OnePlus revealed its second smartphone of the year, the OnePlus 6T, at an event on Monday in New York. The handset is in line with recent leaks and rumors, offering premium specs at an affordable price of $529. However, there are some OnePlus 6T disappointments and issues.
Impressive specs at an affordable price
The OnePlus 6T features a 6.41-inch OLED screen with 19:5:9 aspect ratio and 2340 x 1080 (402 ppi) resolution. It is the first OnePlus phone to get an in-display fingerprint reader, or as the Chinese company calls it, “Screen Unlock.” Further, the company claims it to be the fastest-performing implementation of in-display fingerprint authentication so far.
The handset has a small notch, and the chin on the front is smaller than those found on similar Android handsets. It features a 3,700 mAh battery and a dual-lens camera setup with 16 MP and 20 MP sensors. The primary lens has an aperture of f/1.7. OnePlus has also introduced a new Nightscape feature to improve low-light photography. Additionally, the camera offers optical image stabilization and a new Studio Lighting feature.
The Chinese company claims the handset will outperform other flagships, particularly the Galaxy Note 9. The handset ships with OxygenOS on top of Android 9 Pie.
For the first time, OnePlus has partnered with a U.S. carrier (T-Mobile) for direct sales. Previously, OnePlus devices were only available online. The 6T also supports Verizon’s network. At launch, the handset will be available in midnight (matte) black and mirror black.
Overall, users appeared happy with the specifications and features. However, there were some OnePlus 6T disappointments as well, meaning some users were not content with what the Chinese company has to offer.
OnePlus 6T disappointments
One big OnePlus 6T disappointment is the absence of the headphone jack. Although it was expected that the Chinese company, like other handset makers, would also ditch the standard 3.5mm headphone jack, the fact that the OnePlus 6 had it made some users complain about its removal in the 6T.
Next on the list of OnePlus 6T disappointments is the missing notification LED. This is a genuine disappointment even for the most ardent OnePlus fans, who relied on such notifications for their daily communications. Such users took to Reddit to express their disappointment over this useful missing feature.
“A year ago, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau wrote that 80 percent of OnePlus users still used the headphone jack. Today, Lau is launching a phone without a headphone jack. More recently, company co-founder Carl Pei explained to me that the notification LED was so important to OnePlus users that its inclusion even affected the size of the OnePlus 6’s notch. Today, Pei and company are releasing a phone without a notification light,” one user said.
Moreover, the handset does not feature an always on-display. The always-on display was in the OnePlus 6, but the Chinese company later disabled it due to battery concerns.
OnePlus 6T issues and limitations
Along with these disappointments, there are some OnePlus 6T issues, based on the reviews so far. Many early reviews of the OnePlus 6T refer to issues with the in-display fingerprint sensor. Although they are not technical issues with the sensor, reviewers point out that the scanner is slow and inconsistent.
“I registered my two thumbprints with the OnePlus 6T, and I got a maddeningly low success rate unlocking the phone on the first attempt,” Vlad Savov of The Verge said.
A similar issue was raised by XDA Developers as well. XDA Editor-in-Chief Mishaal Rahman found the sensor to be slower than the one in the OnePlus 6 and OnePlus 5. However, Rahman noted that the issue could be due to wet fingers.
Reviewers also pointed out a few limitations. Ron Aamdeo from Ars Technica noted that the screen needs to be on to allow users to unlock the handset with the fingerprint. However, he also said the display could be set to turn on by double tapping the screen or on lifting the phone.
Another limitation is the single, bottom-firing speaker. However, GSMARENA noted in its review that “it still gets quite loud and produces clean sound.” Further, like the OnePlus 6, the OnePlus 6T also does not support wireless charging even though it has a glass back.
