The OnePlus 10T is priced on par with the Pixel 6, skips the zoom camera just like Google’s phone, and sports a snappy and barebones Android interface, again like, you guessed it, the Pixel 6.
That is why we are pitching the new OnePlus 10T versus the “old” Google Pixel 6 to help you choose which one to get on the runup to the September release date here in the US, based on their camera, display, and processor performance benchmarks.
OnePlus 10T vs Google Pixel 6, the main differences:
- Record fast 150W wired charging on the OnePlus 10T, but no wireless charging
- The smaller Pixel 6 display has better color presentation but lower refresh rate
- Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset is faster than Google’s Tensor 1 and offers better 5G connectivity
- The OnePlus 10 comes with twice the RAM and base storage of the Pixel 6
- Two color options vs three
- 50 MP cameras, but Google is still the mobile photography boss
Design and Display Quality
The OnePlus 10T is undoubtedly the more elegant phone at the front, what with the thinner display bezels and the boxy Pixel 6 appearance. At the back, however, it’s a toss-up between the OnePlus camera island fused with the side frame and the unorthodox camera “strip” of the Pixel 6.
The Pixel’s design is a bit more comfortable to hold and use with one hand, not only because it is more compact, but also because the elevated camera strip serves as a great place to press your index finger against. The OnePlus 10T’s elevated camera area holds three cameras and a flash, while Google’s strip has two and a flash, making for a rather baren appearance in comparison.
The 10T has two color options – Moonstone Black and Jade Green – which, despite the drastic difference in texture and looks, are achieved by using a glass back. The Pixel 6, in comparison, offers three colorways – Kinda Coral, Sorta Seafoam, and Stormy Black – and is again offering a glass back which has a wireless charging coil on the inside, unlike the OnePlus 8T which only charges with the monstrous 150W brick.
Displays
We have to give it to Google and its Pixel line when it comes to display colors. While phones from the BBK holding, like those of Oppo or OnePlus, offer rare per-unit factory calibration on the high-end models for the utmost in wide gamut coverage, Google’s Pixels have perfect display calibration even towards the midrange which is currently occupied by the Pixel 6.
The Pixel 6, on the other hand, has one of the lowest Deltas we’ve measured, near-perfect white balance, and brightness on par with the OnePlus 10T, as if counterweights to the higher refresh rate of the OnePlus phone.
Performance and Software
The Pixel 6 runs on Google’s own Tensor processor, coupled with 8GB RAM and 128GB of base storage. While both phones run their light Android interfaces well, the OnePlus 10T runs the most powerful Android chipset at the moment, so Google’s Tensor has a hard time catching up, especially when it comes to gaming or 5G connectivity where Qualcomm has no equal in terms of bands and filters supported.
But let’s look at the raw specs from our performance benchmarks and let them speak for themselves, especially in the 3D graphics rendering section which is important if you play a lot of games on your phone, here the 10T easily surpasses the Pixel 6:
Camera
The OnePlus 10T has a big but aesthetically pleasing camera island on the back, hosting three sensor and lense combos only one of which makes sense, the 50MP main camera with the Sony sensor. The 8MP ultrawide and 2MP macro camera are compromises and seem to be there for the count.
Can Google compete with the 50MP sensor of the Pixel 6’s main camera and the 12MP of the ultrawide against the newer OnePlus 10T? It can, and then some, as you can see from the samples below.
The crowd-pleasing OnePlus camera algorithms churn out overly warm, yellowish images with unnatural contrast boost. The photos lose some details in the process, while the Pixel 6 not only manages to snap very realistic, true-to-life colors both indoors and outdoors, but also captures more detail and the images have less blur without oversharpening, and the same goes for the 4K sample videos from the two phones below.
Audio Quality
Both the OnePlus 10T and the Pixel 6 list “dual stereo speakers” among their virtues, but it’s a single speaker augmented by using the earpiece as the other one to keep the stereo sound off-balance. The sound from both phones won’t rock your socks, especially in the lows and mids, but they are both sufficiently loud to annoy people on your morning commute still.
It’s also worth noting that the phones lack a headphone jack, so you’d have to pick your poison of USB-C headphones, or wireless ones if you don’t want to use the “stereo speakers.”
Battery Life and Charging
The OnePlus 10T’s added value is its 150W charging system that pumps its 4800 mAh dual-cell battery full of electrons for less than 20 minutes. We measured 23 minutes, to be exact, but that was from a completely depleted state, not the 1% that OnePlus measures from.
There’s no wireless charging like on the Pixel 6, but the ultrafast wired and the inclusion of its 150W brick in the box more than compensates In short, both the battery life and the charging rounds go to the OnePlus 10T here.
Specs Comparison
| Specs | OnePlus 10T | Google Pixel 6 |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 163 mm x 75.37mm x 8.75 mm | 6.24 x 2.94 x 0.35 inches (158.6 x 74.8 x 8.9 mm) |
| Weight | 203.5 grams | 7.30 oz (207.0 g) |
| Screen | 6.7 inches, AMOLED 2412 x 1080 resolution (394 pixels per inch) 120 Hz refresh rate HDR10+ | 6.4 inches, AMOLED 2400 x 1080 resolution, (390 pixels per inch) 90 Hz refresh rate HDR10+ |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 | Google Tensor 1 |
| RAM | 8 GB / 12 GB / 16 GB | 8 GB |
| Rear Cameras | 50 MP main (with OIS) 8 MP ultra-wide 2 MP macro | 50 MP main (with OIS) 12 MP ultra-wide |
| Front Camera | 16 MP | 8 MP front |
| Battery Size | 4,800 mAh | 4,614 mAh |
| Charging Speeds | 150W (wired) No wireless charging (150W charger included in the box) | 30W (wired) 15W (wireless) (No charger included in the box) |
| Price | $649 for the 8 GB RAM / 128 GB storage variant $749 for the 16 GB RAM / 256 GB storage variant | $599 for the 8 GB RAM / 128 GB storage variant |
Conclusion: OnePlus 10T or Pixel 6, which one to buy?
While the specs of the OnePlus 10T and Google Pixel 6 are quite similar, as can be expected given their respective price category, the newer phone is definitely the faster one with its Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 and the 20-minute charging speed. When it comes to photography, the Pixel 6 has the upper hand, though, despite both having 50MP main cameras.
In other words, if performance while gaming, record charging speeds, and a larger display with smoother refresh rate are more important to you than better dynamic range or night colors in your photos and wireless charging, go for the OnePlus 10T which can now be ordered with a free storage upgrade to boot.
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