OnePlus 6 Leaks: Images Show iPhone X-Style Notch, Glass Back

The OnePlus 5T is just over three months old but its successor is already in the works. A couple of leaked images appear to show the OnePlus 6 and it looks like the upcoming Android phone is getting a drastic redesign.

The images of the OnePlus 6 were first published online by the Chinese website ITHome. The photos show that the device will have very thin bezels up front to give way for more screen real estate. This is of course unsurprising considering the OnePlus 5T features almost the exact same design. What’s really surprising is that the OnePlus 6 appears to have a notch on top of its display.

With Apple putting a notch on the iPhone X, the tech giant may have influenced other phone manufacturers to adopt the design. OnePlus may be trying to copy the iPhone X, but at least the notch on the OnePlus 6 is considerably smaller. It also appears as though the notch only houses a front-facing camera and the phone’s earpiece. There doesn’t appear to be any special sensors for face tracking, as pointed out by Android Central.

Google’s Android P is expected to arrive with native display notch support, so OnePlus adopting the design isn’t so farfetched. Other Android phone makers are also already embracing the notch and OnePlus may simply be trying to go along with the trend.

The OnePlus 6 also appears to have a glass back, which would be a first for the company’s flagship phone. The only time the company ever placed a glass back on one of its phones was with the more affordable 2015 OnePlus X.

With the OnePlus adopting a glass back for its 2018 flagship phone, it’s now being speculated that it may feature wireless charging. This would certainly make sense considering that OnePlus wouldn’t just change build materials for no good reason.

OnePlus CEO Pete Lau did have a lot of doubts with wireless charging when he explained why the OnePlus 5T didn’t have the said feature. Lau said back in November that its Dash Charge fast charging solution is still the “superior choice” that “clearly outshine” wireless charging. He further explained that he did consider to include wireless charging support for the 5T but simply chose not to. “We'll consider adopting the wireless charging technology when the time is right. Until then, we'll stick to Dash Charge,” Lau said at the time.

The leaked photos of the OnePlus 6 also show that the dual cameras on the back have been placed vertically at the center, while the rear-mounted fingerprint scanner sits just beneath the camera module. The fingerprint scanner is shaped like a pill rather than being circular like on the OnePlus 5T.

There’s currently no information on whether the leaked images are authentic, but the phone they feature could be one of the many prototypes that OnePlus is currently working on. There’s a huge chance that the final version of the OnePlus 6 will look drastically different than what’s seen in these pictures.

If the company plans on sticking to its typical release schedule, the OnePlus 6 should arrive later this June. Lau also confirmed back in January that the OnePlus 6 will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 and that they are planning to release the phone through U.S. carriers.