McLaren’s state of the art headquarters was the venue for the launch of the McLaren OnePlus6T. This location was also the venue for the beginning of a partnership between luxury automakers, McLaren the bargain-counter smartphone brand. Speaking to TheVerge, moments before the announcement was made, One Plus co-founder Carl Pei said he felt the partnership was a wise step after taking a McLaren 720s for a test drive. He further added that both brands are for “people in the know.”
There are lots of other flashy cars you can buy, Pei points out, but you get a McLaren when you’re really into cars and the driving experience. By extension, the same thing goes for OnePlus: the two brands are both obsessive in their pursuit of speed.
So what influence does McLaren have over the McLaren OnePlus 6T? Simple, the answer is in the aesthetics: the 6T is still featuring the same materials as its normal variant, but this one has McLaren’s signature Papaya Orange hue innovatively integrated into its design and modern carbon fiber covers the glossy glass back panel. A unique Salute to Speed book will also come with your phone when you buy the device. McLaren Racing CEO, Zak Brown, is unreserved in pointing out that OnePlus is the brains behind building the phone while credits for the design also go the phone company which had limited help and inspiration from the automakers. However, he promises McLaren has offered “content excitement” in the software department.
The McLaren OnePlus 6T shares similarities with the standard OnePlus 6T. However, the addition of two features to the latest edition will make it an exciting product to use. One of such elements is its 10GB of RAM which works alongside 256GB of internal storage on the smartphone. OnePlus points out that the McLaren OnePlus 6T will be the premier globally released phone with 10GB of memory. Another new specification is the Warp Charge 30, which enables faster 30W charging. With this feature, OnePlus promises 50 per cent of charge on the device’s 3700mAhbattery within 20 minutes. It also claims that the new tech will also keep the phone cool while charging and boost the charging speed when it’s used.
Stores in North America and Western Europe will begin to display the McLaren OnePlus 6T from December 13 while China, India and the Nordics will receive shipments shortly after. In the US, the phone will sell at $699, and the European price is €699/£649. These prices make the McLaren OnePlus the most expensive phone ever released from the phone company to date but also the most budget-friendly from the list of phones produced in collaboration with luxury car brands.
McLaren and One Plus have reached an agreement to come to a long-term relationship though both parties have refused to disclose what plans this partnership has. When Verge asked about the possibility of McLaren’s employees or clientele using OnePlus phones, it was replied “not this one’ which gives a vague idea of what the partnership is cooking up. For now, both brands believe that the collaboration will benefit both parties and they plan to work on together in the future.
