OnePlus 6 Red edition hands-on: Another reason to own the beast
There's no doubt that Red coloured smartphones are simply gorgeous — an undebatable fact. Ever since Apple rolled out its (PRODUCT) RED lineup of iPhones and accessories, the love for red-coloured smartphones has only shot north. These days, you can have a red coloured variant of either a flagship offering or a maximum bang-for-your-buck budget smartphone. The only difference is the hue of red the manufacturer has on offer — a shade of red on an iPhone 8 is miles apart as compared to that of the OnePlus 5T — which is primarily due to the fact that both the phones are made out of different materials.
However, the 5T is now history and has passed on the torch to the OnePlus 6 (OP6). Therefore, it was evident that the company would be rolling out a red variant of the OP6, especially considering Apple already rolled out the (PRODUCT) RED iPhone 8 / 8 Plus. And sure enough, the OnePlus 6 Red is here. With a new radiant shade of glossy red, you can get this gorgeous-looking special edition smartphone for Rs 39,999.
Unlike the OnePlus 5T, the OP6 has a glass body. Therefore, the red colour on this one has a glossy finish. Under varied lighting conditions, the red changes its hue, i.e. in dim lit rooms, you will witness a darker shade of red whereas in brightly lit ambience, it flaunts a blood red look. However, generally the red hue on the OP6 is pearlescent as compared to the matte finish on the Lava Red 5T. While personal preferences may differ, we prefer this beaming ‘shiny’ red over the matte Lava Red. However, since the surface is glass, it's prone to smudges and scuffs, which is why OnePlus bundles a clear TPU case with the handset.
Since OnePlus is obsessed with details, the OP6 Red edition gets the same gold accent on the rear camera housing and the fingerprint sensor as the Silk white variant. Even the OnePlus logo and the ‘Designed by OnePlus’ tag have been done in the same shade of gold. The combination of a radiant glossy red paint and gold accents make the OnePlus 6 Red garner immense attention while out in the wild. Put this and the iPhone 8 (PRODUCT) RED together and you could be spoiled for choices.
As for the metal frame, OnePlus refrained from achieving a glossy finish similar to the ‘Mirror Black’ version. Instead, the frame gets a matte red texture that resembles the Lava Red surface on the 5T. The buttons and the Alert Slider are all painted in the same matte red colour as the rest of the frame.
Sadly, the rest of the phone doesn’t get any special edition treatment, and the front is no different either. Therefore, you get the same narrow-bezel display with a notch on top, covered in black. The OP6 Red also doesn’t get any special theme or wallpaper — it’s the same stock Oxygen OS 5.1 affair that we saw in the Mirror Black edition. However, none of these translates to an undesirable experience.
Overview:
The OP6 Red is powered by the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chip paired along with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage. OnePlus’ latest Oxygen OS 5.1.8 based on Android 8.1.1 Oreo looks after all errands. Therefore, performance is identical; if not slightly better, over the standard variant. With a OnePlus, you can never go wrong with its lightning performance under most circumstances. The 16MP + 20MP rear camera setup is immensely capable in most lighting scenarios. OnePlus' Dash Charge fills up the 3300mAh battery faster than any other smartphone in the market today. For a detailed insight into the performance check out the OnePlus 6 review.
To wrap it up, for Rs 39,999, the OnePlus 6 Red edition is a worthy purchase if you want your premium smartphone to stand out in the crowd. OnePlus has done a commendable job in making an already good-looking smartphone even more desirable. All that was probably needed on this one was a unique Oxygen OS theme to match the exterior.
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