OnePlus is shaking things up by bringing a 165Hz gaming display to its flagship lineup, and it's happening sooner than expected. Meet the new OnePlus Ace 6T, set to launch globally as the OnePlus 15R. This phone is all about performance, packing Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chip, a huge 8,300mAh battery, and that super-smooth 165Hz refresh rate. OnePlus seems to be making big batteries and high refresh rates the new standard.

Key Takeaways

• Performance Powerhouse: The Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chip offers top-tier performance, even outperforming last year's Snapdragon 8 Elite in some areas.
• Gaming Ready: With a 165Hz display and specialized gaming features, it's built for an exceptional gaming experience.
• Unbeatable Battery Life: The massive 8,300mAh battery sets a new record for OnePlus and leads in battery life tests.
• Fast Charging: 100W wired charging gets you powered up quickly.
• Premium Build: Features a solid design with IP68 rating and a high-quality display.
• Snapdragon 8 Gen 5: A Closer Look

Qualcomm's processor naming can be a bit confusing lately, but here's the breakdown: Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 is part of the same family as the top-tier Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. Both use the same advanced TSMC 3nm process and have similar CPU and GPU designs. Think of them as siblings. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 is essentially Qualcomm's second-best chip this year, and it holds its own against last year's top chip, the Snapdragon 8 Elite.

Gaming Performance Tested

We put the OnePlus Ace 6T through its paces in various games to see how the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 performs. Room temperature was 25°C, and screen brightness was set to 350 nits with Wi-Fi on.

Honor of Kings: At max settings and 120 FPS, the phone handled it with ease, showing a frame drop rate of only 4% and averaging 109.7 FPS. Power consumption was around 3.43 watts, and the body temperature reached 39.4°C. In this game, the performance difference between the Gen 5 and the older Elite chip was barely noticeable.

PUBG Mobile: At HDR and 120 FPS, the Ace 6T was incredibly stable, averaging 102.7 FPS. The phone stayed cool, with body heat at just 39.3°C. It even supports PUBG Mobile's 165 FPS mode, running at a solid 164 FPS with minimal deviation. This makes it a fantastic choice for PUBG players.

Delta Ops: This game also supports 165 FPS on the Ace 6T. After 30 minutes, it ran smoothly at 164.8 FPS with very little variation. Power draw was 5.5 watts, and the temperature hit 45°C.

Genshin Impact: In the Nata region battle test, the phone averaged 59.9 FPS with good frame consistency and power efficiency compared to some competitors. When pushing it with 1.5K resolution and 120 FPS, it remained stable at 109 FPS average. Even in demanding areas like Spiral Abyss, it stayed incredibly stable at 109 FPS average.

Overall, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 is a strong performer, especially in lighter to mid-load games. The addition of the Lynxy Touch chip and the G2 esports network chip further improves touch accuracy and network stability, making it a great device for gamers. Even everyday apps like WeChat and Weibo benefit from the 165Hz refresh rate for smoother scrolling.

Battery Life That Lasts

The OnePlus Ace 6T features a massive 8,300mAh Glacier battery, the largest ever in a OnePlus phone. This isn't just a big battery; it redefines what a high-performance flagship battery can do. In our updated 5.1 full battery life test, the phone lasted an incredible 8 hours and 46 minutes, taking the number one spot among 149 tested devices. This impressive endurance comes from the combination of the large battery, an efficient chipset, and strong system optimization.

Here's a look at power consumption during testing:

Background WeChat (multi-person chat): 8%

Screen Recording: 10%

Weibo: 6%

PUBG Mobile: 13%

Honor of Kings: 11%

Genshin Impact: 6%

Bilibili: 10%

After all these tasks, the phone still had 36% battery left, the most of any device tested.

Charging Speed and Compatibility

Charging is also a strong point, with 100W wired charging. Using the original charger, the phone reached 25% in just 10 minutes and a full charge took 55 minutes. Even with the huge battery, the phone stayed cool during charging, topping out at 40.5°C. The Ace 6T also shows good compatibility with third-party chargers, supporting 36W PD and 55W PPS charging from various brands.

Design and Display

The phone sports a premium build with a rounded rectangular camera module on the back. It comes in matte finishes like flickering black, electrooptic silver, and filter green, which help resist fingerprints. The frame is made of matte metal, matching the colorway for a cohesive look. The phone feels solid and well-built.

On the front, there's a 6.8-inch LTPS OLED flat display with a 165Hz refresh rate. It boasts high brightness levels, reaching over 1900 nits in certain conditions, placing it firmly in flagship territory. For eye comfort, it uses 3840 Hz PWM dimming at low brightness and DC dimming at higher levels, along with hardware-level blue light protection. The system even includes reminders for healthy viewing habits.

There's also a special Shenley Lingua custom variant with a unique blue color and themed design elements throughout the box and phone.

Camera and Software

The camera setup includes a 16MP front camera and a 50MP main camera with the IMX 906 sensor, similar to what you find in other high-end phones. The phone runs Color OS 16, which is known for being smooth and packed with features. It promises three major version updates and four years of security updates.

Color OS 16 includes useful system-level AR tools and specific optimizations for gamers, such as auto-looting in Genshin Impact and improved network stability. The new content portal feature makes it easy to extract text or images from apps for sharing. The lock screen also offers more customization options.

Final Verdict

The OnePlus Ace 6T (or OnePlus 15R globally) is a seriously strong contender in the flagship market. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 delivers excellent performance, the 165Hz display is fantastic for gaming and general use, and the 8,300mAh battery is a game-changer. Add in 100W charging, a premium build, and a great display, and you have a very compelling package. The base model price in China starts at around 23,339 Yuan, which converts to roughly £255 in the UK or about £340.