OnePlus has emerged from relative obscurity over the past three years to become one of the most fiercely-beloved smartphone brands in the world, thanks to a combination of keen pricing and outstanding features. The latest iteration in this line is almost upon us, and the OnePlus 6 looks set to continue the series' habit of giving the biggest smartphone manufacturers a serious run for their money.
OnePlus 6 news
16/05/2018: OnePlus has officially taken the wraps off of its latest device, the OnePlus 6, at a major event at the Copper Box Arena in London's Olympic Park.
The event, which was attended by around 1,000 fans, saw company co-founder Carl Pei take to the stage to show off the follow-up to the OnePlus 5T, boasting of the device's design and construction, saying: "the OnePlus 6 is beautiful and functional in equal measure."
The new device follows in the established tradition of OnePlus smartphones and features the latest components, and comparable specifications and features to current-generation premium phones like the Samsung Galaxy S9 - all at a much lower price than flagship phones.
Sporting a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 and either 6GB or 8GB of RAM, along with a 6.3in 2,280 x 1,080 AMOLED display, the OnePlus 6 is comparable to the latest and greatest Android devices in terms of hardware. It also includes an improved camera, with optical and electronic image stabilisation and a dual-lens setup with 16MP and 20MP sensors with a f/1.7 aperture.
The device will hit stores on 22 May, and will start from 469.
The company also surprised audiences by launching its first ever non-smartphone product -- a pair of wireless earphones that the company is calling the OnePlus Bullets Wireless. The new earphones will be charged via USB-C and support the company's proprietary Dash Charge, to offer five hours of battery life from just 10 minutes of charging.
The earpods attach to each other magnetically, and are turned off and on by attaching and detaching them. Bullets Wireless will go on sale on 5 June for 69, and will be compatible with devices from the OnePlus 5 onwards.
14/05/2018: A listing for the unreleased OnePlus has been spotted on Amazon, revealing the potential price, release date and colour options of the new device.
The follow-up to the OnePlus 5T is set to be unveiled later this week, but no details have yet been officially released. However, German tech site WinFuture discovered a listing for the device on Amazon.de, which corroborated several rumours about the device.
Along with photos of the handset, the listing also stated that the phone would be available in both matte and glossy finishes, respectively named Midnight Black' and Mirror Black', and both using Corning's latest Gorilla Glass on the front and back. The listed release data for the device was 22 May, with an entry price of 519 for the 64GB version, moving up to 569 for the larger-capacity 128GB model.
The photos attached to the listing showed that the OnePlus 6 features an edge-to-edge display, complete with an iPhone X-style notch' to house the front camera, as well as a repositioned rear camera and fingerprint sensor. This 16 megapixel and 20 megapixel dual-lens rear camera, according to the listing, features optical image stabilisation, portrait mode and enhanced video recording.
Other features listed on the Amazon page include an unspecified level of water resistance, a headphone jack and dual-SIM support.
How accurate these rumours are remains to be seen, and we'll find out the full details when the device is officially unveiled on Wednesday. However, previous leaks that have come via accidentally-published Amazon pages have generally tended to be accurate, so we'd be exceedingly surprised if these details are far off the mark.
How to watch the OnePlus 6 launch live
The OnePlus 6, the latest device from the Chinese manufacturer famed for its high-quality, low-price smartphones, is almost upon us. The company is set to unveil it as part of a global launch event in London, which will be livestreamed around the world.
OnePlus' biggest launch event to date, the event will be hosted at London's Copper Box Arena, with up to 1,000 OnePlus fans in attendance. Tickets cost 16 and not only grant entry to the event, but also guarantee a "swag bag" full of branded items. Those customers who pre-order the OnePlus 6 at the event are also promised a free mystery gift.
If you're not one of the people who will be attending in person, however, you can still keep up with all the action from the show. The show will be broadcast via livestream from OnePlus' official YouTube channel. The livestream will commence at 5PM BST on 16 May, and you can watch the whole thing below.
OnePlus 6 specs and features
The OnePlus 6 will take over from the highly acclaimed OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T and, although few details have been officially revealed about its features, speculation suggests the device will run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, which is identical to the one inside the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus, with 256Gb storage and 8GB RAM.
Although there's been some concern OnePlus' newest device would ditch the headphone jack, much like the latest iPhone range, company chief Carl Pei said after running a poll on his Twitter account, the overwhelming consensus from users was to keep it.
"Every year I do a Twitter poll and the number of people taking part increases each time, this year there were over 19k votes and 88% said they like physical headphone jacks," he told the Independent.
How to install Android P on the OnePlus 6
Google has announced that the beta version - intended mainly for use by developers and super-fans - is now available, and the company is also opening the beta up to third-party devices as opposed to restricting access only to Nexus and Pixel phones.
The OnePlus 6 is one of the devices which will be included in the beta programme, meaning that once users get their hands on one, that can start trying out all the new features of Google's forthcoming Android release by heading to the Android Beta Programme web page and opting-in to receive pre-release updates.
Image: OnePlus 5T
