OnePlus 6

China sure has been busy producing heavy-hitting tech companies over the past two decades. First Huawei with their wallet-friendly alternatives that run Android, then Xiaomi with their fanbase interaction and refined sense of smartphone aesthetics. Now, Shanghai-based OnePlus is entering Western markets by building off of the blueprints of the companies that preceded them and coming straight for the jugular of the industry’s giants.

If the new OnePlus 6 can set the world on fire, the firm’s ascendancy will be considered just as impressive as that of Handelot-favorite Xiaomi, if not more. Starting at the tail-end of 2013, OnePlus released its first device, the One, the following year, which promptly sold ten times the amount that the company had projected. Their devices would go on to be dubbed “Flagship Killers,” receiving lots of hype as they broke into EU and US markets. Originally an offshoot of Oppo Electronics, OnePlus has gone to great lengths to outrun the shadow of its parent company. Though the number of devices they have released to date can be counted on two hands, they are in the midst of establishing themselves as Eastern giants of quality and value that can cater to Western markets.

All of which brings us to the OnePlus 6 itself, which is dubbed the Flagship Killer for a reason. It outclasses the iPhone X and goes toe-to-toe with the Galaxy S9 in multiple areas. First, the 6 boasts the same Octa-core processor as the newest Galaxy, where the X only totes a Hexacore. For the shutterbugs, the 6 has a 20MP pixel rear- and 16 MP front-facing camera, outdoing either of the flagships. Finally, it packs a bigger screen than the competition at 6.28”, not to mention an AMOLED display. In short, the phone is fast and looks good, touting an aluminum frame and glass both in the front and at the rear.

There are nits to pick in the specs: