OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition vs OnePlus 6T

The OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition was far from a well kept secret, but the 'salute to speed' is now official and it’s everything you'd probably expect from a OnePlus and McLaren crossover.

But is it much different to or much of an upgrade on the OnePlus 6T? After all, that’s still a fairly recent flagship and the McLaren Edition isn’t a completely new entry in the range, rather it’s a reworked version of the 6T.

With that in mind we’ve created this article, highlighting all their similarities and differences, covering the design, power, price and more to get you up to speed on this speedy new flagship.

OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition vs OnePlus 6T design

The standard OnePlus 6T has a fairly plain glass back

The standard OnePlus 6T has a fairly plain glass back

The OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition looks a lot like the standard OnePlus 6T from the front – both have an almost all-screen design with a teardrop notch above it.

Flip the phones over though and it’s a very different story. For the most part you can get the OnePlus 6T in either a glossy ‘Mirror Black’ or a matte ‘Midnight Black’. Either way you’re getting a fairly plain black glass back. Though there is also a ‘Thunder Purple’ version with a two-tone finish on the back.

Regardless, the OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition kicks things up a gear as while the back is still black, it has a carbon fiber pattern based on the “groundbreaking carbon fiber” that McLaren uses in its cars.

The McLaren Edition adds a carbon fiber effect and orange edging

The McLaren Edition adds a carbon fiber effect and orange edging

The back is also designed to let light streak across it, and the bottom edge is ‘Papaya Orange’ (McLaren’s signature color), a shade which streaks part way up the sides before disappearing.

The other design difference, of course, is the McLaren logo, which is found at the bottom of the back. Overall there’s a lot more going on in the McLaren Edition’s design and we suspect the orange color won’t suit everyone, but it’s sure to appeal to fans of the brand.

OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition vs OnePlus 6T display

Both phones have a big screen and a teardrop notch

Both phones have a big screen and a teardrop notch

There’s no difference in the screen - both of these phones have a 6.41-inch 1080 x 2340 AMOLED display with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio and 402 pixels per inch.

Resolution aside it’s a screen we were impressed by in our OnePlus 6T review so the same will probably hold true for the OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition. Both phones also have a fingerprint scanner built into the screen.

OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition vs OnePlus 6T OS and power

The only real specs difference between the OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition and the standard OnePlus 6T is that the McLaren Edition comes with 10GB of RAM, while the standard OnePlus 6T tops out at 8GB. Whether that will make much real difference when 8GB is already more than most phones have remains to be seen.

The OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition also comes with 256GB of storage. You can get that much with the standard OnePlus 6T but it’s the top size – many models come with just 128GB.

The extra RAM in the McLaren Edition might make it a multi-tasking machine

The extra RAM in the McLaren Edition might make it a multi-tasking machine

Other than that, the core specs and power are much the same, with both phones using a Snapdragon 845 chipset. Both phones also run Android 9 Pie overlaid with the OxygenOS UI, however, the McLaren Edition does have some exclusive McLaren-inspired software animations.

OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition vs OnePlus 6T camera and battery

There’s no difference between the cameras on these phones, meaning that both handsets have a dual-lens camera on the back, with 16MP and 20MP lenses, and both have a 16MP single lens camera on the front.

They also both have a 3,700mAh battery, but there’s a difference in the charging speeds, as while the OnePlus 6T supports fast charging, delivering up to a day’s power in half an hour, the OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition uses a technology called ‘Warp Charge 30’, which supposedly provides a day’s power in 20 minutes.

The OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition has an orange charging cable

The OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition has an orange charging cable

It does this through integrated circuits in both the charger and the phone, and "finely tuned power management software", which allows it to consistently deliver 30 watts of power.

It's worth noting also that the OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition's charger has a Papaya Orange braided cord cable, to match the orange on the phone.

OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition vs OnePlus 6T price and availability

The OnePlus 6T is of course out now and starts at $549/£499 (around AU$770). However, that's for a version with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. To get close to the specs of the McLaren Edition you need to spend $629/£579 (roughly AU$880) for one with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.

The OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition meanwhile will be available in the UK and the US from December 13, at a cost of $699/£649 (approximately AU$970, though it's unlikely to get an official release in Australia).

Whichever version you go for you'll pay less than most flagships cost

Whichever version you go for you'll pay less than most flagships cost

So you're paying around $70/£70 more for the McLaren Edition. Or more precisely you're paying that much more for an extra 2GB of RAM and a different finish on the back of the phone.

Having said that, you do get some extras with the OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition, as it comes with both a book, celebrating the history of the two companies, and a McLaren Speedmark logo made out of carbon fiber.

Takeaway

Ultimately the main differences between the standard OnePlus 6T and the McLaren Edition are that with the latter you get an extra 2GB of RAM and a different design on the back of the phone. 

You’ll pay an extra $70/£70 for that, which is actually not too massive a price difference and ensures the McLaren Edition still undercuts most flagships.

This is probably mostly one for McLaren fans and if that’s you then the Speedmark and book should help the jump in price feel even less significant.

If you're not a McLaren fan but like the design then the new phone could still be worth buying, but if you already have a normal OnePlus 6T you're probably not missing out on much.

James Rogerson

James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.