OnePlus 6 To Support Gigabit LTE Connectivity [REPORT]

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OnePlus 6 is only about three months away, and there has been plenty of evidence that the Chinese vendor is going to make a big splash with this year’s flagship. It will be as good as the iPhone X in most aspects while costing only about half as much. OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has already confirmed that OnePlus 6 would be powered by the Snapdragon 845 chipset because “there’s no other choice.”

Folks at XDA Developers have learned from reliable sources that OnePlus 6 would support Cat.16 Gigabit LTE connectivity. It will make the upcoming flagship the fastest ever OnePlus smartphone in terms of data throughput. It will have Qualcomm’s X20 LTE modem that supports download speeds of up to 1.2Gbps and upload speeds of up to 150Mbps. If the report turns out to be true, it would deliver blazing fast data speeds.

The current OnePlus 5 and 5T have Cat.12 LTE connectivity with maximum downlink speeds of up to 600Mpbs. The OnePlus 3 and 3T had a maximum download speed of up to 300Mbps. The faster download speed is carrier-centric. It means you’ll be able to take advantage of the highest download and upload speeds only if your carrier offers better 4G availability and average speeds. You won’t get the Gigabit LTE speed on OnePlus 6 if you are not on a supported network.

The 5G network isn’t yet widely available, and OnePlus 6 won’t offer 5G support. OnePlus 6 will take advantage of Cat.16 Gigabit LTE, the best connectivity technology available right now that would prove useful. However, the next year’s OnePlus flagship could boast 5G speeds. The Chinese company is working with Qualcomm to add 5G support to its future phones. According to XDA Developers, Qualcomm’s next-gen Snapdragon 855 chipset and X50 LTE modem would support 5G networks.

When OnePlus released the Android 8.1 Oreo-based OxygenOS Beta 4 update for OnePlus 5T, XDA Developers dug into the software and unearthed some interesting details. Hidden within the Settings APK file was the OnePlus 6 code-name “Enchilada.” References to “Enchilada” were found alongside “cheeseburger” and “dumpling,” which where OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T, respectively. The code-name for the upcoming flagship is in line with OnePlus’s naming scheme.

XDA Developers also found in the firmware files an image showing a display notch similar to the iPhone X. The image was titled “screendecor_up_img_enchilada_1”. The image might have been used as an overlay to test apps on OnePlus 6’s notched display. Oppo recently shared the design of Oppo R15, which also sports a display notch. It’s a strong indication that OnePlus 6 would also have a notch.

OnePlus 6 Notch
Image Source: XDA-Developers.com (screenshot)

Both Oppo and OnePlus brands are owned by China’s BBK Electronics. The two brands tend to borrow each other’s design language, so we wouldn’t be surprised if OnePlus 6 takes inspiration from Oppo R15. The OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T’s designs were based on Oppo R11 and R11S, respectively.

Recently, ITHome posted leaked images of OnePlus 6 prototypes that lent further credibility to reports that the phone would have a display notch. Major Android vendors such as Huawei, OnePlus, LG, Asus, and even Nokia are trying desperately to copy the iPhone X’s top cutout. Google is adding native support for the cutout in its Android P, which would be available by the end of this year. It would allow third-party app developers to optimize their apps for the notch.

OnePlus 6 iPhone X Notch
Image Source: ITHome.com (screenshot)

The notch on OnePlus 6 prototypes is smaller than on the iPhone X. It accommodates the front camera, ear speaker, and Face Unlock sensors. Icons for battery and cellular connectivity are on the right side of the cutout while time is on the left side. The prototypes have a glass body, a rear-mounted fingerprint reader, dual-tone LED flash, and vertically-arranged dual camera setup. The Alert slider is on the right side.

OnePlus 6 is rumored to feature an advanced Face Unlock that would be more secure than the existing version. It would use 3D infrared modules to step up security. The current Face Unlock on OnePlus 5 and 5T is fast and convenient, but it isn’t secure because it relies on the software and camera rather than depth sensors. The upcoming flagship would run Android Oreo-based OxygenOS out of the box.

The OnePlus 6 was recently spotted on AnTuTu benchmark, where it scored 276,510 points, which is even higher than the iPhone X’s 226,000 and the Galaxy S9’s 265,000 points on the same test. It indicates that OnePlus 6 would be one of the most powerful smartphones when it hits the store shelves. It will be powered by Snapdragon 845 and 6GB or 8GB RAM.

OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has indicated that OnePlus 6 would launch by the end of second quarter. The company traditionally refreshes its flagship line in June.

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