[ar@v1nd]

Originally Posted by JoshMachine

Guess, when one hears about AI and other "new-age" technologies that are being deployed in smartphone cameras these days, most of the differentiation comes down to how good the camera can be. And, that's also the reason why one would have to spend a sizeable amount on these gadgets.
On a related note, got to know that Samsung will shortly announce the launch of the world's first quad camera smartphone - called the Galaxy A9.
Links - First. Second.

Personally I'm not a fan of this multiple camera fad thing. One good camera with good image stabilization supported by good software is all that's needed. It's amazing to see what good software like the Google Pixel camera can do to enhance the photos from average camera sensors. Especially with stuff like night sight. The usually advertised AI is generally nothing but scene detection.

[atnyia]

Originally Posted by sukrit7

Conclusion

So. Would I make this upgrade again? No. The OnePlus6T is a great phone, but it is not the value for money proposition that some of the earlier models were.

Originally Posted by ani_meher

Thanks for the review. I think it is testament to OnePlus that even their 2-3 year old phones stand shoulder to shoulder with latest phones.

Originally Posted by dailydriver

I am a prolific smartphone user and I find that a simple, no-nonsense 10k device more than meets my expectations. Easier on the pocket, easier to replace.

Originally Posted by Traveler

I agree that 90% users will be okay with the budget segment and satisfy most of the needs. However the remaining 10% is where it gets interesting.
..the end of the day it all depends on what all you intend to use the phone for. A heavy power user would likely be more happy with a top of the line phone that offers all of the above.

Originally Posted by arunphilip

Almost every use case of mine would be satisfied by a midrange/upper-midrange phone, except for one - I am a terrible photographer.

Originally Posted by ar@v1nd

The only reason I'm ready to spend more than 20K for a phone is the camera.

Personally I'm not a fan of this multiple camera fad thing. One good camera with good image stabilization supported by good software is all that's needed.

After quoting a personal record of six people, I want to add a few redundant cents of mine.

I agree with all of these views. I have had Oneplus 3 since Sep 2016 and it was stolen this March. I decided to not put a lot of money in OP6 (due to a loss) and decided to buy a midranger - Asus Zenfone Max Pro. In my mind, I knew that it would not be enough. I had thought of keeping it as a stopgap measure and buying the OP6T as the 'T' is the better iteration to buy for long term. Oneplus brings the latest processor in summer and fixes it's chinks in winter.

To be honest, Asus wasn't all bad. It had almost as good a screen experience, stock UI, unfailing battery, louder loudspeaker, and NEVER got warm. It wasn't as slow if I kept clearing apps time to time. It had a palatable camera after porting GCam. However, there was always in itch, after being accustomed to OP3. Camera was slow to focus, couldn't shoot slow motion very well, the speed was okay but slower than OP3. So, compared to budget flagships, the real differentiator is either/all of display, camera, UI, speed and arguably fast charging. I really didn't miss DASH charge. OP3 would need 2-3 charges for my use per day. Asus needed only one charge and I could nothing to drain the battery before next day morning. Like Xiaomi (and unlike MOTO), ASUS build quality is quite good and hardware issues are rare.

In August, some people started murmuring about POCO F1 and it's a challenger to OP6 and all. Based on specifications, the only thing it really missed on from real world use PoV was OIS. But, we know that's not true. OP6 has some corners cuts compared to flagships, but it is a premium device in its own regard. POCO, despite what they say, is a poor man's flagship at best. It doesn't have top class screen or latest glass protection, no OIS and though good, but definitely non-premium build.

I have had been an early adopter of MI and had bought the MI 3 (after selling my Samsung Note 3 Neo) during the first month of it's launch. I had switched to Oneplus as MIUI was boring after more than two years. It was buggy also, though it was more power efficient and NEVER got slow.

Now, POCO F1 seemed like what OP3 seemed like back in 2016. A great phone but with shortcomings (POCO - lack of OIS, MIUI and OP3- Poor Battery). But, both were worth spending my money on. OP6/6T are though great phones but have moved too far up in the price point.

I did have several complaints from OP3. Like, it's poor battery and wife like attitude about getting hot without any reason. There are things which I liked. It's camera, screen, UI. Also, like wife (when she goes to in-laws), I missed it when it was gone.

POCO came and I have more complaints. It is fast, it has a good camera and battery; all three better than OP3. It's storage is sufficient at 128 GB. The most loved feature is IR face unlock. The combination of 'Lift to wake' and 'Face Unlock' enhance the user experience to a large degree.
But, it has a midranger screen (even ASUS panel is better). The low light photos sucked until GCam with Night Sight arrived. The software, though feature rich, is perhaps the sorest point. It is buggy and applications crash like Win98 (compared to OP3). There are no notifications symbols in status bar, Google Pay/Paytm fingerprint authorizations don't work, widevine L1 support isn't there. The sound is a little low.

The bigger notch and plastic build are mostly PR issues from my PoV. I disable the notch anyway and have always used a case since Oneplus. A spigen for OP3 and KAPAVER for POCO. Having a plastic build is perhaps better. The signal reception is far better than OP3 and almost at par with MOTO G4 Plus, both of them have a poly-carbonate back.

To close my point, the debate is like Innova and Marrazo/Ertiga:
While everyone wants most number of seats, Innova (Oneplus/Samsung) is the best package. But, it is costly and not all want to/can spend that kind of money.
So, people buy Marazzo(Poco/Honor Play), which is nearly as good, but not quite and is going to have a few niggles.
Then, people buy Ertiga(Redmi Note series), which is a competent, but basic 7 seven seater.

[landcruiser123]

Here comes:

https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/22/1...-broken-issues

Just when I was hopeful that this is the long-awaited revolution in smartphones, Samsung have admitted that they've "screwed up." I was hoping that foldable smartphones become more affordable and we get $500 devices in 3-4 years.

Meanwhile, I'm happy to see leaks of Apple's smaller iPhone XE. Personally, I'm a big fan of small screens.