back to article OnePlus 6: Perfect porridge? One has to make a smartphone that's juuuust right

Like a broken record, with every phone review we publish, some Reg readers insist that their ancient <insert brand here> is perfectly good and there's no need to buy a new one. But take a bow, dear curmudgeons, for you have been proved wise. A lot of people now think so too. The broken record is the hit of 2018. Take the …

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  1. SJA

    Qi Charging

    Ever since I had a Nexus with Qi Charging and a nice Tylt Qi charger I haven't considered a phone without Qi capabilities anymore. I do like the OnePlus phones - great hardware for good price - but without Qi it's no option for me.

    1. Dave 126 Silver badge

      Re: Qi Charging

      I haven't bothered yet to buy a Qi charging mat, but I like the idea that should my phone's USB socket die i can continue to use my phone.

      As such, i place wireless charging in a 'nice to have' category that might play a role in protecting my investment - along with waterproofing, a thick case and a tempered glass screen protector.

      Sadly the OnePlus 6 is vaguely weather resistant but not certified waterproof.

      1. SJA

        Re: Qi Charging

        Another benefit is: I don't have to fiddle with cables anymore and when I come home, I put it on my charger (same for work) and I just know where I have my phone...

        1. Geoff (inMelbourne)

          Re: Qi Charging

          It's very convenient in the car too. No need to fumble around with cables.

          If you put you hone down, it's charging . . .

          Brilliant!

      2. James 51

        Re: Qi Charging

        @Dave126 This happened to a friend of mine. They were able to recharge their phone using a pad for a few months before dropping it and smashing the screen (they never did say how the usb port died).

      3. Arctic fox

        @Dave 126 Re: "Qi Charging"

        I have to say I agree with regard to features that are "nice to have" and feel that Andrew's point about " fingerprint unlocking and rapid charging" being the only important features to have turned up (hardware wise) in recent years accords with my feelings/experience. The more of the article I read the more depressed I got about new high end shinies. Makes me even more convinced that I made the right choice recently when I bought a Nokia 7 Plus - bloody good mob in all respects at the price point (about £350 inc VAT). :)

    2. Sam Liddicott

      Re: Qi Charging

      I haven't found a better value phone since my Elephone P9000.

      As you say it's usually wireless charging missing, and it's a must.

    3. Bloodbeastterror

      Re: Qi Charging

      Check this (others available):

      https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Nillkin-Wireless-Charging-Receiver-Charger/dp/B01M11UT3V/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1527681381&sr=8-3&keywords=usb+c+wireless+charging+receiver

      My son's G5 has one and it works very nicely, hidden under the back case.

    4. SamX

      Re: Qi Charging

      - I have Nexus too, but use the quickcharge USB more than the wireless charging. It is just much faster than wireless.

      - Removable battery? Ii's getting less likely than it can be the case in future. Brands claim thinner phones and better packaging of components. But, the real reason is that they want to buy a new phone every 2-3 years, by making it nearly impossible to replace battery without breaking the phone.

      - Some use the same login for screens and the shell (glass shell).

      1. James 51

        Re: Qi Charging

        This is one reason why the Z2 Force interests me. The battery mod can be setup effectively as a replacement battery. Expensive though.

        1. Dave 126 Silver badge

          Re: Qi Charging

          The Moto Mod appears to relatively healthy (it's seen a couple of generations of handset and new mods are being released). I guess this can only happen in a nature market where many people have settled on a roughly 5" phone as being the best compromise of screen area and ergonomics.

          The mod system is supior to replaceable internal batteries for all those who claim to be using their phone all day: it doesn't require a phone restart.

          And yes, you can choose a Moto phone based on whether you prioritise slimness or durability.

          They're not mentioned much in the US-centric tech blogs - I was interested to read that they're doing well in Brazil - and I've seen them advertised in TV in France.

      2. SJA

        Re: Qi Charging

        @SamX

        I hardly ever use quick charging. At home I have Qi charger, at work I have Qi charger.... when I arrive at work, I put it on my Tylt.. it gets charged the whole day while I'm at work... when I'm back home, I put it on my Tylt... it gets charged all night long.... there's hardly ever a need to use quick charging myself :)

    5. Charles 9

      Re: Qi Charging

      I've tried Qi charging in the past, but I've gotten leery of the issues of heat I always seem to notice when using them. Heat is murder on a battery, and the last thing I want is a non-removable battery (currently still a deal-breaker for me) starting to bulge.

  2. psychonaut

    Hmm. How should we differentiate our phones??

    Its soooo obvious.

    Sd slot

    Removable battery

    Waterproof

    Still rocking my note 4 as there is NOTHING to replace it with

    1. Lee D Silver badge

      Headphone socket.

      Stop making it so damn slim, just put a decent battery on the entire back. Nobody has pockets that can't take 8-10mm of phone. On the same note, ruggedise it so I don't HAVE to buy a case to put the stupendously fragile screens away from the edge.

