OnePlus 6T vs. OnePlus 5T: Should you upgrade?

OnePlus launches a new phone every six months, and with the OnePlus 5T now a year old, it's time to find out if you should upgrade to the 6T.

OnePlus 6T

The latest tech

$549 at OnePlus

Pros

• Bigger display
• Larger 3700mAh battery
• In-display fingerprint sensor
• 128GB storage as standard

Cons

• No headphone jack
• In-display sensor is slow

The OnePlus 6T introduces a few new features, including an in-display fingerprint sensor and a notch up top to maximize the display real estate. The camera and underlying hardware have been improved as well, and thankfully OxygenOS hasn't changed too much.

OnePlus 5T

Still going strong

$459 at Amazon

Pros

• Better for one-handed use
• Headphone jack
• Snapdragon 835 is still fast
• Fingerprint sensor is reliable

Cons

• Still on Oreo
• No water resistance

The OnePlus 5T has aged very well, and the hardware in particular doesn't look out of place as we get to the end of 2018. The Snapdragon 835 platform is still plenty capable, as are the cameras. The OnePlus 6T offers more refinement overall, but the 5T continues to be a great phone.

The OnePlus 5T is two generations behind, but you wouldn't notice that from the spec sheet. The phone still has a lot going for it, and while the 6T offers better hardware and a more immersive screen, there really isn't much different between the two devices.

Should you upgrade from the OnePlus 5T to the OnePlus 6T?

OnePlus' release cadence means we can look forward to two phones every year, with the T refresh bringing subtle tweaks over the full-cycle release. The OnePlus 5T debuted at the end of last year, offering an 18:9 display, thinner bezels, a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, and a new secondary camera designed to take better low-light photos.

A year on, the formula hasn't changed much. The OnePlus 6T retains a similar design as the OnePlus 6 while introducing a more immersive display thanks to a narrower cutout, and it's the first OnePlus phone with an in-display fingerprint sensor. The base model also comes with 128GB of storage as standard, and the larger 3700mAh battery eliminates any worries about the device running out of power before the end of the day.

OnePlus has been trimming the bezels on the display with every generation, and that's immediately evident when you put the OnePlus 6T next to the 5T. The 6T has a narrower notch that houses just the front camera module, and the ultra-thin bezels at the bottom combine to create an immersive experience when using the screen.

The OnePlus 6T has a better camera and more immersive display, but the overall experience hasn't changed much.

The 6T comes with a larger 6.41-inch display even though the overall size of the phone hasn't increased all that much from the 5T (which has a 6.01-inch screen). The screen quality is identical between both models, with OnePlus continuing to offer great AMOLED panels on its devices. The extra screen real estate makes a tangible difference when reading text on the device, and the notch is small enough that it isn't an annoyance anymore.

Coming to the performance side of things, you're not going to notice a lot of difference between the two devices. OnePlus has done a magnificent job with OxygenOS, and when you combine the lightweight skin with the capabilities of the high-end Snapdragon chipsets, you get some of the fastest phones in the market.

The Snapdragon 835-powered 5T is just still as fast as it was when it debuted a year ago, and I don't see any lags or slowdowns in day-to-day use. The Snapdragon 845 offers more grunt, but there isn't a huge difference in performance, at least not enough to warrant upgrading from the 5T.

Category	OnePlus 6T	OnePlus 5T
Operating system	Android 9.0 Pie	Android 8.1 Oreo
Display	6.41-inch Optic AMOLED, 2340x1080 (19.5:9) Gorilla Glass 6	6.01-inch Optic AMOLED, 2160x1080 (18:9) Gorilla Glass 5
Processor	Snapdragon 845 Adreno 630	Snapdragon 835 Adreno 540
RAM	6GB/8GB	6GB/8GB
Storage	128GB/256GB	64GB/128GB
Expandable	No	No
Rear camera 1	16MP (IMX 519), 1.22-micron, f/1.7, OIS 4K/60, 720p/480p video	16MP, 1.12-micron, f/1.7 4K/30fps, 720p/480p video
Rear camera 2	20MP (IMX 376K), 1-micron, f/1.7	20MP, 1-micron, f/1.7
Front camera	16MP (IMX 371), 1-micron, f/2.0	16MP (IMX 371), 1-micron, f/2.0
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11ac 2x2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0 LE, NFC, GPS	Wi-Fi 802.11ac 2x2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0 LE, NFC, GPS
Audio	USB-C Single speaker	3.5mm headphone jack Single speaker
Battery	3700mAh Non-removable	3300mAh Non-removable
Charging	USB-C Dash Charge	USB-C Dash Charge
Water resistance	No rating	No rating
Security	In-display fingerprint sensor	Rear fingerprint sensor
Dimensions	157.5 x 74.8 x 8.2 mm 185 g	156.1 x 75 x 7.3 mm 162g
Colors	Mirror Black, Midnight Black	Midnight Black, Lava Red, Sandstone White

The front camera is identical between the two devices, but the rear camera on the 6T outshines the 5T. The 6T also comes with a new Night mode feature that allows the device to take much better shots in low-light conditions, an area where OnePlus devices have struggled in the past.

The OnePlus 5T is still on Oreo, but that should change in the coming months.

Coming to the software, the 6T runs Pie out of the box, whereas the 5T is still on Android 8.1 Oreo. OnePlus has gotten much better at updates over the course of the year, and with the OnePlus 6 picking up the stable update, the 5T is undoubtedly next on the list to receive the latest version of Android.

The larger display and improved cameras on the 6T do seem enticing, but if you're rocking the 5T and want to maximize value, you're better off holding onto it for one more generation. The phone continues to be one of the fastest around, and the rear fingerprint sensor is faster and more reliable than the in-display solution on the 6T. Then there's the fact that you're losing out on the 3.5mm jack on the 6T, which is a deal-breaker for a subset of the community.

OnePlus 6T

The latest tech

$549 at OnePlus

Cool new features backed by great value.

If you need a better camera and more immersive display with the novelty of an in-display fingerprint sensor, then the 6T is a decent upgrade option. The phone offers great value at $549, particularly when you consider that it comes with 128GB of storage as standard.

OnePlus 5T

Still going strong

$459 at Amazon

Has a lot of juice left in the tank.

The OnePlus 5T is just a year old, and it still has plenty to offer. The hardware doesn't look dated by any stretch of the imagination, the performance is on par with the 6T, and the Pie update is slated to arrive soon. There's no need to upgrade just yet, and you're better off waiting to see what OnePlus comes up with next year.