It's been a quiet year for OnePlus' lineup of flagship phones, with the OnePlus 10 Pro the only device we've seen so far, but it looks like that could change in the coming months.
Of course, there was no "vanilla" OnePlus 10 or the rumored Ultra version, but a leak has finally detailed the OnePlus 10T, a budget spin-off likely to arrive later in the year. It comes in the form of renders of the phone, shared by a site called OnSiteGo (Opens in a new tab). It's not exactly the biggest site in the world, so take it with a grain of salt.
These images were apparently based on prototype versions of the phone, so they may not completely match the finished product, but they do give us a good idea of what OnePlus is focusing on with the new device. Also, some specifications have been leaked along with the images.
You can check out the full spec sheet and watch first here 👇🏼https://t.co/cTtIRuzRSYJune 10, 2022
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The design is reminiscent of the OnePlus 10 Pro, we are mainly talking about the placement of the rear camera in a square, although it seems to take up more space on the 10T. On the front, everything looks the same, except the edges of the screen aren't curved, oh, and it looks like OnePlus has ditched the alert slider.
In terms of specs, the screen is said to be 6,7 inches wide with a 120Hz refresh rate, which is the same as on the Pro, except it has a lower resolution than "just" FHD+. There are more differences in the camera department, though: there's reportedly a 50MP main, 16MP ultra-wide, 2MP macro and 32MP selfie camera, which sounds... not quite as good as the Pro.
It looks like OnePlus is taking the curious step of introducing 150W charging with this phone, which is way ahead of the Pro's 80W, but with a smaller 4800mAh battery; Let's see how long it lasts. The chipset is up in the air, as the news site mentions two that are possibilities, and both sound equally high-end.
According to the leak, the phone will land in July, but it seems surprisingly soon given OnePlus's usual release pattern and the not-too-distant release of the 10 Pro. So we're hoping to see it in August or September.
Analysis: a quiet year for OnePlus
OnePlus has been messing around with its series of numbered phones for years. The OnePlus 7 lineup had four (two standard, two T), but there was only one OnePlus 8T, bringing this year's total down to three, and the OnePlus 9 didn't even have one of the T sibling, so there were only two in 2021.
We were surprised in early 2022 to see just the OnePlus 10 Pro, without even a non-Pro alternative, and that apparently indicated OnePlus was having a quiet year.
That wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, as the company is clearly focused on affordable and mid-range OnePlus Nord devices.
But it looks like we'll get at least one more 10-series phone this year, whether it's the OnePlus 10T or just launching as the OnePlus 10 as some people are suggesting.
It's not much, but it will be aimed at people who can't afford the Pro, so it will probably be well received.