      The S4/S5 mini's had an IR blaster - literally TINY and works perfectly for all the household kit (I use it in work to control all makes and models of TV, projector, DVD player, etc.). People didn't move to Bluetooth remote controls yet, put those back in!

      Will literally PAY MONEY for a phone whose charging port is modular and replaceable, I see so many damaged ones.

      Not to mention:

      - Real buttons.

      - Accessible SD / Sim slots on the side

      - Dual-SIM in every mass-market phone would be nice (or eSIMs)

      - Clean Android install (work with the CyanogenMod / whatever they are called nowadays people to make it officially changeable from DAY ONE).

      - Proper little stand on the back. We only get a stand if we buy a case. Put it in the damn phone, and make it adjustable, not single-position. Literally a 50p bit of plastic.

      Rather than make the phone "different to everything that's gone before", make it "use all the best bits of the ones that went before" and encompass all the accessories people buy FROM DAY ONE.

      I will literally buy the first phone that gets close to doing this.

      1. roblightbody

        Could have typed that myself! I want a rugged phone that doesn't need a case, and has great battery life, and i don't care if that means its not ultra-thin.

        1. Captain Scarlet

          Moto G3

          Actually thats one of the reasons I went for the Motorola G3, I could get an official case which replace the back cover and it has a flap on front.

          Yes it won't protect from drops but I would much prefer this style case.

          1. psychonaut

            Re: Moto G3

            3 things you need...

            search ebay / amazon / some other tat bazzaar for the following:

            Micro USB Magnetic Adapter Charging Cable

            turns your crappy micro usb port into a mac style magentic charger port. the one i have supports fast charge. i have these in all my micro usb devices. they are only a few quid. the do iphone versions as well, and probably usb c

            i also bought a monster battery for my note a few months ago. it makes the phone fairly thick, but it lasts 2 days, with everything on all the time. i hammer my phone (bluetooth, wifi, data, remote phone call centre app, calls all day long whicvh is why i need a new battery every 9 months or so). battery is called a powerbear. im not sure i like it actually, its almost too thick and its quite heavy. i might ditch it, but if you need 2 days this will do it.

            oh, and the last thing is the Scosche magnetic mount / holder. i have these in both cars and on my desk . i can just plonk my phone on them (and its a note 4, very heavy especially with the big battery) and it holds it no problems at all. my missus' iphone has a magnet on it too, so we can just swap cars and only have 1 mount in each car.

            if i could get a decent camera on the note 4, i would never change it!

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        re: charging port is modular and replaceable

        I'm a massive fan of add-on magnetic charging cables. Zero wear and tear on the USB port.

      3. td97402

        Great Feature List Except..

        “Proper little stand on the back. We only get a stand if we buy a case. Put it in the damn phone, and make it adjustable, not single-position. Literally a 50p bit of plastic.”

        No, non, nein. I don’t want any little pieces that will easily break off my $600+ phone. You want a kickstand buy a case with one.

      4. David Given
        Thumb Up

        You want a CAT S60.

        https://www.gsmarena.com/cat_s60-7928.php

        It's rather long in the tooth now, but it literally ticks all your checkboxes (except the modular charging port, but it is ruggedised and lives under a cover so it should last), plus it has a two-day battery, it's waterproof, you can run it over in your car, it looks completely bonkers and it has a built-in thermal imaging camera.

        I saw someone with one the other day. Holy crap it looks good (mainly due to not being just another glass fondleslab).

        CAT make newer phones (some of them quite reasonably priced, I should look into replacing my dying Nexus 5X), but they're boring by comparison.

        ***Breaking news!***

        Turns out the CAT S61 has everything the S60 does, except the cool angular corners, but it also comes with a air quality sensor and a laser. https://www.digitaltrends.com/cell-phone-reviews/cat-s61-review/

        YOU CAN GET A PHONE WITH A LASER IN IT.

        That is all.

    2. TheNextBozo

      Removable battery has become a no-no for me.

      Its adds openings into the case for dust and water to ingress. Battery covers are often fragile.

      Its just easier to travel with a powerbank, which you can recharge opportunistically (whilst using the phone elsewhere) and is generally more flexible.

      1. JohnFen

        And I value a user-replaceable battery highly enough that I won't buy a phone that lacks one.

    3. Red Or Zed

      Apart from needing a replacement battery (cheap ones don't last. Who knew?) my Note4 is not terrible. A bit slow maybe.

      I was waiting for the Psion/Gemini thing, but the reviews say it just isn't as good as the Note. The note taking bit is very useful and so is the camera - why replace it with something equipped with a rubbish camera?

      Back to waiting...

