Everything we know so far about the new OnePlus 6
The OnePlus 6 launch date is May 16 (that’s today) and with a huge number of leaks – and official teasers from OnePlus itself – we have a pretty good idea of what you can expect.
Many OnePlus 6 leaks point to an Android smartphone that combines faster speeds with a trendy all-screen (with notch) design, while remaining affordable next to other flagship devices.
Update: We’ve got the latest details on how you can watch the OnePlus 6 live event, and even more official-looking images of the handset have leaked. Head back here at 5pm BST (12pm EDT, 9am PDT) today to see the latest phone from OnePlus.
The OnePlus 6 will be replacing the OnePlus 5T (which is now off sale in the UK, Europe and US).
The 5T was one of the more impressive phones of 2017, finally bringing the taller display that’s fashionable among the big brands, as well as improvements to the camera. The OnePlus 6 promises to be even better.
We’ve got a lot of information about the new phone, so here’s everything you need to know about the OnePlus 6.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? The next numbered flagship from OnePlus
- When is it out? Launch set for May 16, on sale from May 21
- What will it cost? Likely more than the 5T, but still undercutting rival flagships
OnePlus 6 release date
Hottest leaks:
- OnePlus 6 launch date: confirmed as May 16 (later today)
- OnePlus 6 release date: from May 21
- OnePlus 6 will be on sale in select locations on May 21
The OnePlus 6 launch date is set for later today (May 16 or May 17 in China and India), with an event being held in London, England to show off the handset.
TechRadar will be reporting live from the launch event to bring you all the latest on the new OnePlus flagship smartphone.
It’s still unclear when the OnePlus 6 will hit stores, but OnePlus has announced a series of pop-up events across the US, Europe, India and China on May 21 where you’ll be able to buy the handset for the first time.
OnePlus 6 price
Hottest leaks:
- OnePlus 6 price: leaks suggests a price as high as $749
- Expected to be more expensive than $499 (£449, AU$599) OnePlus 5T
It looks like the OnePlus 6 price will be the highest the firm has ever charged for a smartphone. Exactly how much it will cost is one of the things we don’t know for certain about the new phone, but everything points to it being more expensive than last year’s devices.
The latest price leaks point to a OnePlus 6 price tag between $520 (around £375, AU$690) for the 64GB model and $749 (around £530, AU$970) for the new (and confirmed) 256GB variant. It could go as far as £700 in reality when the UK prices are announced.
To put that into context, the $499 price tag of the 5T would have been around £320 when converted, but landed at £449 on UK shelves.
A small price increase wouldn’t be a surprise considering the specs rumored for the OnePlus 6, and its competition in the market, but a jump quite this large will be hard for some fans to handle.
OnePlus 6 design and display
Hottest leaks:
- CONFIRMED: screen notch, headphone jack, water-resistant, glass rear
- Dual cameras and fingerprint scanner
- Bigger, 6.28-inch screen
OnePlus 6 camera and battery
Hottest leaks:
- A 20MP and 16MP dual-lens rear camera
- A 20MP front-facing camera
- A 3,450mAh battery
The OnePlus 6 is almost certain to pack dual rear cameras, and a leaked spec listreveals it might have a dual-lens f/1.7 camera on the back, with 20MP and 16MP sensors – the same as the OnePlus 5T.
However, the front-facing camera is listed as being a 20MP f/2.0 one, up from 16MP on the OnePlus 5T, which does raise our suspicions a little as this seems pretty high.
OnePlus has published an animation on its Twitter account mentioning that you’ll be able to focus the cameras with the alert slider.
OnePlus 6 power and storage
Hottest leaks:
- CONFIRMED: Snapdragon 845, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage
- Could be a variant with less RAM and storage as well
There’s no more guesswork required here. The OnePlus 6 will pack in a Snapdragon 845 chipset, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, as confirmed by the CEO.
More OnePlus 6 leaks and news
From the numerous leaks we’ve seen so far, it looks like the OnePlus 6 will have a rear mounted fingerprint scanner – although it may be smaller than the circular offering on the 5T.
