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back to article OnePlus 6T: Tasteful, powerful – and much cheaper than a flagship

What if Huawei used OnePlus's Oxygen UI, I found myself musing recently. Wouldn't it be the perfect package? Huawei's amazing RF performance, and bleeding-edge tech, with a UI that didn't actually suck? Specs Display: AMOLED 6.41-inch (6.24-inch for the rounded corners); 1080 x 2340 pixels, 402 ppi, Gorilla Glass 6 Innards …

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    1. tiggity Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      Re: Past meets future

      Dont think you know all use case.. other half uses headphones to listen to phone while charging -in bed. They are insomniac (I am not!) and so use headphones to stop sound waking me (as right choice of music can help them get back to sleep). Given use of music to sleep, then phones without charging (i.e. the crappy adapter) would be useless as if OH falls to sleep while music listening then phone will lose charge.

      .. Also advantage is standard headphones as cheap as chips, so if get damaged by in bed sleep movement, cheap to replace.

      A weird use case. not typical (though you will find a good number of insomniacs use relaxing sound methods to try and aid sleep), but shows you cannot base everything on your own use case only..

      15 2 Reply
      1. Ben Rose
        Reply Icon
        Megaphone

        Re: Past meets future

        tiggity - I don't charge my phone in bed, i never even charge my phone to full. It significantly reduces the lifetime of a non-replaceable battery.

        Your wife can charge her phone before bed and listen to music all night and there will still be plenty of charge in the morning. She can charge it again whilst she's in the shower if she needs to but it won't run out and she simply doesn't need to charge and listen at the same time.

        Charging your phone overnight is a dated practise and precisely why dash charging was created. You can get an unfeasible amount of charge in the phone in a very short time and it allows you to just charge when you need to and not shorten the life of your device by hanging it off a cable all the time.

        Why anybody who struggles to sleep would choose to wire themselves to a phone which, in turn, was wired to the power is beyond me. If ever there was a use case for a pair of wireless earbuds, this is it.

        1 16 Reply
    2. JohnFen
      Reply Icon

      Re: Past meets future

      "The headphone thing is obviously subjective but I don't see the big problem here"

      That's because you don't have a use case for it. For those of us that do, it's a big enough issue that it prevents us from buying a device without it.

      "There's an adapter in the box, plug your old headphones in if you need to."

      Adapters suck mightily, and are not a reasonable substitute.

      "if you're at home you don't need to use your headphones for music"

      You don't, but I know a number of people who do.

      19 0 Reply
      1. Ben Rose
        Reply Icon

        Re: Past meets future

        JohnFen,

        My primary headphones are a pair of Bose QC12 - they're old but still work just fine so I've no reason to replace them.

        They're wired and came with a cable about a yard long. I used to plug them into my 3T, as a London commuter I use them for several hours a day.

        Now I've added the adapter for my 6T - it means the cable is about a metre long instead. I can still hear my music, I can still listen just as I did before.

        People are moaning about something that just isn't a problem - just try it.

        3 6 Reply
        1. Dave 126 Silver badge
          Reply Icon

          Re: Past meets future

          Xperia phones used to have a nice feature to stop charging automatically when 90% charge was reached. Apparently there's a now a 3rd party app for phones that have compatible hardware and have been rooted.

          1 0 Reply
          1. Baldrickk
            Reply Icon

            Re: Past meets future

            If you're out and about you don't need the USB-C port for charging and if you're at home you don't need to use your headphones for music.

            What about when I'm in the car on a long trip, with the sat nav on and want to play music through my stereo?

            Need to charge my phone and plug it in for sound - no Bluetooth audio in my car

            1 0 Reply
            1. Is It Me
              Reply Icon

              Re: Past meets future

              You can get a splitter that will allow this, but from reviews they don't work with all phones.

              0 0 Reply
            2. Charles 9
              Reply Icon

              Re: Past meets future

              Bluetooth-to-Aux adapters are easy to find. Some even plug direct into car power sockets. I use a Bluetooth FM transmitter as my car's tape deck is dead and is 2003 (pre-Aux).

              0 0 Reply
        2. JohnFen
          Reply Icon

          Re: Past meets future

          "People are moaning about something that just isn't a problem - just try it."

          What makes you think I haven't?

          People are moaning about something that is totally a problem for them. That it's not a problem for you is great for you, but doesn't mean that it's not an issue for others.

          The main reason that I make a lot of noise about this is because the entire industry seems to be going the direction of stripping out important functionality like this, which is making smartphones into products that simply don't meet my needs.

          0 0 Reply
    3. JMcL
      Reply Icon

      Re: Past meets future

      "There's an adapter in the box, plug your old headphones in if you need to. If you're out and about you don't need the USB-C port for charging and if you're at home you don't need to use your headphones for music"

      Deal breaker for me. USB-C port=fragile and device is hosed if it's damaged, 3.5mm port=robust (generally) I don't want to have something hanging out of my data/charging port when I've got the phone in my pocket. The more bits you put in a chain, the greater the chance of failure. Headphone technology is mature and there's something there to suit all needs and budgets - set of earbuds for a tenner, fine, want to spend a grand? be my guest.

