OnePlus 10T Release Details: Everything You Need To Know
OnePlus, of late, seems to be fixated on making sweeping changes to its product offerings, launch schedules, and software. Through 2021- 2022, we saw the Chinese smartphone maker increasingly cozying up to OPPO — much to the chagrin of its loyal fanbase. Towards the beginning of 2021, when OnePlus chose to launch the OnePlus 10 Pro in China first — as opposed to the rest of the world — it felt as if the company was deprioritizing the North American and European markets.
OnePlus's flagship product line also saw a major change in 2022 when the company decided to launch a single device called the OnePlus 10 Pro. This was a major departure from OnePlus' usual strategy of launching two OnePlus flagships at the same time, with the Pro variant getting a couple of extra perks over its vanilla counterpart.
By the second half of every year, OnePlus usually launches the slightly improved OnePlus "T" variants of its flagship devices. However, in 2022, OnePlus turned around this tradition as well. Instead of a OnePlus 10T Pro, the company today announced the launch of a new device called the OnePlus 10T 5G, which, by virtue of its pricing and features, sits a notch below the OnePlus 10 Pro. Still, being the newer phone, the OnePlus 10T does have a couple of aces up its sleeve, helping it trump its more expensive cousin in terms of some features.
OnePlus 10T 5G: Key features, specifications
Visually, the OnePlus 10T 5G is quite similar to the OnePlus 10 Pro, with the only visual differentiator being the centrally placed front camera hole punch on the 10T. Both the handsets are almost the same size and feature a similar 6.7-inch AMOLED display. The display resolution on the OnePlus 10T 5G is on the lower side — 2412 x 1080 pixels — as opposed to the QHD resolution on the Pro edition. It does not miss out on the 120Hz refresh rate feature, though.
One of the most significant aspects of the OnePlus 10T 5G is that it comes powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip — which offers much-improved performance over the older Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor. In addition, OnePlus offers the OnePlus 10T 5G with up to 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM.
The 4,800 mAh battery on the OnePlus 10T 5G supports 150W fast charging on the Asian and European variants of the device. North American users, however, will need to remain content with 125W charging speeds. Thanks to this feature, OnePlus claims that the 10T 5G can provide a day's worth of battery life with a charging time of just 10 minutes. While the OnePlus 10T 5G beats its Pro cousin when it comes to charging speeds, it does miss out on a crucial feature for several users: Wireless charging.
The camera setup on the OnePlus 10T Pro looks visually identical to the one on the OnePlus 10 Pro. The sensors used, however, are different. The OnePlus 10T 5G's primary sensor is a Sony-sourced 50MP IMX 766. The other two cameras at the rear include an 8MP ultrawide camera and a 2MP macro camera. The front-facing camera on the OnePlus 10T 5G uses a 16MP sensor.
OnePlus 10T 5G availability, pricing, and other details
Even though the OnePlus 10T 5G has been announced already, the phone will only go on sale starting September 29 — which is almost two months away. In North America, pre-orders for the phone will open on September 1, with OnePlus holding details about carrier-specific availability for a later date. The two variants available for purchase include a base 8GB+128GB variant that goes for $649, while the top-end 16GB+256GB option will set users back by $749. Both these variants come in two color options: Moonstone Black and Jade Green.
Even though the OnePlus 10T 5G will launch with OxygenOS 12, OnePlus has confirmed that it will be among the first devices to receive the official update to the Android 13-based OxygenOS 13. While stopping short of telling us when OxygenOS will roll out, the company does make it clear that it will definitely happen in 2022.