OnePlus recently rolled out the OnePlus Ace 6, emphasizing affordability and performance. It sports last year’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Supreme chip and is priced between 2,500 and 4,000 yuan. Shortly after, OnePlus unveiled the OnePlus Ace 6T, another performance-focused model. This time, it debuts with the 5th Gen Snapdragon 8 chip. Without the 'Supreme' suffix, it signifies a fresh processor in the Snapdragon 8 lineup. How does this phone stack up? Let’s delve in.

Appearance: True to Its Name

The naming convention makes it evident that the OnePlus Ace 6T is a minor update to the OnePlus Ace 6. Carrying the OnePlus Ace 6 moniker, the OnePlus Ace 6T’s design is nearly identical.

It boasts the same 6.83-inch screen, 1.5K resolution, ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, straight-edged design, screen bezel width, front camera cutout size, metal frame, and a similarly styled rear camera module DECO. Upon closer inspection, the only noticeable changes might be the flash placement in the rear camera module, the removal of the 'Ace' text below, and the retention of the multifunctional shortcut key.

However, the OnePlus Ace 6T introduces a new back cover design. The ['Electric Purple'] variant features a fiberglass back with a large 'ACE' logo printed on it, seamlessly blending into the back panel. It offers a smooth and comfortable touch, is resistant to fingerprint smudges, and boasts IP66/IP68/IP69/IP69K water resistance.

Performance: 5th Gen Snapdragon 8, Excelling in User Experience

The OnePlus Ace 6T makes its global debut with the 5th Gen Snapdragon 8, sharing the same manufacturing process, core specifications, and third-gen 3nm flagship process from TSMC as the 5th Gen Snapdragon 8 Supreme. It also incorporates Qualcomm's self-developed third-gen Oryon CPU architecture and Adreno GPU. However, the CPU frequency has been tweaked, featuring two 3.8GHz Ultra large cores and six 3.32GHz performance cores, along with reduced cache.

If the 5th Gen Snapdragon 8 Supreme is likened to the 'ultra-large cup' of mobile phones, then the 5th Gen Snapdragon 8 is the 'large cup,' and the 5th Gen Snapdragon 8s is the 'medium cup.'

In theoretical performance tests, the OnePlus Ace 6T scored 3.05 million points in AnTuTu, 2,665 points in single-core and 9,215 points in multi-core tests on GeekBench 6 (which focuses on CPU performance), and 4,934 points in 3D Mark Wild Life Extreme (which emphasizes GPU performance). Its performance is slightly weaker than the Snapdragon 8 Supreme.

In real-world gaming tests, conducted in a 27°C air-conditioned room with the demanding game Honkai: Star Rail, a 30-minute session was carried out during a peak gameplay moment.

The OnePlus Ace 6T achieved an average gaming frame rate of 58.4 frames, with a 1% low frame rate of 26.8 frames. Although the frame rate fluctuated, it generally hovered around 60 frames, providing a relatively smooth gaming experience. Compared to previously tested Snapdragon 8 Supreme models, the frame rate trend was much more stable.

Besides delivering higher and more stable frame rates, the OnePlus Ace 6T's average gaming power consumption was around 6.3W, lower than previously tested Snapdragon 8 Supreme models, resulting in less battery drain. In a 30-minute gaming test, the OnePlus Ace 6T consumed approximately 8% of its battery, further highlighting the advantage of its 8300mAh large battery.

After 30 minutes of gaming, the phone's temperature was measured using an infrared thermometer. The back reached 48.7°C, while the front reached 46.3°C.

The OnePlus Ace 6T also continues to offer the advantage of a 165Hz high refresh rate screen, with adaptations for mainstream FPS shooting games that place a high emphasis on frame rates, such as Delta Force, CrossFire, Call of Duty Mobile, and League of Legends: Wild Rift. In testing, Delta Force could be played at 165 frames in smooth mode, with the frame rate consistently stable at 165 frames.

Compared to 120 frames, 165 frames provide an additional 45 frames per second, making enemy movements smoother. In shooting games that heavily rely on frame rates, players can spot enemies sooner, gaining a competitive edge.

Moreover, the OnePlus Ace 6T debuts with a 165 high frame rate mode in smooth mode for Peacekeeper Elite. Testing showed it consistently maintained around 165 frames, with an average gaming frame rate of 163.4 frames per game, providing a smooth gaming experience, although power consumption increased to 6.56W.

After gaming, the infrared thermometer measured the OnePlus Ace 6T's back at a maximum of 47.9°C, and the screen at a maximum of 46.8°C.

In addition to the 165 high frame rate gaming experience, the OnePlus Ace 6T supports super-frame gaming. For example, in Genshin Impact, after enabling the highest graphics quality and 60 frames mode, the super-frame experience can be activated in the mobile game assistant, providing a direct 120 frames Genshin Impact experience. Testing showed an average gaming frame rate of 119.2 frames.

Besides its energy efficiency advantages, the OnePlus Ace 6T boasts an 8300mAh large battery, supporting 100W wired fast charging. The larger battery and reduced charging power result in longer charging times. However, it supports bypass charging, directly supplying power to the motherboard during gaming to avoid heat buildup. It also offers wired reverse charging, allowing the phone's large battery to be used for emergency charging of devices like earphones on the go.

Imaging and System: IMX906 Main Camera, Introducing ColorOS 16

The OnePlus Ace 6T’s imaging setup mirrors that of the OnePlus Ace 6, featuring a rear dual-camera configuration with a 50MP main camera equipped with a Sony IMX906 image sensor (1/1.56-inch base, supporting OIS optical stabilization) and an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens. The front camera is also 16MP.

The imaging system also benefits from OPPO's proprietary imaging algorithms, with added shooting modes including ultra-clear live photos, shadowless capture, and AI imaging functions like AI elimination, AI motion blur removal, and AI glare removal, meeting most photographic needs.

The system comes pre-installed with the new ColorOS 16 operating system, widely praised for its smooth performance and light and shadow interface changes, offering a fresh experience. For example, icons now emphasize light and shadow effects, and animations follow a 'return to origin' logic, providing a more intuitive physical feel.

AI is also a major highlight of ColorOS 16. Xiao Bu Memory is a practical and interesting feature. After setting it as a shortcut key, a single press can analyze and record the current phone screen. For example, in a payment interface, it can assist with bookkeeping; when it recognizes an article, it can summarize it; for Douyin or Bilibili videos, it can parse and summarize the content, breaking it down into timelines for quick understanding. It's very useful.

There are also many newly added AI functions. For example, waking up the Xiao Bu assistant allows direct access to the camera for real-time shooting, obtaining information about the scene through real-time dialogue. It's like the assistant is 'seeing' and then using AI models to analyze and organize the content, whether it's plants you don't recognize, English menus, or even stores you're hesitant to enter—a glance can provide a rating.

Conclusion: A Further Segmented OnePlus Performance Phone

From the overall experience, the core differences between the OnePlus Ace 6T and the OnePlus Ace 6 are twofold: a different chip and an upgraded battery capacity. In terms of product positioning, I prefer to call them 'identical twins.' The OnePlus Ace 6T's core strengths lie in its large battery and stable, robust performance. With new chip technologies and architectures, energy consumption is lower. Based on high performance, it emphasizes stable performance and maintains advantages in battery life and low energy consumption. OnePlus likely aims to capture more market users through such segmented products.