Should you buy the OnePlus 6 when it comes out?

Should you buy the OnePlus 6 when it comes out?

Should you buy the OnePlus 6? This is a harder question to answer than it should be, and part of the blame can be pinned on OnePlus itself, which at this point should change its tagline to 'Never (let the dust) Settle'.

Why exactly? Well, OnePlus has been pushing out phones at a rapid pace, releasing two phones each year since 2016. The upcoming OnePlus 6 will be its fifth phone in as much time. That’s a lot of phones to keep up with, especially if you’re keen on buying each one.

Giving consumers more opportunities to spring for a new phone is mostly a good thing, but give customers too many opportunitie and, it can become difficult for them to just be content with a OnePlus phone purchase without thinking ahead to what’s coming in fewer than six months.

The OnePlus 6 hasn’t officially launched yet, but its existence and many of its specs have been confirmed by OnePlus co-founder Pete Lau. So if you’re unsure about whether you should invest in the next OnePlus phone, we understand – and we’re here to help you decide.

Now would be a good time to upgrade from the OP3

You should buy the OnePlus 6 if...

Upgrading from something like the OnePlus 3 or OnePlus 3T? The OnePlus 6 promises some hearty upgrades that seem well worth the price. But, whether you’re upgrading or are a first-time buyer, snagging the new OnePlus 6 won’t be cheap (it may cost more than all the company's previous models). 

If you don’t own a previous OnePlus phone, the OnePlus 6 looks to be a viable alternative to popular phones like the Samsung Galaxy S9, Google Pixel 2 XL and practically anything else out there. The only true contender when it comes to RAM count and storage may be the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, which is slated to release later this year.

You’ll be able to appreciate OnePlus’ upcoming phone more than most if you haven’t yet experienced a phone running the latest Android Oreo software, while you can also look forward to features such as a dual rear-facing camera system and an 18:9 aspect ratio display, both of which the OnePlus 6 is all but confirmed to have.

Phones have come a long, long way in the past two years, so if yours is looking and feeling decidedly last-gen, upgrading is probably a good idea.

You shouldn't buy the OnePlus 6 if...

Let’s say you just bought a OnePlus 5T when it came out near the end of 2017. So while you may not have been thinking that it's already time to upgrade, with the OnePlus 6 in the news you're probably already feeling restless. That’s the downside of the breakneck release schedule OnePlus adheres to – it’s bad for early adopters – but honestly, you don’t really need to upgrade just yet. Maybe wait for the inevitable OnePlus 6T.

Additionally, for anyone with a speedy phone running the Snapdragon 835 found in many of the best Android phones, or even the Snapdragon 821 powering the Google Pixel and LG G6, the gains provided by OnePlus 6 might not be appreciable enough to justify the purchase.

Of course, if you have the money, then by all means indulge in the newness – although the rumored higher price tag of $605 (about £430, AU$790) means this OnePlus phone will be a bigger indulgence than previous models.

If you have to sit out the OnePlus 6 launch, don’t fret. OnePlus is in a unique position wherein it can make a move, take feedback on a device, pivot completely and iterate on it within the same year. So if you wait, the company’s late 2018 release will likely boast similar features to other high-profile releases around that time, like the iPhone X2 and Google Pixel 3.