      Bluetooth headphones on the other hand are frequently meh from an audio quality perspective, more often than not lead to a pairing dance, and are yet another thing that needs charged (and are usually low in charge just when you want to use the damn things). The other thing about devices with batteries - the batteries are usually toast after a couple of years and are non-replaceable. Throw the headphones away, and buy new ones - kerchinggg. Meanwhile my 25 year old Sennheisers are still excellent and usable interchangeably with my phone, amp, etc

      0 0 Reply
  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The origian is actually partly Swedish

    You said that if you didn't know, you could think it came from Sweden. Actually, Carl Pei is born in Sweden.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Pei

    3 0 Reply
  3. BGatez

    L500

    Am I the only one who still thinks a phone for the price of a serviceable laptop is too steep?

    28 1 Reply
    1. holmegm
      Reply Icon

      Re: L500

      No, you are not the only one.

      And just to head it off, I spend more time with my shoes too, but I don't pay that much for those either ...

      7 0 Reply
    2. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: L500

      IMHO, I think that you are paritially right. However given that most Millenials have their whole life on their phones... I can understand it.

      I don't have my whole life on any one device but there again, I'm not a Millenial but a Grumpy old fart.

      8 0 Reply
    3. NonSSL-Login
      Reply Icon

      Re: L500

      I wish decent phones were cheaper but I make use of the phones CPU and memory massively so im glad it fits in my pocket and with me at all times.

      Laptops keep tearing my trousers when I try and stuff them in my pockets.

      2 0 Reply
    4. Tom Wood
      Reply Icon

      Re: L500

      I use my phone more than my personal laptop. It is more powerful than said laptop and crams that power into a smaller package... No wonder its more expensive.

      1 0 Reply
  4. JDX Gold badge

    Huawei alternative?

    I was thinking about upgrading recently from my 1+3 due to various problems (not sure if the hardware or Android or OxygenOS). Offers on various Huawei devices on Amazon caught my eye, around the £300 mark. The one consistent negative I see is the UI, not sure I can cope with that!

    0 0 Reply
    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Huawei alternative?

      As someone already mentioned, Nova Launcher might be an option for anyone put off by a hideous shipping ui, especially when run on a model with a generous portion of memory. Of course maintaing the drumbeat over bad design may someday drive handset makers to see the error of their ways and change, so it's worth pointing out at every opportunity (same point for hardware: give us back the damned audio jack, lemmings!).

      0 0 Reply
    2. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Huawei alternative?

      Offers on various Huawei devices on Amazon caught my eye, around the £300 mark.

      I've just picked up a Pocophone F1 new, from Fleabay for £260, via a UK based grey importer, though I can't see any more at that price at this moment Its the global 128 Gb version. Absolutely fabulous to hold (well, insofar as any mobile phone can be). Decent battery, micros SD card slot (or second SIM).

      Main things to be aware you don't get on the F1 are wireless charging, waterproofing, and NFC capability, and it comes with a variant of Xiaomi's MIUI skin. I've used MIUI for a year or so on a previous phone, and have no complaints - particularly since it plays nicely with Nova Launcher. Teardown videos suggest it is also practical to dismantle should you wish to replace the battery in a couple of years.

      0 0 Reply
  5. JohnFen

    Yes, it's a net loss

    "You may regard this as a net loss."

    I do. I would never use the fingerprint sensor, but I use a headphone jack every day.

    11 0 Reply
  6. dajames

    Quite nice ...

    ... but rather a lot of money for a phone that's too big, isn't weatherproof, and has no removable memory, no removable battery, and no analogue headphone option.

    Even so, the promise of regular updates is tempting.

    2 0 Reply
    1. julian_n
      Reply Icon

      Re: Quite nice ...

      Ask OnePlus 2 owners how updates worked out for them.

      0 0 Reply
  7. boidsonly

    I jumped on the 6T

    I must to say I am happy with the $250 price tag after T-Mobile gave me $300 for my old Nexus 6.

    I do miss the headphone jack but it is a compromise I am willing to live with. So far so good. Good camera/battery life and near pure android experience.

    0 0 Reply
  8. idoxde

    Xiaomi

    I just ordered Xiaomi A2 Lite for 180£ since I can't justify spending over 500£ on a phone. Specially that whatever the differences are, those differences are not worth hundreds of £/€ - in my opinion. But hey, I am cheap. I have learned it the hard way though, after my Nexus 5X bricked (and so my wife's), iPhone 5S slowed down to the point it was a real pain to use it. I thought at the time that I'm buying a premium quality devices from trusted vendors, but I feel cheated and never going that route again. Cheap I am and so be it.

