After a couple of hours of adjustment, it became my preferred way to use the phone, but it still feels unfinished. There's a noticeable delay in bringing up the app switcher when using the gesture for multitasking and there's no way to launch Google Assistant from the gesture interface. I hope OnePlus continues to improve the gesture system through software updates, and also employs some of the gesture controls that Google announced with the next version of Android.

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Popular features unique to OnePlus, such as the the physical switch to move between ring, vibrate and fully silent modes, are present and useful as ever. The Dual SIM card slot is handy for regular overseas travellers, but also for when you want to milk the value of two plans while keeping your minimum monthly spend low.

There's also "reading mode" which mimics the monochromatic appearance of an e-reader and makes reading for long stretches much more comfortable on the eye. You can even have it turn on or off automatically depending on the app you're using.

A key selling point for OnePlus has always been the speed of its software and the fact that it refrains from following the industry trend of filling up a handset with non-removable apps and services that are there to serve the interest of the phone manufacturer and not the end user (cough, Bixby). Outside of a handful of OnePlus-made apps that cover the essentials such as a gallery to view your photos and a file manager, you're getting a clean experience devoid of any real bloatware.

Pair the close-to-stock Android experience with high-powered internals and you have what I believe is easily the fastest handset on the market with the OnePlus 6.

OnePlus also claims that its handsets won't slow down over time like smartphones from other manufacturers can. While it's difficult to test that claim with the OnePlus 6, my 18-month-old OnePlus 3T has yet to show any signs of slowdown.

The camera is an area where OnePlus has typically lagged behind its more expensive rivals. Most phone cameras are good at taking shots in broad daylight, but what really separates the men from the boys is the quality of the low-light shots. OnePlus 6 is bolstered by a 19 per cent larger sensor that pulls in more light plus optical image stabilisation for less blur, and there's also a secondary sensor purely dedicated to taking portrait style shots.

So how does it stack up?

The short of it is that while it can't match the incredible low-light performance of Samsung's Galaxy S9, the stunning portrait capabilities of the Pixel 2 or the consistency of the iPhone X, it's close enough that the camera no longer feels like a compromise.

The video quality is excellent, particularly at 4K, and there's slow motion video modes at up to 480 frames per second. Though if that's really your thing you should consider the Galaxy S9, Sony Xperia XZ2 or Huawei P20, which are all capable of shooting at the super slow motion rate of 960fps.

Despite the bump in screen size, OnePlus is sticking with the same 3300mAh battery as its predecessors. As a result, the battery life is noticeably less than the OnePlus 5T. While it should still get you through a full day of moderate-to-heavy usage, don't expect it to last long into the next day should you miss an overnight charge like the Galaxy S9 or Huawei P20 can.

Thankfully, the OnePlus 6 also happens to be one of the fastest-charging smartphones. I got the dead handset up and running with 50 per cent charge in just 20 minutes.

The OnePlus 6 ticks almost all the boxes of what you would expect from a flagship smartphone that costs double the price. It has an edge-to-edge display, an-all glass design, supercharged specifications, a competitive camera and a software experience that is optimised for speed, all for a wallet friendly $US529 ($695).

With that said, OnePlus has clearly cut some corners to keep its low price tag. Most notably, the display lacks the higher-resolution and HDR spectacle of its more expensive rivals and there's also no stereo speakers or wireless charging.

While the OnePlus 6 isn't the "no compromise" smartphone that its marketing tagline suggests, it does offer more bang for your buck than any other smartphone on the market.