OnePlus 10T overview: Speed above all | Engadget

When OnePlus does a mid-year refresh of its telephones, sometimes you find yourself with a barely snappier machine with a handful of slight refinements. But with the brand new OnePlus 10T, it looks like so much was sacrificed for the sake of going all-in on pace. Updates embody a quicker Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip, a 120Hz show with an adaptive refresh price, even quicker charging and a few tweaks for improved wi-fi connectivity. Unfortunately, OnePlus’ signature Alert Slider and wi-fi charging have been eliminated, and water resistance is weak. So whereas the 10T is a stable machine with an reasonably priced worth of $649, it would not have the identical mass enchantment as a few of OnePlus’ earlier choices.

Design

For the 10T’s design, OnePlus recycled the template it created for the ten Pro, however with some cost-saving tweaks. You get Gorilla Glass 5 in back and front, with the jade inexperienced mannequin sporting the graceful, shiny end you’d anticipate. But on our Moonstone black overview unit, OnePlus used two completely different processes so as to add a textured end the corporate says was impressed by basalt. This makes the cellphone sparkle within the daylight, which is likely to be good for Twilight followers or individuals who aren’t planning on instantly throwing this factor in a case. That stated, I believe you would get the same impact with glitter, however greater than that, it makes the again of the cellphone really feel form of plasticky, as if it got here out of an affordable 3D printer. Don’t get me incorrect, it is a actually minor offense, but when I used to be shopping for one, I’d go together with the jade model.

The OP10T additionally options three cameras in again with a smoothed-out hump, a speedy in-screen optical fingerprint scanner and stereo audio system which can be comparatively loud, although there is not a lot to say about its general audio high quality. Sadly, what you will not discover is an Alert Slider, which is a characteristic that has been current on practically each OnePlus cellphone because the OnePlus 2 manner again in 2015. OnePlus claims its elimination is because of area necessities for bigger antennas, an even bigger battery, quicker charging and extra, and that the slider will make a return on future gadgets. But all that form of makes not having it on the 10T really feel even stranger, whereas additionally eradicating one of many few options that provides the cellphone a little bit of persona.

Furthermore, as a downgrade from the OnePlus 9, the 10T solely will get IP-54 mud and water resistance, which is barely rated to face up to a splash or two as a substitute of a full 30-minute dunk (as much as 5 toes) such as you used to get. All round, it looks like OnePlus is regressing a bit on the design entrance.

Display

The 10T packs an enormous 6.7-inch 2412 x 1080 OLED show with flat edges and a 120Hz refresh price, there’s little or no to complain about right here. Colors are shiny and punchy whereas nonetheless delivering pretty inky blacks. Meanwhile, utilizing a light-weight meter I discovered that the OP10T’s display delivers a peak brightness simply shy of 800 nits, which is nice. And because of the addition of an adaptive refresh price that may change from 120Hz to 90hz or 60hz relying on the content material, you additionally get improved battery life with out impacting picture high quality.

Performance

When it comes to hurry, one of many largest upgrades is the transfer to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip, which presents 30 p.c higher energy effectivity and 10 p.c quicker graphics in comparison with the usual SD8 Gen 1. You may also configure the OP10T with as much as 16GB of RAM, which OnePlus claims is sufficient to maintain as much as 35 apps open within the background, together with as much as 256GB of storage.

All this makes the cellphone really feel reasonably spritely, although there’s not a lot that may actually tax a cellphone with flagship-level efficiency these days. Honestly, I can not consider 35 and even 20 apps I’d need to preserve operating on a regular basis, and in side-by-side comparisons with SD8 Gen 1 telephones, it is onerous to discern a lot of a bonus in pace. But in case you completely must have the quickest silicon you will get in an Android cellphone, nicely right here you go.

In addition to its new processor, the 10T additionally will get the identical 1,000Hz contact sampling price you get on the ten Pro, alongside OnePlus’ HyperBoost Gaming engine which makes an attempt to easy out any hiccups or stutters in your framerate. And for individuals who care about getting the perfect Wi-Fi speeds, OnePlus additionally created its Smart Link characteristic, which is designed to proactively hunt down sturdy networks. This works in tandem with the OP10T’s 360-degree antenna design, so you will get optimum sign power no matter the way you’re holding the cellphone or the place your connection is coming from.

Cameras

When it involves pictures, the 10T’s cameras are one of many largest departures from its dearer sibling. Not solely does the 10T not have any options or tuning from Hasselblad such as you get on the ten Pro, it additionally lacks a devoted telephoto lens. Instead, you get a 50MP primary digicam primarily based on a Sony IMX766 sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide cam and a 2MP macro cam.

Thankfully, even with out assist from Hasselblad, the 10T’s picture high quality remains to be fairly good. During the day, you get wealthy saturated colours and comparatively sharp particulars. It was solely after I in contrast the 10T’s pics with related photographs from the $500 Pixel 6a that I seen it generally oversharpens issues a contact or exaggerates extra vivid colours just like the oranges on a flower. At night time, the 10T holds up fairly nicely too, although I nonetheless have to offer the Pixel 6a a bonus in low gentle because of Google’s Night Sight mode. In basic, the 10T captured sharp, well-lit pictures that had been a contact behind what I shot utilizing the Pixel 6a.

