OnePlus 6: Everything we know so far

OnePlus 6: Everything we know so far

OnePlus is the reigning king in the kingdom of budget flagship phones, but the competition is only getting stronger. With the hugely anticipated OnePlus 6 just around the corner, here’s everything we know (or at least think we know) about the next in line for the budget phone throne.

It’ll be as powerful as an S9

The Snapdragon 845 will power most of the major flagship Android phones in 2018, from the Sony Xperia XZ2 to some versions of the Samsung Galaxy S9 (pictured). And it’ll power the OnePlus 6, too. OnePlus has been using Snapdragons for its entire lifespan, and the company confirmed that would continue back in January, with a recent update revealing the processor would be paired with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. Nice.

It’ll have an iPhone-style notch (but you can hide it)

Love it or hate it, the Apple iPhone X’s notch is sweeping through the smartphone world as a template for full-face, bezel-lite smartphones – and OnePlus is following suit. This official teaser image clearly shows one, although you’ll be able to hide it by turning the visible parts of the notification bar black. OnePlus head Carl Pei has also confirmed that the phone will have a “chin” (or bottom bezel) on the front, while leaked photos suggest it’ll be glass on the back rather than metal, with a dual-camera setup in the middle and a fingerprint sensor underneath. Pretty standard fare.

It’ll have a 19:9 screen

The OnePlus 5 was based on a template provided by Oppo’s R11 and, going by its notch, the OnePlus 6 looks like it might be based on Oppo’s recently released R15 (pictured). That would mean a 6.28in OLED screen with a 19:9 aspect ratio and 1080p resolution. OnePlus has skipped out on Quad HD displays so far to keep the price down and that will need to continue to stop the 6’s price from getting too high.

It’ll definitely have a headphone port

Yeah, here’s one great tidbit: unlike the iPhone X, the OnePlus 6 will keep the headphone port. That’s official. Leaks suggest that the OnePlus 6 will run Android 8.1 Oreo with the OxygenOS skin on top, plus it will also implement the iPhone X-like gesture controls seen in beta on other OnePlus devices, making it easier to move around the interface and between apps without needing the Android software keys.

It’ll have an infrared camera

OnePlus boss Carl Pei has already confirmed the OnePlus 6 won’t have a “structured light” camera on the front like the iPhone X (pictured) does, but that doesn’t mean it won’t have an infrared sensor for face-based security. Round the back it’s unlikely to be a drastic change from the 5T’s doubled-up camera setup, although there’s definitely still room for improvement with low-light shots and HDR mode.

It’ll be more expensive

With flagship phones getting more expensive, and recent OnePlus models getting further away from the OnePlus 3’s (pictured) initial £309 price tag, chances are the 6 is going to cost more than the £449 that the OnePlus 5T will set you back today. The aforementioned Oppo R15 costs about US$475, albeit with a different processor, but that’s a pretty good guide. It might only end up coming in a few quid under, but we reckon it’d be risky to go above £500.

It’ll be here sooner than you think

OnePlus has carved out its own window for announcements: early summer, after the expected buzz of Samsung and LG and ahead of the autumn barrage of Apple, Google, and co. There’s no reason to believe that this year will be much different. The OnePlus 5T (seen here) is going strong, and OnePlus promised it’d launch its successor no later than the end of June, but with social media teasers being ramped up already, we’d be surprised if it didn’t put in an appearance sooner than that.