OnePlus 6T vs. OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition: what’s the difference?

The Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus has teamed up with the McLaren Formula 1 team to launch a special version of its flagship handset.

Following in the footsteps of rival brands Huawei and Oppo, which both have car-branded smartphones, the OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition is inspired by the team’s racing machines. The new smartphone has several upgrades on the standard model, says TechRadar.

OnePlus is promising a full day of power from a quick 20-minute charge on the McLaren Edition, as well as a sleek design that mimics the lightweight carbon fibre materials used in the racing powerhouse’s F1 cars.

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Buyers will find a selection of McLaren-themed accessories inside the smartphone’s box. These include an orange charging lead and a piece of carbon fibre taken from one of the team’s MCL33 F1 cars which competed in the 2018 season.

With orders set to open this Thursday, here’s a breakdown of how the two devices differ from each other:

Design

The striking difference between a regular OnePlus 6T and the new McLaren Edition is in their design.

On the McLaren Edition the back panel is covered in lightweight carbon fibre and coated in a glossy deep black finish, says the tech news site Digital Spy.

The edges of the smartphone’s rear casing are highlighted in papaya orange, adds the website. The colour appears on McLaren’s most recent F1 cars and was widely used by the team in the early 1970s.

Meanwhile the regular OnePlus 6T has a plastic back panel that’s available in either gloss or matte black. There’s also a thunder purple version, which has an iridescent paint effect that changes depending on the angle it’s viewed from.

Specs and performance

While the McLaren Edition’s 6.41in AMOLED touchscreen and cameras are identical to those found on the standard phone, the racing-inspired model does have a few tech upgrades.

Under the device’s carbon fibre skin is OnePlus’s new charging technology called Warp Charge 30. This sends an impressive 30 watts of power to the phone without overheating the device, according to The Sun.

OnePlus says the technology can provide a “a day’s power in just 20 minutes”. But the newspaper says the phone maker’s claim is “vague”.

The McLaren Edition also has 10GB of RAM, which is more than the 8GB offered in the top-spec model of the standard OnePlus 6T. This should provide plenty of power for gaming and recording video footage at a 4K resolution and 60fps.

Price and release

Given that the limited-run mobile comes bundled in with a piece of carbon fibre from one of McLaren’s F1 cars – and some hardware upgrades – it has a higher price tag than the standard £499 smartphone.

The OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition will cost customers £649 when sales open at 9am on Thursday. Buyers can place their order directly through the OnePlus website, though other retailers may also stock the exclusive model once sales open.