[What’s WRONG] with OnePlus 6T

Editor’ Note: We are starting a new series [What’s WRONG] on Androidpure which only talks about all the drawbacks/problems of a smartphone. This series is not for bashing a particular device or a not buying advice, but to educate our readers about the drawbacks/problems of a smartphone. This post on OnePlus 6T is the first in that series and more will follow. 

[What’s WRONG] with OnePlus 6T

Before you buy the OnePlus 6T, there is a lot of information that the company did not tell you. But that won’t stop us from speaking out and educating our readers about important aspects about the new phone.

No Audio Jack

The OnePlus 6T does not have a headphone jack. The company defended this by saying, they had to remove the 3.5 mm audio jack, to make room for a bigger battery. So, it jumped from a 3,000mAh battery on the OnePlus 6, to a 3,700mAh battery on the OnePlus 6T.

Some people listen to music while charging the phone, which is not possible now. Fans will argue that wish Dash charging, you may not have to wait long to use the phone with your Type-C headphones. The problem is bigger than you think. You may be okay with using a USB Type-C to 3.5mm headphone audio adapter, but not everyone likes to do that. This is a real inconvenience.

No Headphones Bundled in the box

Following up on the previous point, we think that the decision to not include headphones in the box is atrocious. And we believe that OnePlus did this, just to sell its own OnePlus Bullets headphones, to make more money. Even if you don’t choose to buy that, you are still going to have to spend money on a replacement adapter (if you lose the original, or it is broken).

No stereo speakers

Stereo speakers are good, and a necessity if you want to watch videos on your phone, or if you are a gamer. Unfortunately, the OnePlus 6T has a single speaker with two grilles.

No microSD Card Slot

Is there a logical reason why OnePlus phones never have a microSD card slot? We can think of a marketing reason. Do you want more storage? Buy the more expensive OnePlus 6T 256GB variant. It’s your problem buyer, not the company’s.

In-Display Fingerprint sensor unlock is 1.7 times slower than OnePlus 6

Don’t be fooled by the facades on video reviews which defend the phone as great. Many of the reviewers complained that the In-display fingerprint scanner is slower than the traditional ones. This is an optical sensor, not an ultrasonic one, hence it will be slower. Even if you go by OnePlus own claim, the In-display fingerprint unlocks the device is 0.34 seconds which is almost twice slower than OnePlus 6 unlocking time of 0.2 seconds. Also, it does fail often if you compare it with conventional fingerprint sensor.

During the OnePlus 6T launch event yesterday, the company claimed that this sensor had originally been tested for with a OnePlus 5T Prototype, but it wasn’t ready then. This was a sneaky way for the company to lead people to believe, they have been working on the In-display fingerprint scanner for a year, so all the issues with it must have been fixed by now.

No Wireless Charging

Packing a bigger battery in the OnePlus 6T was a good idea, but why didn’t OnePlus include support for Wireless Charging. What exactly is the point of having a glass back panel on the device, when it can’t be charged wirelessly? Had the phone supported the feature, users could listen to music on their device when it was being charged.

No Waterproofing

OnePlus phones are called premium devices, and the price tag of the phone certainly looks like one. But no official IP rating, really? Why? Proper premium phones like Samsung Galaxy flagships and even the Google Pixel phones are certified to be waterproof, but the OnePlus 6T is not.

No LED notification light

This is a new one and one which may be overlooked by many buyers. Sure, it has a small lift up feature, but there is no always on display on the OnePlus 6T. Yet nothing beats the LED Notification light in terms of simplicity. It’s easier to spot and is a feature everyone is familiar with. It appears the company has cut far too many corners, while still charging a hefty price.

USB 2.0 only

This may not affect all users, but those who want to transfer a lot of files to the OnePlus 6T will want to know this. The OnePlus 6T’s USB Type-C port supports USB 2.0 only, which has a max speed of 480MB/s. In comparison, a USB 3.0 can transfer data at 640MB/s, while a 3.1 port is capable of 1250 MB/s.

Price Creeping

The OnePlus 6T costs almost twice as what the OnePlus One was launched for. The gradual price increase, year after year is unsettling.

Here is a table of the OnePlus Price creeping

We wouldn’t be surprised if OnePlus devices are priced at $1000 in the next few years. Unfortunately, not a lot of people are complaining about this.

Some popular reviews, in fact, are advertising incorrectly, stating that the OnePlus 6T is available for the same price as the OnePlus 6 when in fact it is more expensive.

OnePlus never offers price cuts for its phones. In its own view, the company feels dropping the price of a phone, even after many months since the device was launched, is like betraying the early buyers. Really? Then why do Samsung and other OEMs, including Apple, drop the prices of their phones? Because the parts become cheaper for them to manufacture over time.

Our opinion about the OnePlus 6T

We feel that all these missing features and issues make the OnePlus 6T look like a really expensive mid-range device. We have skipped any talk about user experience or software as we are yet to get our hands on the device.

We are not telling you not to buy the OnePlus 6T. If you can afford the device, and it looks cool to you, that’s fair.

But, if you care about waterproofing and wireless charging, you might as well look at the Samsung Galaxy S9 which you can get for about $600-650.

If you want a similar phone, but at a cheaper price, we suggest looking at the ASUS Zenfone 5Z or the Poco F1.