The OnePlus 10T, an upgrade to the phone that was never, will be available in late summer to take up the position left by the 10 Pro by one notch. The OnePlus 10T is in a peculiar position because there was no OnePlus 10 to replace it and there isn’t one now either. It is better than the 10 Pro in some areas but not quite as excellent in others.
The improvements are found in places where one would naturally associate OnePlus. Performance-wise, the new model employs the most recent Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, built by TSMC, which offers enhanced speed and efficiency. To get the most out of that processor, it is combined with the most sophisticated cooling system the business has ever produced. The OP10T has a 150W charging capacity, which on paper seems excessive but really makes it one of the quickest charging smartphones we’ve tested.
The 10T does make some compromises in other areas, with the camera being the most important one given that it is not a Pro. A zoom camera is absent from the relatively mediocre configuration (a 3x one is included on the 10 Pro), and the ultrawide camera is a midrange-grade device (if even that). The only camera left with adequate image capabilities is the primary camera, although even that isn’t really cutting edge.
The display, while 120Hz capable, is nevertheless not exactly a flagship feature because it lacks the fine-grained adjustable refresh rate that we have come to anticipate from high-end models.
Yet, positioning the 10T as a flagship and highlighting the areas in which it falls short of expectations could be disrespectful to its objectives. Its name doesn’t include “Pro” for a purpose, and with a starting price of $650/€740, it’s engaged in a conflict of interest. Let’s monitor its progress.
Features – USB 2.0 on the OnePlus 10T
The OnePlus 10T provides fast UFS 3.1 storage, which boasts a capacity of 256GB in our sample smartphone. Nevertheless, because of the operating system and several pre-installed programs, the actual storage space is much less, at 224GB. Those who want extra capacity for films or photographs will have to hunt for other options as microSD cards cannot be used to expand storage.
The OnePLus 10T’s USB-C connector, in contrast to the Pro model, is only 2.0 compatible, although USB OTG may be used to connect external devices like memory sticks. Widevine L1 enables HD video material from streaming services to be seen, and wireless transfer of display content to external displays through Miracast is also feasible.
Software: Android 12 on the OnePlus phone
When the OnePlus 10T hits the market, it will come pre-installed with Android 12 and the company’s own Oxygen OS version 12. The security updates were from July 2022, which was before the market introduction, within the evaluation period. After the first release, the company promises four years of security upgrades and three significant Android updates.
The OnePlus 10 Pro will receive an upgrade to OxygenOS 13 with the new Aquamorphic design later this year, according to the update timetable. The user interface is based on a single code base dubbed Unified OS, which combines the operating systems of the Oppo and OnePlus devices, just like the OnePlus 10 Pro. The maker says that the OnePlus 10T’s 16 GB of RAM allows for over 35 programs to run simultaneously in the background, making multitasking one of the device’s unique features.
Connectivity and GNSS on the OnePlus 6
For top-notch 5G and Wi-Fi reception, the OnePlus 10T is reported to feature a total of 15 antennas fitted. The high-end smartphone employs Wi-Fi 6, as is typical for devices in the US$700-$800 price range, however WLAN transmissions cannot utilise the 6 gigahertz frequency band.
The OnePlus 10T features multi-user MIMO in addition to the existing Wi-Fi standard, ensuring fast and reliable transmission rates in the home network. We recorded peak transmission speeds of more than 900 MBit/s when used in conjunction with the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000.
The OnePlus phone supports all current mobile standards, including 5G for mobile internet access. The spectrum of frequencies is fairly vast and users are often very well positioned. Nothing prevents the OnePlus 10T from going overseas with you thanks to the total of 24 LTE bands that it supports.
Cameras: Triple camera on the OnePlus 10T
The 16 MP front-facing camera buried in the punch hole produces good selfies with appealing exposure levels and great color reproduction. The bokeh effects are perfect when used in portrait mode.
The primary camera of the OnePlus Nord 2 5G employs the IMX766 sensor instead of Sony’s IMX789 as with the OnePlus 10T, unlike the 10 Pro. The 50 MP lens, stabilized with OIS, dazzles in strong light with good image quality and vibrant colors. Nonetheless, OnePlus still needs to make changes to how bright picture portions are exposed. The OnePlus 10T soon hits its limits in darkness. The 10 Pro performs at a higher level, especially in terms of light sensitivity and subject lighting.
The same is true for the ultra-wide-angle lens, however a decline in image quality between the flagship model of 2020 and 2021 was already apparent. The OnePlus 10T’s lens has a 199-degree field of view, some artifacts, few fine details, and noticeable blurriness in the edges. Moreover, the 8 MP resolution is really poor.
