Why I want to swap my Google Nexus 6P for a OnePlus 3T

I really admire what OnePlus has acheived in its short time of existence. Their first product, the OnePlus One , was quite something, in fact I was impressed with how the company was offering CyanogenMod out of the box. However its successor  didn’t turn out to be what the fans expected. There were heating as well as software issues. The company’s third attempt was a glossy compact smartphone, the OnePlus X . It seemed like an interesting offering. But again the company was let down by an unfavourable response as consumers were not happy using an old chipset. [caption id=“attachment_240153” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”]  OnePlus One: The phone that started it all[/caption] This year, OnePlus made a comeback. The OnePlus 3 has been one of the highest recommended smartphones for 2016, well atleast in my books. Now I agree it cannot completely keep up with flagships like the **iPhone 7 Plus** , **Google Pixel XL** or the **Samsung Galaxy S7** , but it gets very close. That too at half the price. What really impressed me with the OnePlus 3 was the hardware choices. Snapdragon 820, 64GB of storage, an AMOLED 1080p display and 6GB of RAM. More than the storage and the chipset, what really grabbed my attention were the display and that huge amount of RAM. Unlike QHD panels, a 1080p panel drains less battery and frankly I am quite happy with that kind of resolution especially if it is an AMLOED. As for the memory, with 6GB at your disposal, you shouldn’t have any issues running a multiple apps. [caption id=“attachment_320645” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”]  OnePlus 3 is easily the best phone under Rs 30,000[/caption] It has only been six months, and we already have an update to the OnePlus 3. Well, sort of. The new OnePlus 3T was announced a few weeks back and while it isn’t a huge update, it sounds like what the OnePlus 3 should’ve been. The design is exactly the same, but what has changed is on the inside. You get the latest Snapdragon 821 SoC, a new 16MP front camera, a larger 3,400mAh battery, a new 128GB variant and a darker ‘Gunmetal’ colour option while retaining the Soft Gold variant. That bigger battery and a slight bump in the processor could make a huge difference in the overall experience. As for the new front camera, I am not very fond of taking selfies, but hey at least I can take better looking pictures of myself when I am out on a trip. 128 gigs of storage, definitely a bonus. Good news is, the OnePlus 3T is arriving in India very soon. The company confirmed this information in its forums, although a launch date is not out as of yet. I am psyched for this handset. It completely overshadows my **Nexus 6P** . Probably the primary camera won’t be as good, but I don’t mind as long as it can take decent pictures and videos. [caption id=“attachment_288277” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”]  Time to replace my trusty Nexus 6P[/caption] Now it has been priced at $440 for the 64GB variant and $480 for the 128GB variant in the US, which is higher than the OnePlus 3 but substantially lower than most flagships out there. I am presuming the 64GB variant in India could see Rs 29-30k price range while the 128GB variant going as high as Rs 32-35k. A sub-Rs 35,000 pricing is still not bad at all. I went on to ask about 10 people who recently bought the OnePlus 3 as to what they think about the new update. While some were disappointed and wanted the new version, a majority of them were quite satisfied with the purchase. And why shouldn’t they be? Just because OnePlus 3T will be arriving in the market, it doesn’t change the fact that OnePlus 3 is still one of the most well rounded phones of 2016. Currently I am happy with my Nexus 6P , but I’m starting to save up for the OnePlus 3T. I was looking forward to the Google Pixel, but that price tag of Rs 57,000 stings me. The OnePlus 3T is not only cheaper, but I get hardware that should last for the next two years at least. The battery life on the 6P has not been impressive. OnePlus 3T with the 3400mAh battery capacity on a FullHD AMOLED display sounds like a better alternative. Hopefully, it should prove to be better. Regarding the software, OnePlus has confirmed that the new Android 7.0 Nougat will be out in December. Add to that, support for Cyanogen as well as OnePlus’ swanky looking Hydrogen ROM and I am sold.