Elsewhere we’ve heard that the phone might have a more advanced facial recognition system than the OnePlus 5T, possibly one that could rival Face ID on the iPhone X.
OnePlus 6 Avengers: Infinity War edition
Finally, we should note the superhero status of this phone. There’s going to be a Marvel-themed OnePlus 6 Avengers: Infinity War edition, according to a Deadline report.
The special edition handset, said to be coming to the UK at the very least, has Hulk-sized specs with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. It’ll also likely get a superhero paint job for its movie tie-in.
It’s official, the OnePlus 6 will have an iPhone X-style notch in its display, although it will be smaller than the one found on Apple’s flagship smartphone.
The Chinese firm has also confirmed that the OnePlus 6 will feature the biggest screen it’s ever put on a phone, while not increasing the handset’s overall size, resulting in a 90% screen-to-body ratio.
OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has also confirmed that the OnePlus 6 will have a glass design, which is a departure from the metal unibody featured on the 3, 3T, 5 and 5T.
The official image (above) is similar to a leaked image (below) which shows the screen in full, though this leaked image seems to show the button on the right edge in a slightly different position, so it may not be accurate.
The screen looks big, and with the OnePlus 5T already boasting a 6.01-inch display, rumors that the OnePlus 6 screen will measure 6.28 inches are now even more believable.
Another image (see Tweet below), teased by OnePlus itself, shows the OnePlus 6 under a OnePlus 5T. It doesn’t show much, but the alert slider isn’t visible, meaning it’s presumably been moved to the right edge if this image is accurate (as OnePlus has confirmed that its next phone still has an alert slider).
It also looks as though the back panel is less curvy than the 5T’s, and the phone apparently comes in a ‘refined form factor’.
OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei has also confirmed that the firm’s next device will retain a headphone jack – which will be music to many people’s ears.
That said, OnePlus is also entering into the wireless headphone business, according to a Bluetooth database leak that seemingly confirms OnePlus Bullet Wireless headphones.
There’s more good news too, as OnePlus has heavily hinted that the OnePlus 6 will be its first smartphone to be water-resistant.
A better look at the OnePlus 6 came courtesy of ITHome, which published a couple of snaps claiming to show the new handset in the flesh.
They could well be genuine too, as we know that the new OnePlus 6 will adopt a glass rear – something that’s been missing from the firm’s previous handsets. It wouldn’t be the first time it’s used glass on the rear of a device though, as the short-lived OnePlus X featured this finish.
While things didn’t go all that well for the OnePlus X, the glass body is on trend in 2018 and sees the OnePlus 6 follow in the footsteps of the iPhone 8, iPhone X, Samsung Galaxy S9 and Sony Xperia XZ2.
The leak also shows a vertically stacked rear dual-camera setup in the middle of the phone, with a fingerprint scanner below it.
Another image leak claiming to show the OnePlus 6 adds further weight to the previous images, with a similar looking handset.
We’ve also seen a leaked specs sheet, listing a 6.28-inch 2280 x 1080 display, with the phone said to be 7.5mm thick and 175g and leaked screenshotsrevealing a widescreen 19:9 aspect ratio.
CAD renders supposedly showing the OnePlus 6 from multiple angles further support the raft of other rumors, highlighting a central camera bump above a rear fingerprint scanner and a notch on the front of the display.
Plus, in possibly the best quality OnePlus 6 leak we’ve seen, images seemingly showing the handset in high-res glory appeared briefly on Amazon Germany and were spotted by SlashLeaks.
Previously, the OnePlus 5T launched initially in black, and then several months later OnePlus offered it in white and red for limited periods of time.
The OnePlus 6, however, may launch in both black and white from the word go after the Chinese firm posted a video showing fans getting hands on with prototypes of the new phone.
While the devices in their hands are heavily pixelated, you can clearly see in the video below that there are both black and white versions of the OnePlus 6.
