OnePlus had originally started as an invite-only company that wouldn't ship its devices to anyone who was out of the loop. That's radically changed since then, bringing a range of high-specced handsets at mid-range price tags and Apple-like fluidity that owes to the single-device development scheme on a Samsung-esque sixth-month release cycle. This is one of the factors that sets them apart from the common Android OEM, and it's given them a uniquely powerful advantage over the flagship playing field.

The OnePlus 6 fills a strange role as the latest and greatest that, like its predecessors, has forgone key features that are usually considered hallmarks on flagships today — think camera and ruggedness. What redeems it is OnePlus' decision to hang on to the 3.5mm headphone jack while implementing up to 256GB of inbuilt storage, 6-8GB of RAM and a Snapdragon 845 at slightly more than half the price of typical flagship smartphones. The design language and operating environment of these devices have historically been solid, and that remains true here.

The phone is ideal for those who are looking for top-notch specifications at a parsimonious price point, but it could be a difficult sell if you're used to an all-in-one flagship. Today, we're going to look over what makes this such a great device and why the drawbacks aren't as bad as you think.

What's Hot

Costs half as much as traditional flagships while offering flagship-grade hardware on storage, RAM and processing power

Excellent build quality

Smooth, lag-free UI — a benefit that large OEMs still haven't mastered by 2018

OnePlus could be argued as the Apple of Android were it not for the incredibly generous price tag that could afford two of these devices at around the cost of a single Galaxy S or iPhone year by year. This is a perfectly good upset in the Android ecosystem, and the quirky balance is manifested in the butter-smooth daily performance mixed with a premium chassis that blends in a little too closely with the Galaxy S9 but definitely maintains that premium feel in your palms. OnePlus did away with the metal build this time through, opting for a Corning Gorilla Glass 5 backing that allows better RF transference, which should improve general cellular quality.

The device also packs some usual and expected upgrades in screen size, a bump in the camera department that takes some pretty decent portrait photos, and processing hardware that matches Samsung's latest devices and then some. The UI smoothness is still somehow a factor in 2018 where our hardware has evolved to a level that should have eliminated stuttering and transitional delays, and while it's true that this has been largely mitigated, you don't really understand the absence of these issues until you've handled a OnePlus or Google handset. In this manner of thinking, some prefer to think of OnePlus' handset as an alternative Pixel or Nexus.

Admittedly, some will find the notch annoying, and that's perfectly fine because you have the option to simply turn it off if you choose. We can't really say if the notch itself a one-plus or not; the general public is heavily divided on the matter. However, it's clear that the notch here, which is half the size of the one used on the iPhone X, is used as a genuine solution to the lack of bezels instead of simply following Apple's handset in a fashion statement. Like its predecessors, you also get a hardware switch for notifications — a nifty plus to OnePlus' offering.

What's Not

No ruggedness despite using a sealed battery

Camera suite is perfectly usable but doesn't have that flagship "wow effect"

No wireless charging, and the battery life is shorter than its predecessor

No microSD

We'll be honest here: For many users, these drawbacks won't amount to much. For example, the lack of a removable battery in a flagship would normally be offset by implementing IP68 water-resistance and dustproofing, but in this case, you get neither. That's okay — put a case on it and don't drop it in a toilet, and you likely won't run into any troubles. The same can be said for wireless charging, which not everyone cares about in this day and age of mobility charging; it's often easier to just plug in the old way and let it charge with what's included out of the box. In other words, these are issues that will remain mostly unnoticed in day-to-day use.

The camera certainly is no slouch, but it's not quite able to meet the likes of Huawei, Apple or Samsung. At minimum, you're getting high dynamic range (HDR) and optical image stabilization (OIS) with 4K video at 60FPS; these already form a sound basis for a quality shooting package. The cameras slide in at plenty-sharp 16MP shooters, so there are no complaints there, and while the sensor array is a little small, your photos should come through better in lower lighting than OnePlus' predecessors. We're not sure if the lack of microSD is meant to reflect the not-quite-excellent camera suite or not, but with up to 256GB of storage, we don't think this is a significant drawback.

Verdict: Well Worth the Price

It's difficult to say mean things about OnePlus' clever corner-cutting on the 6's feature palette, and understandably, their ethos is to get rid of what really won't be noticed. Apple could take a page from OnePlus here instead of removing the 3.5mm headphone jack from their handsets, but that's neither here nor there. In their own unique way, OnePlus continues to shake the market with devices that match their competition blow for blow while maintaining almost inexplicably low price points, and it boils down to this: The company focuses on one product line. As such, the OnePlus 6 has received all the manufacturer love that even Samsung's devices lack.