OnePlus 6 vs Honor 10: A battle where design faces off against raw performance

Easily one of the most anticipated smartphones launches for this month, the OnePlus 6 has finally been launched globally and will be launched in India later today.[caption id="attachment_4472909" align="alignleft" width="380"] The OnePlus 6 is going to be launched in India later today. Image: OnePlus[/caption]We are not sure which variants will make its way into the Indian market but the OnePlus 6 officially has a total of three variants – a 6 GB RAM/ 64 GB storage, 6 GB RAM/ 128 GB storage and 8 GB RAM/ 256 GB storage. The phone has been priced starting at $529 for the base variant and caps out at $629. Translating these prices directly to Rupees and we are looking at an approximate price range between Rs 36,000 and Rs 43,000. Given OnePlus' generally aggressive pricing in the Indian market, the figures could vary a little bit, give or take Rs 2,000.OnePlus has over the years dominated the Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000 range in the Indian market, having earned the popular tag of being an "affordable flagship" rather than what OnePlus likes to call a "Flagship Killer". But this year, we have seen a number of major phone makers such as Honor, Motorola, Nokia and even Samsung coming up with compelling devices in the under Rs 35,000 bracket.[caption id="attachment_4471977" align="alignnone" width="1280"] OnePlus 6 Image: tech2/ Nimish Sawant[/caption]That said, the OnePlus 6 would still easily be the smartphone to beat in the price range given the features it boasts. An optic AMOLED 6.28-inch HD+ display, 6 or 8 GB RAM, a dual-camera setup with OIS and 4K video recording at 60 fps as well as a flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC. You could say that the OnePlus 6 is packed to the gills when it comes to the competition.We picked up a couple of last year's flagships in the Nokia 8 and Moto Z2 Force for our comparison as well as the just-launched Honor 10 which is priced at Rs 32,999 in India. The Honor 10 was definitely launched keeping the OnePlus 6 in mind and considering it does not stand much of chance in terms of hardware and raw power, it could be banking on its design to pull the trick off. To complete the list we also have the Samsung Galaxy A8 Plus which was launched earlier this year, taking the fight to OnePlus' older flagship, the OnePlus 5T.

