Why it matters: OnePlus is surprisingly transparent about upcoming devices, something we're not accustomed to in the mobile industry. Arguments can be made for whether or not that's the best strategy but thus far, OnePlus has seemingly made it work as evident by its loyal fan base.
OnePlus is mere weeks away from unveiling its next flagship smartphone, the mid-cycle OnePlus 6T. Unlike some of its competitors who prefer secrecy leading up to an unveiling, OnePlus has been rather forthcoming with details regarding its new handset.
In a recent interview with CNET, OnePlus co-founder and CEO Pete Lau reiterated a few things that we already knew. First, the OnePlus 6T will not feature a 3.5mm headphone jack, a sacrifice that was necessary to allow for the inclusion of an in-screen fingerprint reader.
"After you experience the Screen Unlock you'll fall in love with it," Lau said, adding that you "realize that it's the experience that you wanted."
Lau also confirmed that the OnePlus 6T won't have wireless charging. Customers are accustomed to OnePlus' fast charge technology, Dash Charging, and in order to deliver a similar experience wirelessly, the 6T would have had to be thicker. Excess heat generation would also have been a concern, Lau noted.
"When we get to the day that the wireless charging can get up to speed without the implication of heat that we expect, then I believe we can integrate the technology," he said.
Something else the OnePlus 6T won't have is an IP certification rating. Lau, who said the new phone will be more water resistant than any of its previous releases, believes going through the official IP certification testing is an unnecessary expense. OnePlus instead chose to forego such testing in order to save customers some cash during checkout.