The OnePlus 10T won’t launch until August 3rd, but it wouldn’t be a OnePlus phone if the company didn’t reveal some details beforehand. Today, we’re taking a look at the device’s exterior design, which reveals a couple of interesting (and, depending on your point of view, potentially disappointing) changes compared to its predecessor. While the overall design of the 10T is similar to the OnePlus 10 Pro, there’s no alert/mute slider this time around, nor is there any hint of the Hasselblad-branded camera system found on flagships recent ones from OnePlus.
The alert slider has been a staple of OnePlus flagship phones for years, offering a quick and easy way to put your phones into silent and vibrate modes without having to touch any on-screen menus. In an email interview with The Verge, OnePlus chief designer Hope Liu said ditching the slider was necessary so the 10T would have enough internal space for other components needed for “high-power charging, a large battery capacity and a better antenna signal.”
There is no alert slider in sight. Image: OnePlus
For example, to deliver the kinds of fast charging speeds OnePlus is aiming for with the 10T (it has yet to officially announce specs, but leaks suggest the OnePlus 10R’s 150W fast charging could make an appearance) , Liu says that OnePlus had to include two “charge bombs” inside the 10T, compared to just one in the OnePlus 10 Pro that supports 80W fast charging. The company also prioritized an antenna system that included 15 separate antennas inside the OnePlus 10T, which it says improves signal when the phone is held horizontally, a plus when playing online games.
“Although the alert slider appears to be a very small component, it actually has a relatively large impact on the device’s motherboard area, occupying 30mm²,” says Liu. “To make sure the OnePlus 10T delivers in the areas we know our users value most… while keeping the alert slider, we would have had to stack the device’s motherboard, which would have made the device thicker.” Removing the slider was the compromise that OnePlus decided to make.
The phone is black again. Image: OnePlus
Another difference compared to the 10 Pro is the lack of a Hasselblad-branded camera system, although 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 started with last year’s OnePlus 9 Pro and mostly involved tweaking the camera’s colors. This year, it added new features like support for 12-bit RAW photos with this year’s phone. They are neat additions, but not main essentials.
When I ask Liu why the Hasselblad branding was gone, he tells me it’s because OnePlus “wanted to offer a top-performing flagship smartphone at the device’s chosen price,” which makes it sound like it was a necessary compromise to get to the phone (as yet unannounced) price tag. But Liu confirms that the 10T’s main camera will use a 50-megapixel Sony IMX766 sensor (which is technically higher resolution than the 10 Pro’s 48-megapixel main camera) and will support 10-bit color shooting, as well as a ” improved”. HDR Photography” and the OnePlus night photography mode.
Other features that Liu is willing to confirm include a 6.7-inch screen for the 10T. The resolution and refresh rate have yet to be announced, but based on the images, it appears to be a flat screen rather than one that curves around the edges of the device. Liu also says the phone will be available in matte black and glossy green. OnePlus previously said the phone will be powered by a Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor.
That’s all Liu is willing to confirm for now. For a full announcement, we’ll have to wait for the OnePlus 10T’s official launch on August 3 at 10am ET.