Smartphone	OnePlus 6	Honor 10	Nokia 8	Samsung Galaxy A8 Plus	Moto Z2 Force
Display Size (inch)	6.28	5.84	5.3	6	5.5
Resolution (pixels)	1,080 x 2,280	1,080 x 2,280	1,440 x 2,560	1,080 x 2,220	1,440 × 2,560
Pixel Density (PPI)	402	432	554	411	534
Display Type	Optic AMOLED	IPS LCD	IPS LCD	Super AMOLED	p-OLED
Dimensions(mm)	155.7 x 75.4 x 7.8	149.6 x 71.2 x 7.7	151.5x73.7x7.9	159.9 x 75.7 x 8.3	155.8 x 76 x 6.1
Weight (gm)	177	153	160	191	143
Dual SIM	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
SIM Type	Nano-SIM	Nano-SIM	Nano-SIM	Nano-SIM	Nano-SIM
Connectivity Types	GSM / CDMA / HSPA / LTE	GSM / HSPA / LTE	GSM / HSPA / LTE	GSM / HSPA / LTE	GSM / HSPA / LTE
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 845	Kirin 970	Qualcomm Snapdragon 835	Exynos 7885 Octa	Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
CPU Cores	Octa-core	Octa-core	Octa-core	Octa-core	Octa-core
CPU Clock Speed (GHz)	4x2.8 GHz Kryo 385 Gold & 4x1.7 GHz Kryo 385 Silver	4x2.4 GHz Cortex-A73 & 4x1.8 GHz Cortex-A53	4x Kryo @ 2.45 GHz & 4x Kryo @ 1.9 GHz	2x2.2 GHz Cortex-A73 & 6x1.6 GHz Cortex-A53	4x Kryo @ 2.35 GHz and 4x Kryo @1.9 GHz
GPU	Adreno 630	Mali-G72 MP12	Adreno 540	Mali-G71	Adreno 540
RAM	6, 8 GB	6 GB	6 GB, 4 GB	6 GB	4, 6 GB
Ruggedness	-	-	IP54	–	IP68
On-Board Memory	64 GB, 128 GB, 256 GB	128 GB	64 GB, 128 GB	64 GB	64, 128 GB
Expandable Memory	No	No	Yes, up to 256 GB	Yes, upto 256 GB	Yes, up to 256 GB
Sensors	Fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass	Fingerprint (front-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass	Fingerprint, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Proximity, Compass, Heart rate	Fingerprint Reader, Gravity Proximity, Accelerometer, Ambient Light, Magnetometer, Gyroscope, Sensor Hub	Fingerprint, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Proximity, Compass, Barometer
Primary Camera	16 MP, f/1.7 and 20 MP, f/1.7	16 MP f/1.8 and 24 MP	13 MP, f/2.0 and 13 MP, f/2.0	16 MP, f/1.7	12MP f2.0 and 12MP f2.0
Optical Image Stabilization	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No
Camera Array	Dual Camera	Dual Camera	Dual Camera	Single Camera	Dual Camera
Autofocus System	Phase detection autofocus	Phase detection autofocus	Phase detection, Laser Autofocus	Phase detection autofocus	Phase Detection, Laser AutoFocus
Secondary Camera	16 MP, f/2.0	24 MP, f/2.0	13 MP	16 MP + 8 MP, f/1.9	5 MP f2.2
Video Capture	4K@30/60fps	1080p@30fps	4K	1080p@30fps	4K (30fps)
Flash	Dual LED	LED	Dual-LED	LED	Dual LED
OS Version	Android 8.1 Oreo	Android 8.1 Oreo	Android 7.1.1	Android Nougat 7.1.1	Android 7.1.1 Nougat
AI (Smart Assistant)	Google Assistant	Google Assistant	Google Assistant	Google Assistant, Samsung Bixby	Google Assistant
GPS	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
WiFi	WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, WiFi Direct, DLNA, hotspot	WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, WiFi Direct, hotspot	WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot	WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot	WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi hotspot
Bluetooth	v5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX HD	v4.2, A2DP, aptX HD, LE	v5, A2DP, LE	v5.0, A2DP, LE	v5.0, A2DP, LE, EDR
NFC	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Infrared	No	Yes	No	No	No
Fingerprint Scanner	Yes, Rear button	Yes, Front mounted	Yes, Home button	Yes, Rear button	Yes
3.5mm jack	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Radio	No	No	-	Yes, FM Radio	No
USB Type	Type-C 1.0 reversible connector	Type-C 1.0 reversible connector, USB On-The-Go	Type-C Reversible connector	Type-C 1.0 reversible connector;	Type-C reversible
USB Standard	USB 2.0	USB 2.0	USB v3.1	USB v2.0	USB v2.0
Battery (mAh)	3300	3400	3,090	3,500	2,730
Fast charging	Yes	Yes	Yes	Fast battery charging	Yes
Colours	Midnight Black, Mirror Black, Silk White	Phantom Blue, Phantom Green, Midnight Black, Glacier Grey	Tempered Blue, Polished Blue, Steel, Polished Copper	Black, orchid grey, gold, blue	Super Black, Fine Gold, Lunar Grey
Prices in India	To Be Announced (Rs 37,000 expected)	Rs 32,999	Rs 36,999	Rs 32,990	Rs 34,999

Things would have been interesting had OnePlus kept the 5T around for longer, but the company generally does not keep their older flagships around in production. OnePlus has not confirmed this yet but with the 5T having been out of stock for weeks now, it is unlikely that OnePlus will continue to produce the phone.This is, however, just a specifications comparison and real-world performance is bound to be different. For an in-depth real-world comparison do stay tuned for the full review of the OnePlus 6, as well as the Honor 10 before arriving at a final conclusion.