multiple apps running at the same time without a single second of lag, allowing users to multitask with ease. The OnePlus 6's dual-lane storage, based on UFS 2.1, ensures faster app loading and read/write speeds. 

Bolder Design

As with any OnePlus device, the OnePlus 6 is beautiful and functional in equal measure – now, with more screen than ever before. To provide users with as much screen real estate as possible, OnePlus designed the navigation bar so that it can be replaced with gesture control, freeing up even more viewing space for a cleaner look.

OnePlus has experimented and innovated with glass to deliver its boldest design to date. Donning an all-glass design, the OnePlus 6 facilitates better transmission of radio waves, providing users with up to 1 gigabit of download speed. Due to its strength and malleability, OnePlus used Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on both the front and the back of the device, shaping it with slight curves to create an uninterrupted look and feel.

OnePlus' meticulous attention to detail is reflected in each of the OnePlus 6's color variants: Mirror Black, Midnight Black and a limited-edition Silk White. For the Mirror Black and Midnight Black variants, OnePlus embedded a thin layer of film underneath the glass to create a sense of depth as light and shadow move on the device. A jagged texture was etched onto the film of the Midnight Black to produce a subtle S-shaped line when the phone is reflected in light. The limited-edition Silk White uses pearl powder to create a subtle shimmering effect.

High-speed Dual Camera with Optical Image Stabilization 

The OnePlus 6’s dual camera system features a 16MP main camera, supported by a 20MP secondary camera. With an f/1.7 aperture, the 16MP main camera has been bolstered by a 19 percent larger sensor and OIS for outstanding performance in a range of lighting conditions. With Advanced HDR, OnePlus' improved High Dynamic Range algorithm, the OnePlus 6 brings out shadows and enhances lighting in photos.

Portrait Mode will be available on the OnePlus 6's front camera as well as its rear. Using AI, the front camera is able to apply a depth of field effect to selfies. Newly added bokeh effects, including circles, hearts and stars offer new ways for users to customize their portraits.

The OnePlus 6 marks the introduction of OnePlus' Slow Motion mode, which can capture high-definition video frame-by-frame with astonishing detail, ensuring users never miss the action.

Android Refined – OxygenOS

OnePlus’ operating system, OxygenOS, offers a refined Android experience that is faster, cleaner and more customizable than other Android experiences.

Like its approach to hardware, OnePlus' approach to software is centered around an experience that is refined, efficient and minimalistic. New features are vetted by OnePlus users through channels like the OxygenOS Beta Program and only added once OnePlus is confident the features can improve the way users use their phone.  

A Day’s Power in Half an Hour

The OnePlus 6's fast charge – a favorite feature amongst OnePlus users – offers one of the fastest charging solutions on the global market. A half-hour charge gives the OnePlus 6 enough power for the entire day.

Price and Availability

The OnePlus 6 in 64 GB, 128 GB and 256 GB storage options will be available on oneplus.com in North America and in Europe on May 22nd starting from USD 529 / EUR 519 / 469 GBP. The limited-edition Silk White with 128 GB of storage will be available for purchase on June 5th.

Device

USD

EUR

GBP

Mirror Black 6+64GB

529

519

469

Mirror Black 8+128 GB

579

569

519

Midnight Black 8+128 GB

579

569

519

Midnight Black 8+256 GB

629

619

569

Silk White 8+128 GB

579

569

519


O2

Purchase the OnePlus 6 at O2, the UK’s exclusive retail partner, from May 22nd, or pre-order in-store to pick up your OnePlus 6 before open sales on May 21st. O2 Refresh options include:

  • Prices start from £40 per month
  • £19.99 upfront then £40 a month for 4GB data
  • £19.99 upfront then £46 a month for 8GB data

Magnus McDonald, Director of Product and Category Management at O2: “As the exclusive UK partner for OnePlus we are really excited to be part of another fantastic launch, this time, of the OnePlus 6. We’re proud to yet again bring one of the best phones in the market to O2 customers – continuing to offer great choice and quality. We’re delighted to have been on this journey since 2016 and watching our partnership grow as demand for OnePlus exceeds all our expectations. We look forward to continue working collaboratively with OnePlus and further building on our successful partnership.” 

Trade-in programme

OnePlus recently launched a trade-in programme for Europe, offering even more flexibility to buy a OnePlus 6. The Trade-in programme offers great value across a range of handsets, including non-OnePlus devices. As an example, for May, trading-in a OnePlus 3 or 3T in good condition users can receive up to £190 / €201. The OnePlus 6 is built around The Speed You Need, and OnePlus users who act fast and trade-in their OnePlus 3 or 3T before the end of May will receive a bonus giving them a total of £205 / €216 towards their new OnePlus 6.

About OnePlus

OnePlus is a global mobile technology company challenging conventional concepts of technology. Created around the “Never Settle” mantra, OnePlus creates exquisitely designed devices with premium build quality and high-performance hardware. OnePlus thrives on cultivating strong bonds and growing together with its community of users and fans. For more information, please visit oneplus.com.

First Impressions

We attended the global launch of the OnePlus 6, the company’s brand new flagship smartphone. Ahead of our full review, here are our detailed first impressions of using the latest OnePlus premium device...

Introduction

OnePlus 6

OnePlus is well known for producing affordable smartphones that compete with the likes of the iPhone and Samsung end of the market, but at a much cheaper price.

