OnePlus’ latest is still a great value, but still has the same old problems
For several years now, OnePlus has been releasing phones with a variation on the same promise: get all the best, flagship smartphone features without paying flagship prices. Combined with some savvy marketing, the strategy has created a cadre of devoted fans. And those fans aren’t just getting bamboozled, either: OnePlus phones have always done a great job of outperforming their price point in both quality and functionality.
The latest chapter in that story is the new OnePlus 6, which is available to order starting on May 22nd and starts at $529. It is hands down the nicest OnePlus phone ever released. And yet, every time we hear this story, I end up having some variation of the same conversation. This time it was with Dieter Bohn, but honestly it could have (and has) been with a lot of people
And round and round we go.
Here’s what the OnePlus 6 has going for it: a bigger screen, a refreshed and modernized design, the latest processor from Qualcomm, upgraded cellular capabilities, an improved camera system, and the best version of Android outside of Google’s own Pixel line — all for $529. But there are still compromises — and they’re the same compromises we keep talking about. It still can’t compete with Samsung, Google, Apple, or even Huawei when it comes to cameras, it doesn’t have proper water resistance, doesn’t work on half the carriers in the US, and only comes in one size: pretty big.
The OnePlus 6 is still a great value, perhaps even more so now that every other flagship phone has ballooned in price.