Although the OnePlus 5T recently released, customers are looking forward to the OnePlus 6 — a launch that’s about half a year a way. While we don’t know many detailed specifications on the phone, YouTube channel “Science and Technology” released a OnePlus 6 concept video that gives us a sense of what one artist imagines the upcoming device may look like. With recent mockups of the Xiaomi Mi 7 and the Galaxy X Edge, this video is the latest in a series that help us imagine the future of the smartphone market.
OnePlus 6 Concept
As you can see in the video below, the phone is made out of metal, just like the OnePlus 5T and several of the company’s previous devices. A dual camera setup on the back of the phone with a new vertical alignment offers the potential for some great pictures, and the LED flash is located just underneath to illuminate dark environments. The antennas of the phone are hidden, just as they are on the OnePlus 5 and 5T, and a fingerprint scanner sits on the rear of the device. The choice to place fingerprint scanners on the back of phones is largely one out of necessity, due to rapidly increasing screen sizes and shrinking bezels. There’s some recent advances in technology that may offer the ability to place scanners underneath the screen, so hopefully devices skip the awkward rear scanner in the near future.
The logo of the phone was relocated to the bottom of the phone’s rear, but other than that, all button placements seem to be located roughly the same place they were in the OnePlus 5T. Continuing the market trend of smaller bezels, this OnePlus 6 concept shows the phone with much thinner bezels than on the OnePlus 5T. The phone still sports the signature rounded edges that gave the 5T its premium look.
OnePlus 6 Features
As far as the display goes, the OnePlus 6 features a 6-inch QHD+ (2880 x 1440) Optic AMOLED panel, which is topped with Corning’s Gorilla Glass 5. This sturdy glass ensures dropping your phone won’t be nearly as damaging as with older models that are prone to shattering.
The operating system runs Android 8.0 Oreo, although it is adjusted with the Oxygen OS 5.0 operating system. OxygenOS has generally been pretty well received, but stock Android is generally more clean and intuitive than 3rd party skins.
The OnePlus 6 concept imagines that the phone will be seriously powerful, with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC as well as 6GB / 8GB of RAM and 64 GB / 128 GB / 256 GB of storage. The back of the phone features 16 and 12 megapixel lenses, both with a f/1.6 aperture, OIS, and PDAF. The front of the phone will have a single 16 megapixel camera, also with a f./1.6 aperture (perfect for selfies!) The OnePlus 6 concept also suggests that the phone will include a headphone jack, which is a great feature that steps away from the recent trend of forcing customers to use bluetooth to listen to their favorite music without disturbing those around them.
On the bottom of the phone, a Type-C USB port allows for quick charging. Dash Charge, a technology for speedy recharging, allows you to top up the 3950 mAH non-removable battery much faster than competitors.
OnePlus 6 Release Date
While we currently don’t have much of an idea of when the phone will release, it’s looking as if it could be somewhere around June 2018. With the OnePlus 5T releasing in late November of this year and the OnePlus 5 launching back in June, it would mark about a year of time between two major flagship releases. As most smartphone companies aim for yearly releases, we feel that it’s a pretty good estimate.
It’s important to keep in mind that the OnePlus 6 concept video is just that: a concept. It’s the imagination of a creative at work, and it’s not a release from the company itself. Still, it’s a lot of fun to think about what we could expect from upcoming flagships. Whether this video is accurate or completely off base remains to be seen, but it’s set to be a seriously impressive handset if these specs and design are anywhere close to true.
