OnePlus 6 launches in India for ₹34,999: Here’s everything you need to know

OnePlus looks to solidify its position in the mid-range segment with its 2018 flagship.

After months of rumors, leaks, teasers, and endless speculation, the OnePlus 6 is finally official. OnePlus unveiled the phone at a global event in London, and is now following it up with a local event in India, its largest market. India accounts for over a third of all sales for the company, and even if OnePlus doesn’t have the market share of Samsung or Xiaomi, it dominates the mind share.

With the OnePlus 6, the company is introducing a new glass-backed design that still retains its signature “horizon line” aesthetic. There’s also a new camera with larger 1.22um pixels, and a 19:9 screen up front with a cutout for the front camera module.

The price for all the new changes? ₹34,999. That’s for the version with 6GB of RAM and 64GB storage, at a time when similarly-specced phones cost nearly twice as much.

A mere ₹2,000 bump over the 5T makes the OnePlus 6 one of the best deals of the year, particularly when you consider the design changes. Here’s what you need to know about OnePlus’ 2018 flagship.

OnePlus 6: All the specs

If you care about raw numbers (and a lot of OnePlus customers do), you’ll love what’s on offer with the OnePlus 6. The phone is the first in India to feature Qualcomm’s latest silicon, the Snapdragon 845, which offers four Kryo 385 cores clocked up to 2.90GHz along with four cores at 1.70GHz. Like last year, you’ll be able to pick up a variant with 8GB of RAM, but this time around you can pair it with 256GB of internal storage.

The camera has been overhauled with a new imaging sensor (Sony IMX 519) that has larger 1.22um pixels and more importantly, OIS. The secondary 20MP camera is now solely used for portrait mode, and the phone now offers slow-mo video up to 480fps at 720p.

The battery is unchanged from last year at 3300mAh, and Dash Charge continues to be one of the best protocols for fast charging. The OnePlus 6 also retains the 3.5mm jack, and the phone is splash resistant as well — although there’s no IP rating.

The OnePlus 6 is running OxygenOS 5.1.2 atop Android 8.1 Oreo, and the uncluttered interface combined with OnePlus’ optimizations make it one of the best manufacturer skins around.

OnePlus 6 specifications

OnePlus 6: New glass design, notched display

With the OnePlus 6, OnePlus switched out the usual metal chassis for a glass back reinforced by Gorilla Glass 5, which gives the device a more premium look. The camera sensors are now arrayed vertically, and have been moved to the center. The fingerprint sensor sits below the imaging modules, and is just as easy to access. Oh, and there’s a “Designed by OnePlus” stamped at the bottom.

The notable change up front is the introduction of a notch at the top of the display, which OnePlus says increases screen real estate. The phone now offers a 6.28-inch 19:9 AMOLED panel with a resolution of 2280×1080, and while there’s still a chin, the bezels at the bottom have shrunk considerably from its predecessor.

Like the back, the front is protected by Gorilla Glass 5, and you do get the option to turn off the notch from the settings if you’re not a fan of the design.

A mere ₹2,000 bump over the 5T makes the OnePlus 6 a fantastic deal in 2018.

The Alert Slider has been moved to the right to better integrate the antenna bands into the design of the phone, and there’s a single speaker located at the bottom on the other side of the 3.5mm jack.

The OnePlus 6 has dual 16MP + 20MP cameras at the back, with the primary sensor (Sony IMX 519) now featuring 1.22um pixels. A welcome change is the addition of OIS on both sensors. And for the first time, there’s software-driven portrait mode for the front camera, and slow-motion video at 480fps.

On the software front, the OnePlus 6 comes with the latest version of OxygenOS 5.1.2 atop Android 8.1 Oreo. OnePlus’ take on gestures is one of the best implementations yet on Android, and with gesture-based navigation set to go mainstream with Android P, we’ll likely see more manufacturers offer their own take in the coming months.

OnePlus 6 hands-on

OnePlus 6: Pricing, availability, and launch offers

The OnePlus 6 will go on sale in India starting May 21 in an early access sale on Amazon, with the general sale kicking off from May 22. You’ll be able to pick up the phone in three color options: Mirror Black, Midnight Black, and Silk White.

The OnePlus 6 starts off at ₹34,999 for the version with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The model with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage will be available for ₹39,999, and the Avengers Edition will be the sole model in the country with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. That’ll be available for ₹44,999.

This is the OnePlus 6 Avengers Edition

OnePlus 6

• OnePlus 6 hands-on preview
• OnePlus 6 vs. OnePlus 5T: How much changes in six months?
• OnePlus 6 vs. OnePlus 5: Should you upgrade?
• These are the official OnePlus 6 cases
• The OnePlus 6 doesn’t work on Verizon or Sprint
• Join the discussion in the forums