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OnePlus 6T

 & Sascha Segan Former Lead Analyst, Mobile

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OnePlus 6T

The OnePlus 6T is the first phone in the US with an under-display fingerprint sensor. It's also an amazing value for the money, offering performance similar to a $1,000 smartphone for about half the price.

It Isn't So Big

The OnePlus 6T has a big 6.41-inch screen, but the phone itself isn't huge. At less than three inches wide, it'll fit in most hands.

Fingerprint Scanner

The fingerprint sensor is in a specific place on the screen, and it lights up when it's requesting a fingerprint.

Tap to Activate

The scanner wants a direct press from the pad of your finger.

Small Notch

OnePlus minimized the notch on this phone, but there still has to be a notch, as you can't put a front-facing camera under the display...yet.

Notches Compared

From the top: the iPhone XR, with its monster notch; the OnePlus 6; and the OnePlus 6T, with its mini notch.

No Headphone Jack

Adding the fingerprint sensor kit, alas, means that this phone doesn't have a headphone jack. It comes with a dongle, and OnePlus sells USB-C headphones for $20.

Back

The phone has dual rear cameras, although they're just for bokeh and image improvement; they aren't 2x or wide angle.

OnePlus 6T vs. 6

You can tell which one is the OnePlus 6 here—it's the one with the fingerprint sensor on the back!

Side

The 6T comes in both dual-SIM models and a single-SIM model that will be sold by T-Mobile. The phone doesn't have expandable memory.

Mute Switch

The mute switch on the side of OnePlus phones has always been a signature touch.

Comparison

From left: The OnePlus 6T, OnePlus 6, and iPhone XR. The 6T is tall, but narrow, so it isn't hard to hold.

Backs Compared

Here are the three phones from the previous image as seen from the rear.

About Our Expert

Sascha Segan

Sascha Segan

Former Lead Analyst, Mobile

My Experience

I'm that 5G guy. I've actually been here for every "G." I reviewed well over a thousand products during 18 years working full-time at PCMag.com, including every generation of the iPhone and the Samsung Galaxy S. I also wrote a weekly newsletter, Fully Mobilized, where I obsessed about phones and networks.

My Areas of Expertise

  • US and Canadian mobile networks
  • Mobile phones released in the US
  • iPads, Android tablets, and ebook readers
  • Mobile hotspots
  • Big data features such as Fastest Mobile Networks and Best Work-From-Home Cities

The Technology I Use

Being cross-platform is critical for someone in my position. In the US, the mobile world is split pretty cleanly between iOS and Android. So I think it's really important to have Apple, Android and Windows devices all in my daily orbit.

I use a Lenovo ThinkPad Carbon X1 for work and a 2021 Apple MacBook Pro for personal use. My current phone is a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, although I'm probably going to move to an Android foldable. Most of my writing is either in Microsoft OneNote or a free notepad app called Notepad++. Number crunching, which I do often for those big data stories, is via Microsoft Excel, DataGrip for MySQL, and Tableau.

In terms of apps and cloud services, I use both Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive heavily, although I also have iCloud because of the three Macs and three iPads in our house. I subscribe to way too many streaming services. 

My primary tablet is a 12.9-inch, 2020-model Apple iPad Pro. When I want to read a book, I've got a 2018-model flat-front Amazon Kindle Paperwhite. My home smart speakers run Google Home, and I watch a TCL Roku TV. And Verizon Fios keeps me connected at home.

My first computer was an Atari 800 and my first cell phone was a Qualcomm Thin Phone. I still have very fond feelings about both of them.

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