OnePlus just unveiled its priciest phone yet, the OnePlus 7 Pro. Here's how it compares to the more affordable OnePlus 6T.

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OnePlus just unveiled its priciest phone yet, the OnePlus 7 Pro. Here's how it compares to the more affordable OnePlus 6T.

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oneplus 6t vs oneplus 7 pro 2x1

OnePlus/Business Insider

The OnePlus 6T, left, and the OnePlus 7 Pro, right.

  • The recently announced $670 OnePlus 7 Pro is available to buy now, but it's the priciest OnePlus phone to date.
  • The cheaper version of the OnePlus 7 Pro, the regular OnePlus 7, won't be available in the US, so those who want to stay under the $600 mark will have the option to buy the $550 OnePlus 6T, which came out in November 2018.
  • The OnePlus 6T is still a fantastic smartphone that costs $120 less than the OnePlus 7 Pro.
  • Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.

OnePlus has unveiled its new OnePlus 7 Pro smartphone that schools Apple and Samsung in how to make a premium smartphone.

With that said, starting at $670, the OnePlus 7 Pro is uncharacteristically pricey for OnePlus phones, which have never started above the $600 mark. The OnePlus 7 Pro is the priciest phone that OnePlus has released so far.

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The company does have a cheaper OnePlus 7 - without the "pro" part - but it's not available in the US, and it doesn't have a US price tag to compare.

Instead of the OnePlus 7, the company is making its previous OnePlus 6T, which was released in November 2018, available for $550. 

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Here's how the two phones compare:

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The OnePlus 6T starts at $550 — $120 less than the OnePlus 7 Pro.

The OnePlus 6T starts at $550 — $120 less than the OnePlus 7 Pro.

Keep the price difference between the two phones in mind when you consider what the OnePlus 7 Pro has compared to the OnePlus 6T.

The OnePlus 6T runs on 2018 specs, while the OnePlus 7 Pro runs on 2019 specs, but that's not a bad thing — especially with OnePlus phones.

The OnePlus 6T runs on 2018 specs, while the OnePlus 7 Pro runs on 2019 specs, but that's not a bad thing — especially with OnePlus phones.

The OnePlus 6T runs on an older chip than the OnePlus 7 Pro — the Snapdragon 845 versus the Snapdragon 855, respectively.

Running on older chips sounds bad, but it's really not, especially with OnePlus phones. The older Snapdragon 845 from 2018 is still a workhorse. Coupled with OnePlus' lightweight Oxygen OS interface that runs on top of Android, and the fact that the OnePlus 6T comes with 8 GB of RAM, the OnePlus 6T is still an extremely capable smartphone.

In fact, the $550 OnePlus 6T now comes with 8 GB of RAM as standard, whereas the newer $670 OnePlus 7 Pro comes with 6 GB of RAM as standard. (If you buy the OnePlus 7 Pro from T-Mobile, the model with 6 GB of RAM isn't available. T-Mobile versions of the OnePlus 7 Pro start at $700 for the 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage.)

For what it's worth, RAM is directly related to how fast your phone feels, and OnePlus phones have a lot of RAM. It's the thing that lets your phone keep the apps you recently used running in the background so that, when you return to those apps, they open almost immediately right where you left off. If your phone had no RAM, it would need to reopen every app, which takes longer.

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The OnePlus 6T has a great camera, but it doesn't have as many options as the OnePlus 7 Pro.

The OnePlus 6T has a great camera, but it doesn't have as many options as the OnePlus 7 Pro.

The OnePlus 6T has a dual-lens camera setup, but one of the lenses is purely used for depth-sensing to make portrait mode photos better, which isn't particularly exciting. The camera is still great, and made me question the Google Pixel 3's title as the greatest smartphone camera in the world.

But at the end of the day, the OnePlus 7 Pro does have a triple-lens camera system, and each lens does something more valuable than simple depth-sensing. You get a regular-angle camera, like you do on the OnePlus 6T, as well as an ultra-wide-angle camera, and a 3X zoomed camera.

The designs of the OnePlus 6T and OnePlus 7 Pro aren't all that different.

The designs of the OnePlus 6T and OnePlus 7 Pro aren't all that different.

Both the OnePlus 6T and OnePlus 7 Pro have a frosted-glass back, so design shouldn't really be an issue. With that said, the Nebula Blue color on the OnePlus 7 Pro is pretty unbeatable.

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The OnePlus 7 Pro does, however, have a big screen upgrade.

The OnePlus 7 Pro does, however, have a big screen upgrade.

This is where the OnePlus 7 Pro shows other phone makers how its done.

With the OnePlus 7 Pro in hand, you'll notice something different while swiping around the Android operating system or your apps. Animations are a lot smoother, and it makes the OnePlus 7 Pro feel faster, more powerful, and more premium than any other phone you can buy.

It's purely superficial, but it makes a big impact on how you view your device. As a result of the super-smooth screen, the $670 OnePlus 7 Pro feels more premium than the $1,000 iPhone XS or $900 Galaxy S10.

The OnePlus 7 Pro also has curved screen edges, like you'd find on Samsung and Huawei phones. Curved screen edges are also purely superficial — there's no real point to them other than to look good. I know curved screen edges aren't everyone's cup of tea, so take that into account.

The OnePlus 6T has one of the least offensive notches on any smartphone. But the OnePlus 7 Pro doesn't have an iPhone-style notch at all, or a Samsung-style selfie camera cutout.

The OnePlus 6T has one of the least offensive notches on any smartphone. But the OnePlus 7 Pro doesn't have an iPhone-style notch at all, or a Samsung-style selfie camera cutout.

If you're not a fan of notches, the OnePlus 7 Pro will be a treat. There's no notch or cut-out, just pure screen.

Meanwhile, the OnePlus 6T (below) has a small water-drop-style notch for the selfie camera that doesn't take up as much space, nor is it as noticeable as the iPhone-style notch you'd find on the iPhone or most other Android phones.

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The OnePlus 7 Pro's pop-up selfie camera is neat and makes the no-notch display possible, but it could carry an extra risk.

The OnePlus 7 Pro's pop-up selfie camera is neat and makes the no-notch display possible, but it could carry an extra risk.

To deliver a full-screen, no-notch, no-cutout display, OnePlus had to put the camera somewhere else: inside the phone itself. The OnePlus 7 Pro's selfie camera pops out from an enclosure when you want to take a selfie.

It's incredibly neat, but it is one more thing that can break on a smartphone. However, OnePlus has you more or less covered, protecting the pop-up selfie camera if you drop the phone. The OnePlus 7 Pro will detect when it's being dropped, and it'll automatically retract the selfie camera.

I did a little test to see if the pop-up selfie camera fully retracted before it hit the ground during a gentle drop test. The camera didn't quite make it all the way into its enclosure, but it seemed to have retracted enough to prevent damage.

So, what'll it be?

So, what'll it be?

It's up to you to decide whether it's worth the extra $120 to go with the OnePlus 7 Pro for its 2019 specs and stunning screen.

At the end of the day, the OnePlus 7 Pro is still cheaper than phones from big companies like Apple and Samsung.

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