    1 0 Reply
    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Xiaomi

      I just ordered Xiaomi A2 Lite for 180£

      Why? I just got the same device for £118, thanks to a UK Ebay grey importer. Personally I'm reluctant to buy from offshore suppliers, mainly because of the risk of being hit with import duties and admin charges, but there's lots of well-rated UK based importers. Pay with a credit card via Ebay and you've got various lines of recourse if things go sour:

      1) The supplier

      2) The Ebay guarantee

      3) The Paypla guarantee

      4) Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, backed by your credit card provider.

      0 1 Reply
      1. idoxde
        Reply Icon

        Re: Xiaomi

        Why?

        I'm a weirdo. I don't use paypal or ebay. I don't know why, I just don't. I overpaid by the looks of things, but as long as its below 200 I am happy.

        0 0 Reply
  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Nice. I don't get why people pay £600+ for phones. I had a Oneplus 3 which was excellent. In July I opted for a Mate 10 pro which is also excellent - but it cost only £370 brand new, unlocked from CPW. A monthly SIM costs £7.50.

    I really don't get why people pay astronomical upfront or monthly fees. I'd not regard either of the aforementioned devices to be substandard.

    (I also don't get not putting £xxx devices into cases. iPhone users tend to be the main culprit/victim/idiots here - I see way too many with spiderweb cracks.)

    Choose wisely!

    3 0 Reply
  10. Snowy Silver badge
    Facepalm

    No headphone socket, wonder why...

    With no headphone socket your going to have to use Bluetooth, which means turning on Location services.

    0 3 Reply
  11. 89724102172714182892114I7551670349743096734346773478647892349863592355648544996312855148587659264921
    Thumb Up

    I like the Dutch Angle

    0 0 Reply
  12. doublelayer Silver badge

    I don't know phones anymore

    I no longer really know the differences or specs of all the different phone models that come out. Other than that most are far too expensive and include some random skin over android. Does anyone know a phone that meets the following extremely long list of requirements:

    1. Costs less than $200 or so.

    2. Runs a modern version of stock android or has an unlocked bootloader so I can put one on.

    That's all I care about, really. I don't care about the camera (with the frequency I use it, it would be fine if it just didn't have one). I don't need a replaceable battery. A headphone socket or SD card support would be minor pluses, but not needed. I don't need any special extra hardware built in. Just a modern enough phone that does not cost as much as a fully specced-out desktop.

    0 0 Reply
    1. TWB
      Reply Icon

      Re: I don't know phones anymore

      Fairly happy Moto(rola) owner here - fairly cheap and also would consider Wiley Fox. Not too overloaded with bloatware (IMHO - please comment if you think otherwise) Don't know about the unlocked bootloader as I'm not that adventurous.

      0 0 Reply
    2. idoxde
      Reply Icon

      Re: I don't know phones anymore

      "Does anyone know a phone that meets the following extremely long list of requirements:"

      Mi A2 Lite I just bought from Amazon.co.uk (thank you for bloody 3 week delivery!)

      - 159-189£ depending on where you buy it

      - 4000mAh battery (the wife has it and with her, rather heavy use, lasts for 2 days on a single charge)

      - Stock Android One

      - dual SIM and SD card slot

      - headphone jack

      0 0 Reply
  13. MrMerrymaker

    No notification light either!

    That was the dealbreaker for me. I don't have sound on and I don't have vibration on when I work

    0 0 Reply
    1. Is It Me
      Reply Icon

      Re: No notification light either!

      Maybe time for a smart watch, depends on your use case

      0 0 Reply
  14. hairydog

    "What if Huawei used OnePlus's Oxygen UI, I found myself musing recently. Wouldn't it be the perfect package?"

    Why not get a Huawei and install a different launcher? This is so obvious that I must have missed something.

    The launcher on my (elderly) Huawei had a new launcher within five minutes of starting it up.

    0 0 Reply
  15. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    You dont get

    S75 protection if you pay by Paypal , even if you use a credit card to do so.

    I'm bit like doubleyaer

    small to medium size v good battery and stock Android , all at less than £300GBP might go for moto ??

    or Huawei or oneplus 5

    1 0 Reply
  16. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    and much cheaper than a flagship

    #fail

    Certainly not £400 cheaper than flagships. You can pick up a Pixel2 that easily beats an iPhoneXS for £450

    By flagship, I can only assume you mean idiot Samsung and Apple shoppers.

    0 0 Reply
    1. Is It Me
      Reply Icon

      Re: and much cheaper than a flagship

      The Pixel 3 is the flagship from google now, not the Pixel 2, which is still "only" £699 for the cheapest but goes up to £929 for the most expensive (which I guess would be the flagship).

      0 0 Reply
  17. julian_n

    You missed a few things from your review

    A company that drops support for its phones after a short time - ask OnePlus 2 users about that

    A company that lied and bluffed its way through a hack resulting in people losing a lot of money.

    If anyone trusts such a company - good luck - I won't be going near them.

    0 0 Reply
  18. Charles 9

    Honest question here. What's the best you can get these days with headphone jack, SD slot, and a user-replaceable battery?

    0 0 Reply

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