The OnePlus 10T brings an old-school OnePlus feel, targeting enthusiasts on a budget while building on the design of the OnePlus 10 Pro. The compromises made to achieve brilliant performance and load levels will satisfy gamers, but the OnePlus 10T might not be your best choice if you don’t think you’ll make the most of its raw power.
OnePlus unveiled its 2022 flagship, the OnePlus 10 Pro, right back in March. But unlike most years, OnePlus skipped a non-Pro counterpart with a value price tag that typically accompanies the company’s entry-level releases. Five months later, here we have it in a new turbo avatar. But the OnePlus 10T sees the Oppo sub-brand take a very different approach to what we’ve become accustomed to in recent years, instead returning to its ‘flagship killer’ roots.
As the Pro moniker would suggest, it’s usually the high-end variant that gets all the bells and whistles each year; however, the OnePlus 10T beats the OnePlus 10 Pro in more ways than one, and all for a cheaper price. In Android Authority’s OnePlus 10T review, we find out if doubling down on the enthusiast niche is the smart choice for OnePlus, or if it’s a solution in search of a problem.
About this OnePlus 10T review: I tested the OnePlus 10T with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage over a period of five days. It had Oxygen OS 12.1 built on top of Android 12 with the July 2022 security patch. OnePlus India provided the unit for this review. Additionally, Android Authority tested a second unit in the US that was also provided by OnePlus.
Update, August 3, 2022 (3:30 PM ET): After this review was published, OnePlus clarified that the IP54 rating is only confirmed for models sold in the US. We have modified the text accordingly.
What you need to know about the OnePlus 10T
Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority
- OnePlus 10T (8GB/128GB): $649 / CA$849 / £629 / Rs. 49,999
- OnePlus 10T (12GB/256GB): Rs. 54,999
- OnePlus 10T (16GB/256GB): $749 / CA$999 / £729 / Rs. 55,999
OnePlus is being honest about the T moniker in its mid-cycle update. Call it turbocharged or just the touch of OnePlus’ ticking launch cadence, the OnePlus 10T is exactly that and more. The phone builds on the OnePlus 10 Pro formula and amps it up with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset, while making some cuts to keep the price down like the last OnePlus phone with T, the OnePlus 8T from 2020.
OnePlus claims that the 10T’s target audience is gamers and enthusiasts looking for value. To that end, the flagship processor has been paired with ridiculously fast 150W worldwide charging. That power is limited to 125W when charging in the US, although OnePlus says that even variants sold in North America are capable of 150W charging with the same charger (included in the box) if you travel to foreigner You’ll also find modern basics like a 120Hz capable display, a large battery capacity and a set of cameras. The phone runs Oxygen OS 12.1 out of the box, and OnePlus promises three years of Android updates and four years of security patches.
The OnePlus T series returns with ultra-fast charging and cutting-edge processing power.
OnePlus offers the 10T in several configurations, not all of which will be available in all territories. The base variant comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, while the top model comes with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of fixed onboard storage. Finally, OnePlus is also selling a 12GB RAM version exclusively in India that ships with 12GB RAM. The OnePlus 10T comes in a choice of two colors: Jade Green and Moonstone Black, both of which are shown in this review.
In the US, prices for the OnePlus 10T start at $649, and the phone is available for pre-order starting September 1 through the OnePlus online store, as well as Amazon and Best Buy, before the September 29 sale date. OnePlus has yet to confirm carrier version details or compatibility.
If you’re in the UK, you can pre-order the OnePlus 10T on August 3 on OnePlus.com and August 11 on Amazon. Open sales for the phone will begin on August 25. Finally, buyers in India can purchase the phone from Amazon.com, OnePlus.com and also through offline retail channels.
Is the OnePlus 10T well designed?
Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority
The OnePlus 10T is a strange mix of new, but mostly old in its design choices. The OnePlus 10T wholeheartedly embraces the design of the OnePlus 10 Pro, only with subtle downgrades to achieve a more affordable price. For one, the stunning matte finish is gone; instead, the Jade Green variant we have on hand gets a shiny, glossy finish that doesn’t feel as premium to the touch. My mate Ryan got his hands on the Moonstone Black variant and had the same to report. The black version of the OnePlus 10T has a textured finish that keeps fingerprints at bay, but it tends to feel a bit cheap despite being made of glass.