      1. psychonaut

        power brick is no use to me - i dont want to have to carry it around all day, with a lead coming out of my phone into it, i just want a big battery.....full day with everything on and constant phone calls is ok. the note does this with a battery that is <9 months old

    4. jonathan keith

      Re: Note 4

      I was saying exactly the same about my Note 4 up until about three weeks ago when I first experienced the dreaded "mmc_read failed" message and discovered that a manufacturer can still try to force one to upgrade after two years through the use of duff memory modules.

    5. Cursorkeys

      Re: Note 4

      >Still rocking my note 4

      Still rocking a Note 3 here, for the same reasons (except waterproof). I think it's on its third battery now.

      XDADevelopers is doing a sterling job supplying me with ROMs so I'll keep using it until it has a catastrophic hardware failure.

      Edit: When it dies I'll replace it with one of Huawei's big-screen offerings via GearBest. Lovely phones and only a couple of hundred quid.

      1. Lee D Silver badge

        Re: Note 4

        I have never considered a waterproof phone anything that is in any way desirable.

        Despite 20 years of carrying a mobile in my trouser pocket every single day of my life, I have yet to break a screen, drop it in the toilet, get it otherwise wet, etc.

        I would happily sacrifice "IP67" for "IP23 and a poxy battery I can change when it inevitably dies".

        Hell, put it behind a screwed panel if you have to.

        "Waterproofing" of consumer gadget is literally a modern gimmick for no real purpose. We survived for decades with devices much more expensive, much more fragile, more less waterproof without issue.

        No, I've never felt the need to take an underwater photo either. As far as I'm concerned the camera on my phone is for "I can't be bothered to write that all down... snapshot... done."

        Will happily sacrifice all but one of the myriad cameras they have nowadays. All that zoom-level and photoshoppy crap. 3/4 of the megapixels.

        While we're at it, I don't need a fingerprint sensor, a heartbeat sensor, or a "proximity sensor" either. Hell, I only rotate my screen once in a blue moon and I could do that with a physical button and get it right more often than some accelerometer/orientation sensor trying to guess whether I want portrait or landscape.

        Honestly, I will throw all that away for the features listed above.

        1. Dave 126 Silver badge

          Re: Note 4

          It's just easier to make all phones waterproof than it is to have two different models; one for the Lee Ds of this world, and another for everyone who lives in tropical locations, goes for walks in the rain, messes around near rivers, would be glad of a flashlight whilst changing a tyre in the rain, gets blind drunk, knows people who are clumsy, or hell, just enjoys listening to podcasts in the bath. Heck, it seems Lee missed the news about flash flooding in the Midlands over the weekend and the death of some poor fella trapped in his car.

          In short, we can live like Lee D, or we can live.

          1. Dave 126 Silver badge

            Re: Note 4

            Making a phone thicker to add a bigger battery is sensible. The idea of making a phone thicker to incorporate the features of a case is not sensible for several reasons:

            - a plumber will want a thicker case than an office secretary

            - a damaged or scuffed case can be replaced. For next to nothing.

            - a lot of the market will want to choose a case in a colour or design to suit them

            - people want different features from their case. Like Lee D I use a kickstand on my case, others dont. Some people use wallet cases, I don't.

            If you try to incorporate every feature that every person want from a case into the phone, it'll not be an optimal product for anyone and it will sell very few units.

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Note 4

          We are not all created equal, my working day involves the chance that I will be exposed to rain/sleet/snow so for my personal requirements a phone that will survive the above is highly desirable.

          YMMV of course and I am envious of your desk based employment when the above elements decide to bless me with their presence :)

    6. JohnFen

      I agree with your list except for the waterproofing. I don't care so much about it being waterproof, but I care a lot about the existence of a headphone jack.

      1. Dave 126 Silver badge

        > I don't care so much about it being waterproof, but I care a lot about the existence of a headphone jack.

        They're not mutually exclusive. Until the latest generation, flagship Xperia phones have been waterproof and boasted a 3.5mm socket. Last few years of Galaxy S phones have also had both features.

        You never know when you might need a phone to call the emergency services and you don't get to choose the weather at the time; just look at the weekend's headlines. The idea of altering one's behaviour to suit a gadget is placing the cart before the horse.

        1. JohnFen

          "They're not mutually exclusive."

          This is absolutely true. My daughter, for instance, has a Galaxy phone that both has a headphone jack and is waterproof. But "because waterproofing" is one of the lies that phone manufacturers keep trotting out to excuse the jack removal.

          "You never know when you might need a phone to call the emergency services and you don't get to choose the weather at the time"

          True, but my phone isn't waterproof, and I've used it without a problem in torrential downpours anyway. I've even dropped it in a basin of water and, once it dried out, it worked perfectly fine.

        2. gotes

          A few years ago I bought myself an Xperia Z. I had no idea it was waterproof, until after owning it for just a couple of hours I dropped it in the toilet. I was sure glad I had a waterproof phone then. A couple of years later I lost the same phone in a bog on Dartmoor, and managed to locate it a few hours later.