The tagline of the OnePlus 6 is “the speed you need”, and has been designed to be quite different from the last few OnePlus phones that have come to market. There has been upgrades to the screen, the design of the phone, the camera and battery.

In terms of the camera, it uses a dual-camera setup, with 20 megapixel and 16 megapixel sensors, both equipped with f/1.7 aperture lenses. The second camera (the 20 megapixel device) is used for detail, and for the portrait mode - it’s not used as a telephoto lens, like you might find on devices such as the Huawei P20 Pro, the iPhone X or the Samsung S9+ (but the OnePlus device is much cheaper, too).

OnePlus 6

A re-addition for the OnePlus 6 is optical image stabilisation, something which was missing from the OnePlus 5 and the OnePlus 5T. This should make the OnePlus 6 better equipped to take good shots in low light. There’s also 4K video recording at up to 60fps, and super slow motion video which can be recorded for up to a minute.

The pixel size has been increased to 1.22 microns, which represents a 19% increase and has been designed to capture mode detail, without introducing too much noise.

Pricing for the OnePlus 6 starts at £469 - making it significantly cheaper than many of the high-end smartphones currently on the market.

Ease of Use

OnePlus 6

The OnePlus 6 is almost the same size as its previous devices, the OnePlus 5T and the OnePlus 5, but it has a bigger screen thanks to a much slimmer bezel. The 6.28-inch screen is the largest OnePlus display to date - and also incorporates a notch at the top of the screen, just like you’d find with an iPhone X or a Huawei P20 Pro. The navigation bar previously found at the bottom of the screen has been removed, to make way for gesture control.

Constructed from glass, the OnePlus 6 marks a departure from the metal bodies of the previous devices. OnePlus says that it wanted to emulate the look and feel of ceramic phones, but without the fragility and weight. While you may think glass would also be fragile, this is Corning Gorilla Glass 5, with the company’s own tests show that the OnePlus 6 is just as resilient against being dropped as any previous phones.

There will be three colours available - “Mirror Black”, “Midnight Black” and “Silk White”. The latter of the three is a limited edition, so may be more difficult to get hold of. Mirror Black features a shiny surface, which is very prone to fingerprints - Midnight Black uses a matte finish and is much more resilient to smudges.

OnePlus 6

The native camera app can be accessed from the bottom right hand corner of the home screen. It is a simple and clean layout, which is refreshingly simple to use. Along the bottom of the screen, you’ve got three choices - Video, Photo and Portrait. The Portrait Mode is a shallow depth of field effect mode, which can be used for photos of people, as well as creating shallow depth of field effects with other subjects, such as animals, plants and so on.

Along the top of the screen you’ve got a few options which you can toggle between, including switching HDR on and off, switching the aspect ratio, turning the flash and the timer on/off.

Portrait Mode is something which is becoming very popular among smartphone manufacturers. In essence, it recreates the look of using a DSLR or CSC to create a shallow depth of field effect. A fun addition for the OnePlus 6 is “Light Bokeh”, which gives you the option to choose differently shaped bokeh, such as orbs, stars and hearts.

OnePlus 6

If you want to get a little more complicated, you can swipe up from the bottom of the screen to reveal a couple of extra modes. Most intriguing of all of these is the “Pro” mode, which means you can adjust a variety of parameters, including white balance, ISO, shutter speed, focus type and exposure compensation. Interestingly, you can also shoot in raw format - something which is relatively rare, especially at this segment of the market. In the Pro mode, a couple of extra features which could prove useful are a histogram and a horizontal reference line (a level for helping when shooting landscapes).

We haven’t yet had chance to use the OnePlus 6 outside of the confines of the press conference, but it seemed to be very responsive, locking onto subjects fairly quickly and easily - we’ll be keen to see how well it does when a full sample becomes available.

Early Verdict

The OnePlus 6 has some extremely promising camera functions, and would suit those who are looking for a high-performing cameraphone, but doesn’t have the budget to spend on one of the bigger players in this market.

Although we haven’t had a chance to properly test out the camera, some early sample imagery shared by OnePlus looks promising - hopefully we’ll be able to replicate these when testing it ourselves. It’s a shame not to have a telephoto lens available to use here, but again, this is something which tends to only be found on more expensive models.

Being able to shoot in raw format, along with a range of options in the “Pro” mode is great for enthusiasts, but remains hidden away so as not to intrude on the average user - a good way to keep the design simple and clean.

We’ll bring you a full review of the OnePlus 6 camera as soon as a sample becomes available.

Hands On

Want to see exactly what the new OnePlus 6 smartphone looks like in the flesh?

Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the OnePlus 6 smartphone.

A gallery of hands-on photos of the new OnePlus 6 smartphone.

Image Gallery

Click on a thumbnail to see the full version.

Preview Images

Ahead of our full review, here are some sample images taken with the new OnePlus 6 smartphone.

A gallery of sample images taken with the OnePlus 6 smartphone.

OnePlus 6 Sample Images

Sample RAW Images

The OnePlus 6 enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We've provided some OnePlus RAW (DNG) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).

Sample Movie & Video

This is a sample movie at the highest quality setting of 3840x2160 at 60 frames per second. Please note that this 17 second movie is 245Mb in size.

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