The OnePlus 10T has the same Gorilla Glass 5 material on the front and back, but the reworked finish on the back is something of a fingerprint magnet. You’ll definitely want a case if you want to avoid smudges. It’s pretty disappointing to see that OnePlus hasn’t opted for Gorilla Glass 6 or Victus for the front of the phone, considering most phones at this price point opt for newer grades of Corning glass with improved protection against the falls
The OnePlus 10 Pro’s metal frame has been swapped for a plastic mid-frame on the OnePlus 10T, and the former’s ceramic camera module is also gone, likely in the name of cost-cutting. All of these come together to create a package with the essential trappings, but none of the thrills you want from a premium phone. Notably, there’s also a complete lack of the Hasselblad branding we’ve seen on recent OnePlus phones; we’ll find out why when we hit the cameras.
Is a numbered OnePlus phone really a OnePlus phone without an alert slider?
What will be most glaring to OnePlus fans, however, is the missing alert slider. The company claims it had to ditch OnePlus’ quintessential feature to fit in a bigger vapor chamber, more antennas and enable the phone’s fast charging technology. Regardless of the reason, the alert slider is one of the most recognizable features of OnePlus phones. While we’ve seen OnePlus drop the slider on select budget phones in its Nord lineup, this is the first numbered OnePlus phone to do away with it. As a long-time user, I really missed the little switch, both as a quick-access mute switch and as a fidget toy.
Fortunately, the OnePlus 10T has all the security basics like an accurate and easily accessible in-display fingerprint reader and a software-based face unlock solution. Both solutions unlocked the phone quickly and rarely skipped a beat in our tests, though we still recommend against using the latter as it’s less secure than hardware-based facial recognition. The power button also doubles as a Google Assistant hotkey for quick access.
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
In the US, the OnePlus 10T gets an IP54 rating for water resistance. Other markets like Europe and India do not. It’s an odd decision, although certification is likely part of the carrier requirements in the US. Regardless, an IP54 rating is well below the IP68 rating available on the Pixel 6 or Samsung Galaxy S22, or even the IP67 rating on mid-range fares like the Pixel 6a and Galaxy A53 5G, but it should help in case of rain or water spray. And if you’re outside the US, keep your OnePlus 10T away from water just in case.
Elsewhere, the OnePlus 10T’s stereo speakers also fail to impress. A very clear tilt towards the bottom speaker breaks any appearance of stereo immersion. The speakers are very loud, but can sound a bit too high-pitched with a hint of distortion at maximum volumes.
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
Instead of its Pro sibling, the OnePlus 10T borrows the excellent display from the India-only OnePlus 10R. The basic specifications remain unchanged; a 6.7-inch Full HD+ panel with a 120Hz refresh rate that can be switched to 60Hz. OnePlus claims the panel can switch between 120Hz, 90Hz and 60Hz in adaptive mode, but the settings don’t allow for any in-between options other than 120Hz and 60Hz. Unlike the OnePlus 10 Pro, it doesn’t support variable refresh rates for greater efficiency using LTPO technology, although that’s usually only reserved for premium flagships.
Adjusted to the natural color profile, the display looks great with a neutral color profile and maximum brightness levels that easily stood up to the harsh Delhi sun in my tests. I had no trouble viewing the phone outdoors, and the screen did an excellent job of watching Netflix on the go. OnePlus has also fixed some of the HDR-related issues we’ve seen in previous models, and I didn’t notice any aberrant blues when in HDR mode. Overall, an excellent screen for the price.
Is the OnePlus 10T more powerful than the OnePlus 10 Pro?
Geekbench 5 (Default) Geekbench 5 (High Performance Mode) AnTuTu (Default) AnTuTu (High Performance Mode)
The biggest improvements with the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset powering the OnePlus 10T focus on slightly improved performance and significantly improved efficiency over the OnePlus 10 Pro. These efficiency gains, combined with the phone’s vapor chamber cooling, also translate to more sustained performance and thermal management.
Like the OnePlus 10 Pro, the OnePlus 10T also features a toggle switch to activate a higher performance mode. Personally, I never felt the need to unlock performance even while gaming, but the option is there for those who want to get the most out of their phones. While the highest performance mode doesn’t do much for day-to-day use, it dramatically improves CPU benchmark scores.
The OnePlus 10T performs exceptionally well in 3DMark’s GPU stress tests and is a true showcase of all the Qualcomm improvements…