Also, there are reductions in video quality: neither an 8K option nor UHD recording with the front camera or ultra-wide-angle camera are available. The Sony IMX766 lens’ stabilization performs admirably at 4K30, and the recording quality is average. Only at 1080p is it possible to switch lenses while filming.
Operation & Input Devices: OnePlus 10T at 360 Hz
The front-facing camera may be used to unlock the screen using facial recognition. Nevertheless, due to the 2D technique, biometric identification using the face is not particularly safe. For security purposes, it is recommended to utilize the fingerprint sensor underneath the OLED display. The sensor responds swiftly and typically detects the finger perfectly, despite the fact that it only uses optical technology and not ultrasonic technology, like in Samsung’s Galaxy S22 Ultra.
The attached vibration motor gives great haptic feedback in regular use, but may be a little stronger for our liking. Apart from having good vibration properties, the smartphone’s functioning is particularly smooth because of its high refresh rate of 120 Hz and sampling rate of up to 360 Hz. In certain applications, the capacitive multi-touchscreen is even described as having a touch-detection rate of up to 720 times per second (through software) (including games). There is also a one-hand mode, but it must first be enabled in the settings.
OLED display on the OnePlus smartphone
The 6.7-inch AMOLED screen on the OnePlus phone has a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz. The format is 20.1:9 and the resolution is 2412×1080, which yields a respectable 400 PPI pixel density. The refresh rate may be changed between 60 and 120 Hz by the user. The Pro variant of the OnePlus 10T lacks an LTPO display with adaptive control between 1 and 120 Hz. The display has native 10-bit color support and HDR10+ certification.
The T model’s AMOLED screen is as brilliant as OnePlus’ flagship smartphone in terms of brightness. The highest brightness we measured for the APL18 was 873 cd/m2, which is equally as excellent as 861 cd/m2 on a completely white backdrop. A Xiaomi 12 or Galaxy S22, however, gleam even more brilliantly than the OnePlus 10T. With HDR material, a brightness of less than 1000 cd/m2 is likewise subpar.
For brightness management, the OnePlus 10T employs pulse width modulation (PWM) at a relatively high frequency of 361 Hz. While there is no DC dimming feature in the settings menu, the amplitude of the oscillations is significantly reduced at low brightness.
Performance – Qualcomm SoC in the OnePlus 10T
The OnePlus 10T, one of the first smartphones to be released in Europe, is powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, which not only offers up to 10% better CPU performance than the 10 Pro, but also 10% higher GPU clock rates.
Yet, the potential for savings is the key concern here: With comparison to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, Qualcomm claims that power consumption has decreased by 15% and that performance per watt has increased by up to 30%.
For our benchmark measurements, high-performance mode was utilized. With the release of the OnePlus 9 Pro, OnePlus devices have been intentionally limiting the Qualcomm chipset’s performance. On the single core test of Geekbench 5, the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 performs about on par with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, however the Plus model impresses with a score of over 3000 points.
OnePlus 10T charges swiftly and has a long battery life.
Use of energy
The OnePlus smartphone’s battery has a 4,800 mAh capacity. After around 10 minutes of charging, the 150-watt SUPERVOOC Endurance Edition has a capacity of 63 percent, which OnePlus claims is sufficient for one day of use. Although a Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra can recharge its two 2,250 mAh batteries in less than 23 minutes, a complete charge took roughly 19 to 20 minutes during testing.
OnePlus claims a battery life of 1,600 cycles, which is much longer than the “normal” of 900–1,000 cycles for smartphone batteries despite the SUPERVOOC power supply’s high power rating. 13 temperature sensors, a smart-charging chip that has been carefully modified, and 128-bit encryption are said to assure this.
Even when compared to a OnePlus 10 Pro, the OnePlus 10T’s overall power consumption is excellent. Under load, the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 needs less power than its predecessor. Thus, based on the results of Geekbench and GFX Bench testing, the new Kryo-CPU appears to be substantially more efficient.
Verdict on the OnePlus 10T
OnePlus offers an intriguing alternative to the OnePlus 10 Pro with the 10T, despite its somewhat peculiar product strategy this year. While having a lower starting price than the genuine 2022 flagship, the T model has a quicker charging system, a slightly brighter display, and a more efficient SoC, which results in longer runtimes. The OnePlus 10T, on the other hand, also has certain flaws, like subpar dual speakers, inadequate cameras, and a lack of high-end capabilities.
Take a closer look at the Galaxy S22 if you don’t want to give up features like an IP certification, USB 3.1, or Qi compatibility. The Galaxy-S22 range also offers a compelling case against the BBK smartphone thanks to its upgrade strategy. Google’s Pixel 6 Pro is another option with extensive software support and a superior camera setup.
