Although the 10 T’s overall design is similar to that of the OnePlus 10 Pro, there’s no alert / mute slider this time, nor is there any sign of the Hasselblad branded-camera system found on recent OnePlus flagships.
The OnePlus 10T isn’t due to launch until August 3rd, but it wouldn’t be a OnePlus phone if the company didn’t reveal a few details early. So first, let’s look at the device’s exterior design, which shows some interesting changes compared to its predecessor.
The alert slider has been a base of OnePlus’ flagship phones for years, offering a quick and easy way to put its phones into silent and vibrate modes without taping any onscreen menus. However, OnePlus chief designer Hope Liu said that ditching the slider was necessary for the 10T to have enough internal space for other components needed for “high wattage charging, a large battery capacity, and better antenna signal.”
For example, to offer the kinds of fast charging speeds that OnePlus is targeting with the 10T, Liu says OnePlus had to include two “charging pumps” inside the 10T, compared to just one for the 80W fast charging-compatible OnePlus 10 Pro. The company also prioritized an antenna system that includes 15 separate antennas inside the OnePlus 10T, which it says improves signal when holding the phone horizontally — a benefit when playing games online.
“While the alert slider appears to be a tiny component, it has a relatively large impact on the device’s motherboard area — taking up 30 mm²,” Liu says. “To ensure the OnePlus 10T delivers in the areas we know our users value most… while retaining the alert slider, we would have had to stack the device’s motherboard, which would have made the device thicker.” So removing the slider was the compromise OnePlus decided to make.
Another difference compared to the 10 Pro is the lack of a Hasselblad-branded camera system — though, given the minimal impact it’s had on OnePlus’ other phones, we’re not too concerned about the omission here. OnePlus’ partnership with the camera company kicked off with last year’s OnePlus 9 Pro and mainly involved tuning the colors from the camera. This year, it added new features like support for 12-bit RAW photographs with this year’s phone. They’re neat additions but not mainstream essentials.
Hasselblad branding had gone. OnePlus “wanted to offer an ultimate performance flagship smartphone at the device’s chosen price point,” which makes it sound like it was a necessary compromise to reach the phone’s price tag. But Liu confirms that the 10 T’s primary camera will use a 50-megapixel Sony IMX766 sensor and will support shooting in 10-bit color, as well as “improved HDR photography” and OnePlus’ night photography mode.
Other features Liu is willing to confirm include a 6.7-inch display for the 10T. Resolution and refresh rate have yet to be announced, but from the images, this appears to be a flat display rather than one that curves around the device’s edges. Liu also says the phone will be available in a matte black color and a glossy green. OnePlus said the phone would be powered by a Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor.
OnePlus was founded on December 16th, 2013, by former Oppo vice-president Pete Lau and Carl Pei. OnePlus’ only institutional shareholder is Oppo Electronics. However, Lau denied that OnePlus was a wholly owned subsidiary of Oppo and stated that Oppo Electronics and not Oppo Mobile is a significant investor of OnePlus and that they are “in talks with other investors.” However, OnePlus has confirmed it uses Oppo’s manufacturing line and shares part of the supply chain resources with Oppo.
The company revealed its initial device, the OnePlus One, on April 23rd, 2014, which was planned to capture the demand from the Google Nexus string. In addition, onePlus also announced plans to establish a presence in the country, opening 25 official walk-in service centers across India with the release of the OnePlus One in India exclusively via Amazon.
The Supreme Court of India, on December 16th, 2014, restricted the import and sale of OnePlus One phones following a case by Micromax alleging it has exclusivity for shipping mobiles with Cyanogen OS software in India. On December 21st, 2014, the ban was lifted. However, the device continues to be shipped with Cyanogen OS. In addition, a customized version of Android specially designed by OnePlus and named OxygenOS has been released, permitting later OnePlus devices to be marketed in India.
OnePlus made its products open in Southeast Asia for the first time, partnering with Lazada Indonesia on January 23rd, 2015, and was expected to expand during that year throughout the region. However, in June 2016, OnePlus decided to pull out of the Indonesian market due to local regulations for imported 4G mobiles restricting sales of the OnePlus 2.
According to the Counterpoint Research market, OnePlus topped the Indian premium smartphone market the previous year with a 33% share, beating Samsung Electronics with 26 percent. After Apple and Samsung Electronics, they were OnePlus rated third in India’s market with higher than $500 in the first quarter of this year. And it ranked second after China’s Vivo in the 300-500$ market.
In July 2021, OnePlus converged OxygenOS With Oppo’s ColorOS; both companies’ software stayed separate, continuing to conform to their regions but sharing a common codebase. OnePlus says it should standardize its software experience and streamline the development process for future OxygenOS updates.