Apple iPhone Xs vs OnePlus 6T: Which One is Worth The Wait?

As we near the last quarter of the year 2018, the annual launch events of two major tech players are on their way. While one of these two is Apple, the Cupertino based firm poised to introduce its 2018 iPhone line-up along with several other products like MacBook and Apple Watch, the other firm is the comparatively young and fast-growing smartphone manufacturer OnePlus.

Focussing on the smartphones making their way to the global markets post the launches, Apple is expected to come with three new models of iPhones, which, as per reports to date, will be named iPhone Xc, iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Plus. The Xc model is supposed to be Apple’s attempt at a more pocket-friendly variant of the iPhone X while the other two will act as its successors.

Meanwhile, OnePlus is poised to come up with the T variant of its current flagship, the OnePlus 6, on October 17. Ample rumours have already been spread about the upcoming OnePlus 6T following the persistent enthusiasm that follows the OnePlus devices. If the rumours/ leaks are to be taken seriously at all, the OnePlus 6T is definitely a smartphone to look forward to.

Well, so are the new iPhones, with the global audience waiting to see how Apple improves upon its “best iPhone to date.” Before the launches take place, here is what all the rumours, leaks and the official confirmations by both the companies suggest us about the upcoming smartphones. For comparison purposes, we will be taking the iPhone Xs into consideration which would best reflect the successor variant of the iPhone X. On the other side, we have the OnePlus 6T, the next-in-line of the “flagship killer” series by OnePlus.

Here is how they compare head to head in various aspects.

Design

Apple seems to have followed the design language of the iPhone X for the Xs and for all the right reasons. At the time of its launch, the iPhone X carried a design unseen on any previous iPhone models. The glass finish at the front and back boasted of an appeal as premium as the device’s price and Apple finally had gone for a bezel-less experience for its users. A year on, Apple will not deter too much from this pattern and we can expect a quite similar looking iPhone Xs being unveiled on September 12.

OnePlus has always been quick to incorporate changes to its smartphones with the semi-annual pattern working well for the company to introduce these changes. After bringing the notch display to the OnePlus 6, the company now seems to make it shorter and bring the more modernistic ‘waterdrop’ display on the OnePlus 6T. This means that the notch on the OnePlus 6T will be even smaller than before and only house the front camera, as seen on the latest Oppo and Vivo smartphones.

What’s more, rumours suggest that OnePlus has now gone for a triple-camera setup at the back and to make space for it, the fingerprint sensor has been moved from the back of the smartphone. And guess where it has been shifted now. Within the display! Here is how the company hinted at it:

Display

As per reports to date, the iPhone Xs will come with the same display as found on the iPhone X, meaning the OLED display will measure 5.8-inches diagonally and sport an 18:9 aspect ratio along with a 2436x1125 pixels resolution. The other variants, however, will carry different size and make of displays.

As mentioned above, the OnePlus 6T will feature a waterdrop notch at the top of its display and the corners might be more rounded than before as a result. Rest of the display specifications are expected to be nearly the same, measuring around 6.28-inch and offering a 2280 x 1080 pixels resolution in a 19:9 aspect ratio.

Performance

This is one particular area of focus in the upcoming iPhone Xs. And not just the iPhone Xs, Apple will be bringing a new A12 bionic chip for all the 2018 iPhones. The upcoming processing chip by Apple will feature a 7nm process that is said to make the A12 chip 20% faster than last year's A11 chip, 40% more energy efficient and deliver 10% more battery life.

Just as crucial the performance upgrade is for Apple, OnePlus might not have too much to deliver on this front with the OnePlus 6T. Reason being the OnePlus 6 already features the best Qualcomm processor to date, i.e. the Snapdragon 845 and couples it with a 6GB RAM. Until and unless Qualcomm comes up with the proposed Snapdragon 855 before the OnePlus 6T launch, there won’t be much upgrade on the performance on the OnePlus 6T.

Camera

By the looks of it, Apple might just go for the existing dual camera module on the iPhone Xs as seen on the iPhone X. This means that the vertical camera setup on the Xs will include a 12-megapixel wide-angle and a 12-megapixel telephoto lens. And if the same strategy is applied to the front camera, you can expect to see a 7-megapixel sensor on the notch at the front that will also feature the FaceID.

OnePlus, on the other hand, will be gunning for a triple lens camera system on the OnePlus 6T, as suggested by most of the leaks online. Stacked vertically at the centre, the OnePlus 6T camera setup might include a secondary telephoto lens this time, while the exact specifications of the lenses and the camera system are still a mystery.

Battery

Not much is known about the battery backup of both the smartphones yet. Although, the iPhone users have constantly been demanding a larger battery as a necessary upgrade. This, and the latest speculations about Apple ramping up the battery backup of the 2018 iPhone models might indicate a 3000+ mAh battery powering the iPhone Xs.

Coming to the OnePlus 6T, the smartphone might feature a similar battery as the OnePlus 6. This will also be in line with the similar batteries found on the last two OnePlus offerings, i.e. the OnePlus 5T and the OnePlus 6, both featuring a 300 mAh battery. What’s more, the Dash Charging by the company is more than enough to compliment any limitations in battery backup.

Other features

There are some other noticeable features that both the smartphones can be expected to carry. For instance, Apple will be introducing a new version of the iOS 12 for its iPhones. This means that the Cupertino tech giant will also be introducing improvements through its OS and as per the speculations to date, these might include faster performance, more functions to the Siri shortcuts and Memojis to iPhones other than iPhone X.

The mosat highlighting feature that the OnePlus 6T is poised to get will undoubtedly be the in-display fingerprint sensor, much like the one featured on the recently launched Oppo R17.