Should you replace your OnePlus 5 or 5T with a new OnePlus 6T?

While we already compared the OnePlus 6 vs OnePlus 6T, the reality is that only the most hardcore fans are going to upgrade after less than six months. But what if you’re coming from the OnePlus 5 family?

It’s hard to believe it has been less than two years since the OnePlus 5 launched, and about a year since the OnePlus 5T debuted. These phones shared most of the same hardware and software, but the OnePlus 5T had a much larger 6-inch screen than the 5.5-inch OnePlus 5. The OnePlus 5T also had some small camera hardware improvements.

Today, the company announced its latest smartphone, the OnePlus 6T — a follow up to this year’s OnePlus 6. When compared to the OnePlus 5 and the 5T, the OnePlus 6T has a ton of changes. It’s got an even larger 6.41-inch display, a more powerful processor, improvements on the battery and camera side, an in-display fingerprint scanner, and it’s now finally compatible with Verizon’s wireless network. All of that comes with launch prices only a little higher than the introductory prices of the OnePlus 5 and 5T.

So here is the big question: is the OnePlus 6T a good upgrade for owners of the OnePlus 5 and 5T?

Specs: OnePlus 6T vs OnePlus 5/5T

Even though the OnePlus 5 is barely two years old, the OnePlus 6T represents a huge spec upgrade over it and the 5T. Here’s a quick look at the hardware and software specs for the new OnePlus 6T compared to the OnePlus 5 and 5T.

Reasons to upgrade from OnePlus 5/5T to OnePlus 6T

You are getting a much bigger display

The biggest physical change on the OnePlus 6T, compared to the OnePlus 5 and 5T, is its larger 6.41-inch AMOLED display. This phone has small bezels on the front, and even the large notch of the earlier 6.28-inch OnePlus 6 has been cut down to a smaller “teardrop” design for the OnePlus 6T. In simple terms, this is the biggest display ever for a OnePlus smartphone.

Faster processor and more onboard storage

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor in the OnePlus 6T is much faster than the older Snapdragon 835 chip powering the OnePlus 5 and 5T, with a higher clock speed and supporting faster download speeds on both LTE and Wi-Fi networks. Also, OnePlus ditched the 64GB onboard storage option for the cheapest OnePlus 6T — the phone’s minimum storage option is now 128GB. You can also get one with 256GB of storage.

In-display fingerprint scanner

The OnePlus 6T joins the small but growing number of smartphones moving the fingerprint scanner from the back of the phone directly to the front, embedded in the display itself. While these kinds of scanners are usually not as fast as ones on the back, OnePlus claims the in-display fingerprint sensor on the OnePlus 6T is the fastest ever made, and will unlock the phone in about .34 seconds.

A bigger battery

The OnePlus 5, 5T, and even the OnePlus 6 had a 3,300mAh battery, but the OnePlus 6T finally gets a boost up to a larger 3,700mAh battery. In addition, the OnePlus 6T retains the fast charging technology it developed for the earlier phones. Even with its larger battery, we expect the OnePlus 6T to take very little time to charge up.

Better cameras

Both the OnePlus 5 and the 5T have rear 16MP and 20MP f/1.7 cameras in the back, but while the OnePlus 5 had a Sony IMX 350 telephoto sensor for the 20MP camera, the OnePlus 5T switched it out for a Sony IMX 376K sensor. The OnePlus 6T has the same camera hardware as the OnePlus 6. Compared with the 5T, the main 16MP sensor has been switched over to the Sony IMX 519 sensor, which has 19 percent larger pixels than the sensor on the 5T, to help with low light performance. The OnePlus 6T also has a 16MP front-facing camera.

OnePlus says the 6T has improvements for the camera’s HDR and portrait modes, as well as new studio lighting modes to help recognize faces and adjust lighting to simulate professional lighting. Finally, the phone has a new Nightscape Mode, which is supposed to improved clarity and create less noise in low light conditions.

Android 9.0 Pie out of the box

There will be no need to wait for an Android OS update for the OnePlus 6T. While both the OnePlus 5 and the 5T shipped with OxygenOS, based on Android 7.1.1. Nougat, owners had to wait a little while to get the promised upgrade to 8.0 Oreo. For the launch of the OnePlus 6T, the company has updated OxygenOS with Android 9.0 Pie, the latest version of Android, so owners will have the latest and greatest software features from Google’s operating system as soon as they get the phone.

Sold at T-Mobile and works on Verizon

The OnePlus 6T is perhaps the biggest launch ever for the company in the U.S. market. It’s the first OnePlus phone to be sold by a U.S. wireless carrier, T-Mobile. Not only that, but the carrier will let previous OnePlus phone owners trade in their older handset for the OnePlus 6 for a $300 credit. In addition, the OnePlus 6T has been certified to work on Verizon Wireless’s network for the first time, which means the unlocked version can be used on the biggest carrier in the U.S.

Reasons not to upgrade to OnePlus 6T

No headphone jack

After a couple of years of bucking the trend, the OnePlus 6T is the first phone from the company to ditch the traditional 3.5mm headphone jack. Many diehard smartphone owners still won’t buy a new handset without a headphone jack. If you are included in that category, you might think twice about ditching your OnePlus 5 or 5T for the new 6T. The company at least sells OnePlus Bullets wireless earbuds, which support aptX for high-quality audio streaming.

Higher launch prices

The OnePlus 5 launched with a starting price of $479, and the 5T started at $529. The OnePlus 6T will have a starting price of $549 — $70 more than the OnePlus 5, and $20 more than the 5T. The OnePlus 6T still has a very reasonable unlocked price for all of the hardware and software upgrades you are getting. Also, keep in mind that the OnePlus 5 and 5T’s starting launch price came with just 64GB of onboard storage, while the OnePlus 6T comes with a minimum of 128GB of storage.

So should you upgrade from the OnePlus 5 or 5T to the OnePlus 6T?

There’s no doubt the hardware and software specs on the OnePlus 6T beat those of the OnePlus 5 and 5T in nearly every way — at a price only a bit more expensive to boot. It has a bigger screen, an in-display fingerprint scanner, a bigger battery, improved cameras, support for Verizon’s network, and more. We wish the headphone jack had stayed, but that’s really the only major hardware strike against the phone, which makes the decision to upgrade to this phone if you own the OnePlus 5 and 5T pretty easy.

How do you feel about the OnePlus 6T compared to the OnePlus 5 and 5T? Can you live without a headphone jack? Let us know in the comments!