OnePlus 6 launched offering 30 per cent performance boost compared to OnePlus 5T

Qualcomm Snapdrago 845, Adreno 630 GPU and 8GB of RAM help soup-up OnePlus 6 performance

OnePlus has officially launched its OnePlus 6, one of the poorest-kept secrets in the smartphone sector over the past several months.

On paper, the OnePlus 6 looks little more than an incremental update on the OnePlus 5 and 5T. Despite the rumours, there's no added IP67 certification, no wireless charging support and no 'Super Slo-Mo' mode on the camera.

Instead, OnePlus claims that it has focused almost entirely on performance, telling V3 that it aims to give customers the best user experience possible with "no lag, and no frustrations".

As such, the OnePlus 6 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 CPU, paired with an Adreno 630 GPU and a not-ungenerous 8GB RAM. The company claims that the OnePlus 6 will therefore offer as much as a 30 per cent improvement in performance over the OnePlus 5T. On top of that, users ought to enjoy a 10 per cent improvement in battery life, too.

At 6.28in, the Full Optic AMOLED screen on the OnePlus is its biggest yet with its 2280x1080 resolution delivering a pixel density of 402ppi.

Despite the handset's bigger screen, OnePlus claims that its latest flagship boasts the same physical footprint as the OnePlus 5T before it thanks to its slimmed down bezels and iPhone X-a-like notch.

This display cutout, which houses the OnePlus 6's 16MP front-facing camera and speaker, is unlikely to go down well with all of OnePlus' fans, so the company added that an upcoming OTA update will add the functionality for users to hide it.

The OnePlus 6 is also clad completely in glass; in this case, Gorilla Glass 5.

Although there's no added IP67-certified waterproofing, OnePlus tells us that the handset does offer improved water-resistance thanks to a new foam sealant and the use of silicon around the handset's buttons.

There have been a few other design tweaks too, with OnePlus shifting the Alert Slider to the right-hand side the phone, redesigning the fingerprint scanner and opting for a vertically-aligned camera on the rear of the phone.

This "optimal" positioning has enabled OnePlus to re-introduce OIS, last seen on the OnePlus 3T, and to make the main 16MP sensor 19 per cent larger than before. The secondary 20MP lens remains unchanged, but the front-facing 16MP camera has been upgraded to support OnePlus' new 'Portrait Mode' feature.

However, rumours that OnePlus planned to introduce a 'Super Slo Mo' mode capable of shooting footage at 960fps haven't materialised.

Instead, its upgraded the camera to enable users to record one minute of slowed-down footage - compared to the industry-standard of 0.2s. While this will result in around 6 minutes of footage, OnePlus is equipping the OnePlus 6 with a new video editing tool for chopping down.

Software-wise, the Android Oreo-powered OnePlus 6 also features gesture controls, Face Unlock support and a new version of OnePlus' Gaming Mode that promises faster app loading times brings with it a new data prioritisation feature.

Elsewhere, the OnePlus 6 offers a 3.5mm headphone jack, USB-C port for charging, Dash Charge support, a dual-SIM port with dual-LTE support, and Cat 16 network support, making it the first OnePlus device to support Gigabit download speeds.

The OnePlus 6 will be made available in Midnight Black (8GB/128GB and 8GB/256GB configurations), Mirror Black (6GB/64GB, 8GB/128GB) and Silk White (8GB/128GB). The two black-hued models will be available to buy from 22 May, while the "limited edition" white model will go on sale in June.

Pricing-wise, the 64GB model will set you back £419, while the 128GB and 256GB variants will fetch £519 and £569, respectively.