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    OnePlus 6: India launch next month; 256GB internal storage and more

    Synopsis

    Here's what we know so far about the upcoming OnePlus 6 flagship - plus a few rumours that should serve to whet your appetite.

    OnePlus 6 - Coming sooner than you think
    As per our estimation, the OnePlus 6 is due for an India launch in early May 2018. This time around, it's going to be a 'full' upgrade. You probably know that OnePlus likes to follow the half-yearly upgrade cycle for its phones. So the OnePlus 5 launched in June 2017 and the 5T with 18:9 display followed just a few months later in mid November 2017.

    The half yearly upgrade cycle does have its own ups and downs. It's great for the company (because they can be seen as staying on the cutting edge; not letting their consumers 'settle' for older technology) but some consumers will always be cross that the next, better version is just a few months away. To soften the blow a bit, OnePlus doesn't revise their phone prices.

    OnePlus 6 - Coming sooner than you think

    A leaked image of what the device may look like, (Image: Twitter/@evleaks)

    The confirmed bit is that the OnePlus 6 is going to have a notch - just like many other Android phones this year. Love it or hate it, the notch is here to stay and OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei did have some strong rationale for the notch in some statements he made to The Verge. "What you are essentially doing is moving the entire notification bar up, giving users more content on their screen." Pei of course is referring to the way the notch can show you notifications on either side. Another argument in favour of the notch is because of the screen procurement. OnePlus CEO Pete Lau went on record to say "Finally, as our devices gain in worldwide popularity, we need to scale up production accordingly. That means using a display that is readily procurable is the only way we can keep up with global demand. This translates to fewer delays, faster shipping, and the ability to service more people."



    The Low Down on the Specs
    In terms of specs, we know that the phone will be powered by the new Snapdragon 845 chip, with up to 8GB RAM and up to 256GB of internal storage. There will most probably be an entry-level version with 6GB RAM and 64/128GB storage. The FHD+ super amoled screen is a given, 6.28-inch this time (up from 5.99-inch in the 5T), thanks to the notch. Thanks to some leaks, we know that the headphone jack stays, we know more about the dual camera system (16MP f1.7 + 20MP f1.7) and about the 3,450mAh battery. What we're hoping for is the addition of some IP certification for water resistance (IP68) and wireless charging.

    Maximizing Screen Space
    The theme for this year's smartphones is going to be slim bezels. It started in 2017 but the trend is here to stay and it's also a big step towards the elusive 'all-screen' goal. We've all seen the sci-fi movies where they use a slim device that's nothing but screen - and sometimes, it can be folded in half. The two ways to have larger screens in a smaller phone are to go with a notch (a trend started by the iPhone X) or with really tiny top/bottom bezels (like what Samsung does with the Galaxy Note 8 and Galaxy S9).

    Why Some Phones Need a Notch
    Every phone has a certain number of sensors and other components, typically towards the top of the device. To start with, there's the earpiece. Next up, the front camera, the proximity sensor (this switches off the screen when you hold the phone to your ear) and finally the ambient light sensor (to auto adjust screen brightness). Some phones also have a notification LED. The earpiece can be pushed right up to the top but it still needs to have a wide aperture. The typical notch will house all these components and that's why it needs to exist.

    The Different Kinds of Notches

    OnePlus 6 - Coming sooner than you think

    From left, iPhone X in the centre, Oppo F7 on the left, Vivo V9 on the right.

    Not all notches are the same - because the number of components a notch needs to house can be different. The first phone we saw with a notch was the iPhone X - and it is a pretty wide notch compared to the width of the phone. Apart from the usual earpiece, camera, ambient light sensor and proximity sensor, the iPhone X has a very sophisticated FaceID system. Face ID uses a dot projector, flood illuminator and infrared camera in addition to all the above components.

    Why OnePlus Chose the Notch
    There will obviously be allegations of derivative design. Pei's statement about giving users more screen estate makes sense. And the other part in the company's favor is that the OnePlus 6 will most certainly have an amoled display. This kind of display offers the deepest blacks and allows you to completely hide the notch. For instance, you could switch off the notch completely, for all apps - opting to have just a black bar on top. Even if OnePlus doesn't offer this by default, it will be doable with an app. That being said, OnePlus will most certainly hide the notch when the phone is playing video.

    Could this be the OnePlus 6

    OnePlus 6 - Coming sooner than you think


    These are official images - but of the Oppo R15. It's no secret that Oppo, Vivo and OnePlus have close ties with BBK Electronics and they're more than likely to share device IDs and parts. The R15 is a mid-range phone but it's easy for OnePlus to take the design and make it more premium with all metal design, amoled screen and top-tier chipset.

    OnePlus 6 - Coming sooner than you think


    So that's what we know so far about the OnePlus 6. Given the company's past record, we can also expect some special editions. Last year, they launched the 5T in the Star Wars special edition sandstone white and the particularly beautiful Lava Red.


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