OnePlus 6: Is There Room for Improvement to Warrant a 6T?

Last week saw the launch of the OnePlus 6, the cheapest flagship phone on the market. OnePlus crafts smartphones that have the best price to performance ratio. But the Chinese phone also surprises when it comes to the “T” versions of their flagships.

No OnePlus 6T?

The trend started with the OnePlus 3T, which was one of the best phones on the market at the time of launch. Then came the OnePlus 5 which did not bring about a lot of changes other than the dual camera on the back. But the OnePlus 5T brought about the complete suite of gimmicks that its predecessor lacked. Come 2018, the OnePlus 6 is the compendium of all the trends of the year. There’s the dual cameras, glass back, and the infamous notch. OnePlus seems to have nailed it when it comes to the features that are expected from flagships this year. But does that mean that there won’t be a 6T? Or if there is, where is the room for improvement?

Look closely, and you’ll notice that the 6 is missing some features that could’ve been easily implemented. For starters, there’s no wireless charging even though the phone has a glass back. To this OnePlus officials replied, “We don’t really feel the need to add wireless charging. We’re not going to add a feature just for the sake of it”. Apart from the fact that it would increase the design complexity, there’s also the cost factor. Wireless charging also adds up to the cost of an external module aka the charging dock. But those come for quite cheap and if wireless charging is an option, we won’t mind spending a few bucks on the dock. Another shortcoming is the lack of IP certification. Even though the OnePlus 6 boasts of water resistance against splashes and rain, it does not have an IP certification. OnePlus uses a water resistant material around the phone and in the open ports to protect against water resistance. But the funny part is, any damage caused due to moisture is not covered under warranty. Catch-22 much?

There is New Tech that can be Implemented

These are the features that aren’t something that would cause a lot of stir for the OnePlus 6T. But there is one that might; the under-display fingerprint scanner. Rumors are rife that the Xiaomi Mi8 will sport an under-the-display fingerprint scanner. There’s also rumors that it’ll have iPhone X like facial recognition tech, but honestly, I feel it’s not something that’s worth launching a new phone for. Vivo is currently the leader when it comes to fingerprint tech under the screen. The company is in the 2nd iteration of its under-the-display fingerprint tech with the Vivo X21 UD taking the reins this year. Even Huawei implemented it in the Mate RS Porsche Design.

So yes, there definitely is room for improvement on the OnePlus 6. And thanks to that, we will probably have the OnePlus 6T on our hands in the next 6 months or so. Can you think of any features that we might have missed? What are you expecting from the 6T?