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OnePlus 7 vs OnePlus 6T: should you upgrade?

By Georgi Zarkov

Published: May 14, 2019, 12:34 PM

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OnePlus 7 vs OnePlus 6T: should you upgrade?

So, you’re a proud OnePlus 6T owner that’s been patiently waiting to see what your favorite phone maker will bring to the table with the next generation of “flagship killers”? Well, let’s assume you somehow missed the plethora of leaks about the OnePlus 7 and you just saw it today for the first time as it was released. A natural question arises: is it worth switching to the newer model? Time to find out!

Now, of course, we can’t ignore the elephant in the room – the brand new OnePlus 7 Pro. It represents a new direction OnePlus is taking, both in terms of design and price point. And as every true fan of OnePlus will tell you, the competitive price is one of the main benefits of the brand, so in order to keep this comparison apples to apples, we’ll stick to the regular OnePlus 7.

Design comparison: find the 10 2 differences?

There’s not much to consider when it comes to how these two phones look – they’re pretty much identical. If you like the design of the 6T then the 7 will suit you just as well. But if you “settled” for a phone with a notch, albeit a teardrop one, and were hoping for something different this time around, then you’re facing disappointment. The OnePlus 7 marks the first time the brand hasn’t made any significant design changes between two generations. Those are reserved for the 7 Pro this time, with fans looking to save a couple of hundred bucks left to enjoy the 2018 design for another 6 months.

The flashlight moving from the body of the phone to the camera bump is one of the changes, can you find the other?

The display is the same size and resolution, with the bezels seemingly identically sized, or at least close enough that you can’t see the difference unless you look at them side by side. On the back, you have a glass panel with the camera duo positioned in the middle yet again. Okay, clearly, so far there’s nothing that separates the OnePlus 7 from its predecessor. Maybe when we look at the specs it will be another story…

Hardware changes just enough to call it a new phone

Unfortunately, it's not really a different story. The situation when it comes to hardware differences is only slightly better, meaning, there are a couple of notable changes. However, despite this being a generational jump (from 6 to 7) the differences between the two phones make the 7 feel more like a 6TT (if that was a thing). Here are the main specs:

	OnePlus 7	OnePlus 6T
CPU	Snapdragon 855	Snapdragon 845
RAM	6/8	6/8
Storage	128/256	128/256
Main camera	48MP, F1.7, OIS	16MP, F1.7, OIS
Biometrics	In-display fingerprint, face unlock	In-display fingerprint, face unlock
Battery	3700mAh	3700mAh

When we said "a couple of notable changes" we weren't exaggerating. There are literally two differences that are worth mentioning. First, of course, is the upgrade from the Snapdragon 845 to Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 855 system-on-a-chip. The new mobile platform is roughly 30% faster than last year's and is the first manufactured using the 7nm process, meaning it has improved power efficiency among other technical benefits. If you want to delve deeper into the performance comparisons, check our article about the Snapdragon 855.

Overall, however, the performance boost will likely be negligible if you're coming from the OnePlus 6T. Where you're more likely to notice improvement is in the camera department. The OnePlus 7 has Sony's 48MP sensor paired with optical image stabilization. Of course, before we get our hands on the new phone and take some samples, it's hard to say how much better the pictures will be. But what we know from other smartphones with the same sensor, the 48MP isn't as big of an improvement during regular use as it might appear on paper.

Besides those two big changes, a honorable mention gets the stereo speakers capability that's new to the OnePlus 7 series. That's definitely a pleasant surprise and a feature that's a must for every phone that aims to compete with the best of the best.

The larger top speaker is the other design change in case you haven't found it yet

The in-display fingerprint sensor is still an optical one like that of the OnePlus 6T but the company promises improved reading speeds and area. That's to be tested and confirmed as well.

We're sure you already know what the answer to the question in the title will be, but if you're somehow still confused, we'll spell it out for you: there is no reason to upgrade from the OnePlus 6T to the OnePlus 7. This comparison is very reminiscent to that of the Galaxy S8 vs S9 and the iPhone X vs XS. Same design, a newer chip and some camera improvements. Basically, this phone is for those that were waiting to upgrade for a couple of years and want to have the latest and fastest chip, without having to pay the premium price of the OnePlus 7 Pro.