Explained: The OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition

The OnePlus 6T McLaren edition commences the partnership with two brands that boast similar philosophies — Never Settle and Fearlessly Forward. The OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition is truly a combination of speed, technology and class — right from the design, down to the internals. This handset oozes sex appeal and it needs to be experienced to be believed.

The handset doesn’t merely get a new suit — OnePlus has dressed it down right to its internals. Apart from featuring the beautiful Papaya Orange accents that run along the bottom edges and gradually fading into black, the handset also boasts a whopping 10GB RAM — a first in the world on a smartphone. OnePlus also announced Warp Charge 30, which is the next level for Fast Charge aka Dash Charge.

To state that this OnePlus 6T looks just like any other 6T are literally negating any of the efforts the R&D and the design team have put in. Unlike the standard 6T editions, the McLaren design has been built from the ground up, with specific attention to detail. And, it’s all about the looks as this handset is modelled after the Formula One car, the McLaren MCL33.

The McLaren Edition features a carbon fibre-like design beneath the glass back that is so subtle and can only be noticed just when the light hits it at a perfect angle. The OnePlus branding along with the McLaren logo is highlighted in silver spelling out its exclusivity.

While the carbon fibre design adds a touch of class, the true highlight is the Papaya Orange accent that adorns the sides of the handset. This is the same colour that’s used on McLaren’s F1 cars and adding it to the handset strengthens the brand's ties with each other. The Papaya Orange trims on the edges fade into black, raising its appeal to a different level. This design philosophy was inspired by the way we see F1 cars zooming across the track — a blur. Adding this sort of styling, sure took a lot of effort and OnePlus has done it to perfection.

This handset comes in one limited edition configuration — a whopping 10GB RAM with 256GB storage and the rest of the hardware specifications remain the same. While in the past, OnePlus has added the 256GB storage in its handsets, this is the first time the brand has added 10 gigs of RAM to its smartphone — thereby cementing this handset as a limited edition model.

While 10GB of RAM maybe overkill in today’s tech scenario, OnePlus has added optimisations to it that make apps perform much faster, or rather smoother, than the usual 8GB 6T variant. For those of you who have the 8GB OP6T, initially, you may not notice any drastic bump in the performance. However, the RAM works in a way where all the tough chores of graphic intensive apps rely on the extra RAM making them buttery-quick to load and utilise.

It’s not just in apps such as photo editing or video editing that will benefit from the extra RAM and optimisation; graphic intensive games such as Asphalt 9, PUBG and a lot more, which require an exhaustive processing power, will benefit to a large extent due — thanks to the redesigned PCB and optimisation of the RAM. Beneath, OnePlus has worked closely with Qualcomm and Samsung, who have provided the SoC mainboard and RAM chips to deliver the unique SD845/10GB RAM configuration. Since the Snapdragon 845 has a limitation of 8GB of RAM, there are two modules (8GB + 2GB) from Samsung that are in use here.

Heading back to the design, the McLaren detailing extends beyond the body of the handset as the brand has added a customised skin that’s based on Android Pie. With it, you now see a new boot up screen that features a carbon fibre-like hexagonal design alongside the McLaren logo. This animation is purposely done slowly as a way to pay homage to the team’s Formula One race car drivers who are made to listen to slow music prior to a race in order to calm them down. Before your initial setup is complete, OnePlus has also thrown in an Easter egg that takes advantage of the book/manual that comes in the box. In it, you can see the book come to life in the form of pictures and videos that can be viewed only on the McLaren edition 6T using the pre-loaded McLaren AR app. This is a nice touch and fans of the brand and McLaren can enjoy this unique visual spectacle before getting to the home screen of the phone. A unique collectable item for those who love McLaren cars.

The handset features custom themes and a colour scheme that’s limited to just this handset. If you don’t happen to be a fan of the Papaya Orange and Black interface, you can easily change the look to neutral in the phone’s settings. However, we feel that this colour combination goes along well with the look and feel of limited edition handset and in the process making it visually pleasing. You also find the in-display fingerprint sensor that sports a new animation which bleeds McLaren. Lastly, the OxygenOS that fuels the UI is marginally different from the regular OnePlus 6 and 6T versions as this is developed to cater to the humungous 10GB of RAM. However, usual timely updates will be rolled out together with other phones as well.

In what’s a first for OnePlus, the McLaren edition now comes with Warp Charge 30. For those of you out there who haven’t been keeping up with the latest in tech, Warp 30 is the brand’s all-new fast charging technology allowing you to charge the handset at a high of 30 Watts; this is much more than most other quick charging solutions offered by other brands. OnePlus states that with Warp Charge 30, you can use the supplied Papaya Orange braided Type-C cable and the 30W adaptor to charge the handset while simultaneously using the device for power gaming. With the battery technology also upscaled with an additional power and heat protection technology, the battery life is ensured capable of working/charging for longer periods.

The brand has done real-world tests and has ensured that the battery has sufficient cooling technology within to keep it as cool without over-heating. Alternatively, if you do own a OnePlus Dash charge cable, you can make use of it too with the 30W Warp charger, in case you lose the original cable. Using the Warp charger on conventional phones will charge the devices as a regular charger, while OnePlus phones will charge at Dash/Fash Charging speeds.

So how does Warp 30 work? OnePlus claims that in just a 20-minute charge, you get an all-day battery which roughly translates to about 50 per cent of the 3700mAh battery on the handset. We found this to very accurate in our test, and in just 20 minutes, we had about 51 per cent on our McLaren OP6T. To top up the battery, it took us another 80 minutes ahead to 100%.

As mentioned above, nothing else has changed otherwise — you still see the same 6.41-inch Optic AMOLED display boasting a resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels, the Snapdragon 845 SoC, the 16MP + 20MP rear cameras and the 16MP front-facing camera.

Lastly, the OnePlus 6T McLaren edition is priced pretty steep in India at Rs 50,999. This price brings it pretty close to flagships from bigger brands that could deflect users away. However, since this is a limited edition handset and will be sold in small quantities, it is a collectables item, similar to the Avengers and Star Wars editions released previously. The handset also boasts of a new quick charging tech and a whopping 10GB of RAM, which justifies the price tag. The device is aimed at serious performance enthusiasts, gamers and hardcore OnePlus and McLaren fans.

The OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition will go on sale on December 15 in India. Within the box is a rubber/carbon fibre black case with the McLaren branding, a Papaya Orange braided charging cable and 30W charger, an interactive AR book from McLaren and OnePlus, and a colour themed USB Type-C-to-3.5mm audio dongle.

 

Also, for those hardcore fans, OnePlus has encased within the box a McLaren logo, the iconic Speedmark, that is an actual piece of the McLaren-designed F1 AA grade carbon fiber– the same material used in the McLaren MCL33 2018 Formula 1 car. OnePlus says they used over 6 F1 cars’ worth of carbon fibre in the production of the Speedmarks.

So if you are a diehard fan of McLaren, and are looking for a beastly performance smartphone out there, the OnePlus 6T McLaren edition is what you should rush for. You may never get your hands on these as they are limited in quantity.