          When waterproofing was a new thing it was also quite a novelty "accidentally" dropping it in water in front of people.

          I've probably used the waterproofing feature about as much as the 3.5mm jack socket.

  3. Dave 126 Silver badge

    Niche features

    I've noticed that a few niche things are only supported by very few phones, such as ARCore and Netflicks' HDR (The OnePlus 5 screen wasn't quite bright enough to receive the latter, though it could be bodged). None of these features could be described as essential, but it's mildy reassuring to have a handset that is consistently included in this club (Pixel and Galaxy S8/9).

    The ARCore thing is largely a toy at the moment, but I fully expect my next phone (in 2020) to boast either multiple rear cameras or a depth sensor (IR grid or time of flight ) for accurate environment mapping (so real life measurements can be quickly taken into CAD and emailed to the local timer yard's CNC machine)

  4. Dave 126 Silver badge

    OnePlus don't issue VAT invoices

    So small businesses: talk with your book keeper before ordering. There's plenty about this on the OnePlus forums.

  5. Tom 38
    Joke

    The 90s called

    They want their 3D charts back

  6. Dave 126 Silver badge

    All in, it seems that you're better off with a Galaxy S8, unless you really need that extra RAM and Snapdragon 845.

    The Galaxy can be bought from a company based in the UK, has waterproofing, wireless charging, better screen, SD card slot and is better support for niche features such as ARCore and HDR video playback.

    Shame really, because OnePlus has some nice features such as the alert slider and some Android tweaks.

    1. Patrician

      And a horrible custom Samsung android skin that will prevent updates being released on time.

      1. James 51

        that's what lineageOS is for.

        1. Charles 9

          You lose app support that way. Plus don't Samsung devices have that Knox fuse?

          1. Dave 126 Silver badge

            Knox gets broken if the phone is ever rooted, but there's not much in Knox of interest to the average user. It's more of interest to organisations.

            Samsung aren't the quickest at updating, but to blame it on Samsung's skinning is a red herring. If you care about updates, then you need to buy a phone that ships with (as opposed to offering a day one update to) Oreo, since Google insist that they are built around the modular Project Treble. Sadly the S8 doesn't support Treble and may never, whilst the S9 does (but is too pricey). Being modular means no more waiting on binary blobs from ODMs after Google release a new Android version.

  7. Timmy B

    I am a oneplus fan. I'll put that out there first. I do, however keep a year to 18 months behind. I'll get a cheaper 6T when the 7 or 7T comes out. I got a cheaper 5T not so long ago.

    Reasons for sticking with OP for the foreseeable future:

    1. Monthly firmware updates. I don't see anything bar google being as good.

    2. Value. Still not cheap but great value.

    3. Near stock experience.

    4. Headphone socket - though just moved to bose wireless so not so much a problem.

    5. It's not Huawei / Honor - I will never buy anything from them again.

    Things I dislike:

    1. Monthly firmware updates. very occasionally they mess up - it's fixed quickly but has happened.

    2. Far away support.

    3. Not being able to walk into a shop and get one.

    Just my thoughts.

    1. Boothy

      Still got a OnePlus 3 here (not the T), had it from new.

      From an OS update point of view, much better than many other devices out there. It's currently on patch level 1 May 2018, so is current,

      Still lasts 2-3 days on a single charge with light-ish use, (I don't play games on my phone, I use a tablet for that).

      With their Oxygen OS, as mentioned in the article, they don't do gimmicks, it's very close to stock Android, with some extra customisations (like better control as to what shortcuts are in the pull down menu, as one example).

      Overall very happy, and no plans to replace it.

      My one criticism of OnePlus now, is the price of their new phones.

      1. Timmy B

        "Still got a OnePlus 3 here (not the T), had it from new."

        I'd still have mine but phone recycling place offered me £150 for it and oneplus offered me £50 off a 5t and some free accessories so I couldn't refuse.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      "Not being able to walk into a shop and get one."

      They stock them in the O2 shops.

      Totally agree with all the other points though... currently rocking my op5... Thinking of getting a 5T for the wife as she's finally started to break the op2 she's had since launch.

    3. sbivol

      Consider the Nokia phones

      1. Updates: always on schedule.

      2. Value: plenty.

      3. Near stock experience: how about completely, 100% stock?

      4. Headphone socket: on most models.

      Bonus: SD card.

  8. James 51

    Got nothing to add that hasn't already been said in the article or the posts above. Would be very interested to know if el reg will be covering the new blackberry though.

  9. alain williams Silver badge

    Missing from review

    I would like to see in reviews:

    * what apps are non-removable, eg facebook

    * how easy is it to replace the OS with something a bit more trusted, eg: Tizen or LineageOS

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