OnePlus 6T (McLaren) review: The power smartphone

The OnePlus 6T (McLaren) looks like a power smartphone - not only on the data sheet. For this smartphone, they worked exclusively with McLaren. Is it really overtaking the competition? We took a closer look at it.

The OnePlus 7 is almost at the door - the successor will come in less than a month and there is already one first pictures. But it doesn't have to mean that the predecessor is bad. In the last few weeks I had the opportunity to take a closer look at the OnePlus 6T (McLaren) racing smartphone.

Packaging: Conspicuous

If you look at the packaging of the OnePlus 6T (McLaren) from the outside, the orange packaging makes it stand out from the competition. If you slide out the box, you can open the lid. You can already tell here that you have really made an effort for the exterior.

After opening the box, you will find a small book with some details and racing cars from McLaren. The smartphone is "in" this book. If you look at the rest, you will find an orange charger and power plug, a case, a McLaren “award” to set up and extras such as a SIM needle and a jack-to-USB-C adapter. Headphones are not included. The charger looks very high quality due to the rough and "coated" surface.

There are also a few AR gimmicks that work in tandem with the book. (Image: © 2019 TechnikNews)

Along with the book, there are also a few AR gimmicks that animate the racing cars and content in it with a preinstalled app. Nice gimmick - at the beginning.

Processing & display

The processing convinces at first sight. The back is made of glass - with an orange complexion. The McLaren logo can also be found on the back. You rely on an eye-catching design, but at the same time you are inconspicuous. During my test, I had the case on my smartphone, which is also very high-quality and feels good. This is by far not comparable with a transparent cheap cover for less than 15 euros.

The drop notch sits on the top. (Image: © 2019 TechnikNews)

The 6,41-inch AMOLED display has a resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels (FHD) with a pixel density of 402 ppi in 19,5: 9 format. In general, the display is not as sharp as on other smartphones, but in my opinion it is completely sufficient. On the top there is also a so-called "water drop notch", which contains the front camera and the loudspeaker.

Performance: As fast as a racing car

The OnePlus 6T (McLaren) is lightning fast in everyday use. Inside is a Snapdragon 845 processor, along with 10 GB of RAM. However, that much RAM is not absolutely necessary, as it is never fully filled or used anyway. If it were, the battery would run out very quickly. In practice, the user can use just under 4-5 GB of RAM.

The 256 GB memory offers enough space for apps, pictures and files. However, this cannot be expanded - although the smartphone is dual-SIM capable. The option for a SIM card and a micro SD card or two SIM cards and no SD card would have been great here. The software of the OnePlus 6T (McLaren) is just as fast - you rely on the slim OxygenOS, which regularly receives the latest updates (security patches and Android versions) and currently runs on Android Pie.

I ran a couple of benchmarks with all apps closed in the background. The OnePlus 6T McLaren delivers these results:

• Antutu 7: 292.647 points
• Geekbench 4 (single core): 2391 points
• Geekbench 4 (multi-core): 8890 points

Camera: room for improvement

The camera is often criticized a bit at OnePlus - I personally have to get rid of some criticism here too. In good lighting conditions, the camera took really beautiful and colorful pictures. However, if it gets a little darker, the weaknesses of the camera become apparent immediately: there is noise and the quality of the image deteriorates. The predecessors also had this shortcoming, compared to the OnePlus 3, for example, it has become a lot better.

The dual camera has its weaknesses when it comes to night photos. (Image: © 2019 TechnikNews)

The dual cameras on the back have a resolution of 16 and 20 megapixels, each with an f / 1.7 aperture. Video recordings (OIS, EIS) are at 4K with up to 60fps, with Full-HD with up to 240fps and with 720p with 480fps. The front camera shoots selfies with a resolution of 16 megapixels.

The OnePlus 6T (McLaren) accompanied me in everyday life - photos were of course not missing. Below you will find some unedited original images from the smartphone. However, due to the otherwise large file size, some images are compressed.

Fingerprint sensor in the display: faster than the others

The OnePlus 6T (McLaren) also has a fingerprint sensor in the display. There is no longer a sensor on the back. In general, however, this was noticed very positively - it felt a lot faster than with other smartphones. It seemed a lot faster to me than in the Huawei Mate 20 Pro the case. However, if the finger is a bit damp or dirty, the fingerprint sensor will no longer work at all. When it is very cold, you experience the same phenomenon. Unlocking then only works with the alternative unlocking method.

Almost nothing special in 2019: a fingerprint sensor in the display. (Image: © 2019 TechnikNews)

Stereo speakers, IP certification and wireless charging: still not

That's the way it is - unfortunately. These functions have not yet been found in any OnePlus smartphone. So the stereo loudspeaker is still missing. In addition, the loudspeaker currently installed is very loud, but not really at a high sound level. If the OnePlus 6T McLaren falls into the water, you are also unlucky: there is no IP certification, although there is no jack connection. While the competition is currently throwing around with smartphones with wireless charging, the OnePlus flagship still lacks that.

But there is improvement in sight: the stereo speaker and wireless charging could already be included in the upcoming OnePlus 7 (Pro). However, IP certification is still pending.

Battery

The 3700 mAh battery would have lasted almost 1 1/2 days for me proheld out without any problems. Nevertheless, I always charged the smartphone in the evening so that I wouldn't be left without a battery the next day. It is charged using a USB-C port. With "Warp Charge" it charges to 20 percent in 50 minutes. In my test, it took just under 50 minutes to fill up. The battery - like most other smartphones - is not replaceable.

Conclusion

The OnePlus 6T (McLaren) has a lot to offer - at least in terms of performance. However, you have to make a few compromises, not least because of the relatively low price. The camera is definitely not in the professional league, even if it takes very good and colorful photos during the day. At night, however, things are not so nice - there is noise and the details disappear. Nevertheless, you don't have to hide from others with the OnePlus 6T's camera.

The OnePlus 6T (McLaren) lacks wireless charging. (Image: © 2019 TechnikNews)

It's almost a bit difficult to find points of criticism because I really liked the smartphone. The performance is on a high-end level and thanks to the slim OnePlus surface, the smartphone is really lightning fast. Apps start quickly and operation is absolutely smooth. As a negative point, the lack of stereo speakers, the lack of water resistance and the lack of wireless charging should be noted.

If you don't find the above shortcomings so bad and don't value the features mentioned so much, you will get a decent overall package with the OnePlus 6T (McLaren). Unfortunately, the special edition is currently very difficult to buy anywhere, but apart from the size of the RAM (10 instead of 8 GB), the two smartphones do not differ. The update policy at OnePlus should also be highlighted very positively - the OnePlus 3 (2016) now also receives Android Pie. There are very few manufacturers who do it that way.