As for the opposite cams, the ultra-wide is completely serviceable and supplies a extra expansive 120-degree subject of view in comparison with the 50MP primary lens. Unfortunately, the macro cam is form of a bust, as a result of whereas it could possibly take photographs from simply an inch and a half away (4cm), its low decision and hit-or-miss focus means you’re usually higher off simply utilizing the primary cam and cropping.

Battery life and charging

Ok, let’s speak charging as a result of whereas the 80-watt charging on the ten Pro was something however sluggish, the brand new 150-watt Super VOOC system on the 10T is ridiculously quick and really lives as much as OnePlus’ lofty claims. Starting with only a one p.c cost, the OP10T added simply shy of 60 p.c battery in simply 10 minutes, earlier than happening to hit 86 p.c in 20 minutes and 100% in lower than half an hour. That’s greater than twice as quick as what you get from a whole lot of different high-end Android telephones, together with stuff just like the $1,200 S22 Ultra and its slower 45-watt quick charging.

That stated, there are a variety of caveats concerning the 10T’s 150-watt Super VOOC charging you must know. The first is which you can solely get these speeds when utilizing OnePlus’ included energy adapter and cable. (But hey, no less than you get a charging brick within the field not like a whole lot of different telephones.) When I attempted charging the cellphone with two different 130-watt or increased third-party adapters, the 10T added lower than 20 p.c battery in 10 minutes, and that was even when utilizing OnePlus’ cable.

Additionally, as a result of OnePlus’ energy brick would not assist the 110 or 120-volt shops which can be commonest within the US, charging really caps out at 125 watts. However, in case you’re in Europe or India, you’ll get that full 150 watts. Finally, for anybody dreaming of juicing up a laptop computer or another gadget with OnePlus’ large brick, you must know that normal USB-PD charging is capped at 45 watts. And regardless of having a label on the brick that claims 160 watts, no matter the place you might be, charging speeds cap out at 150 watts.

As for battery life itself, the 10T is downright unbelievable. Even although it has a barely smaller capability than the OP10 Pro (4,800 mAh vs. 5,000 mAh), it lasted nearly 22 hours on our video rundown check (21 hours and 59 minutes to be actual). That’s the perfect time we have seen this 12 months, even beating out the Pixel 6a’s mark of 19:30.

And for these anxious about what the 10T’s fast charging would possibly do to its battery well being, OnePlus says the cellphone has 13 temperature sensors to ensure it would not overheat whereas charging, whereas its duel-cell energy pack helps unfold electrons extra evenly and effectively. This is supposed to assist the 10T retain 80% battery well being after 1,600 charging cycles, although clearly, we have not had time to check that out absolutely.

Software

When it involves software program, these days most Android cellphone makers have gotten their customized skins in a reasonably respectable spot. However, with OnePlus’s OxygenOS having transitioned to a platform primarily based on Oppo’s ColorOS beginning with the ten Pro and now the 10T, issues can really feel a bit jarring for long-time OnePlus followers. That’s as a result of whilst you nonetheless get issues just like the OnePlus Sans font, different parts just like the settings menu, UI, and even a few of OxygenOS 12’s new sounds always remind you that this is not the working system you are used to.

There’s a brand new Shelf that’s type of like a mix between the Control Center on iPhones and a devoted place for widgets that feels considerably redundant. I’ve additionally seen some odd bugs and inconsistencies like not getting a pop-up to allow file transfers when connecting the cellphone to a PC over USB-C. To repair this I needed to manually allow Android’s developer settings, which is not one thing that a median person ought to want or must do.

On the brilliant facet, the 10T ought to get pleasure from stable software program assist, with OnePlus promising no less than three main Android updates and 4 years of normal safety patches. The firm even says it plans to improve a few of its telephones to Android 13 later this fall, beginning with the OnePlus 10 Pro, not the 10T, and shifting on from there.

Availability

The OP10T might be accessible in Europe on August twenty fifth beginning at €699 for the 8GB/128GB config, or on September twenty ninth within the US beginning at $649. For US clients, there may also be a handful of pre-sale dates on OnePlus.com on August Third-Sixth, Tenth-Thirteenth, Seventeenth-Twentieth and Twenty fourth-Twenty seventh. OnePlus says anybody who buys a cellphone throughout early entry may also be eligible for a free improve to the 16GB/256GB config together with zero curiosity in case you go for the corporate’s 24-month fee plan.

Wrap-up

So, the massive query is must you get one? For the sort of people that crave pace, the OnePlus 10T is an fascinating machine. It has top-of-the-line efficiency, an enormous OLED display and stupidly quick charging for simply $650 for 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, or $750 for the 16GB + 256GB config. Its digicam high quality is stable too, despite the fact that I want OnePlus had opted for a zoom lens as a substitute of a macro. And its battery life is really very good.

The considerably disappointing half are a number of the cuts made to realize all this pace. You do not get OnePlus’ signature Alert Slider, there is not any assist for wi-fi charging, and its water resistance is mediocre. Another annoying wrinkle is that OnePlus has but to element provider compatibility for the US (the corporate says extra information might be accessible nearer to launch, keep tuned for updates) .So whereas it is tremendous quick, the OP10T is not as well-rounded as telephones just like the Pixel 6. To complicate issues much more, alongside the 10T’s launch, OnePlus is completely lowering OP 10 Pro’s beginning worth from $899 to $799. That places the 10T in a troublesome spot between nice values just like the $500 Pixel 6a or the $600 Pixel 6 and extra full-featured telephones just like the S22 and OP10 Pro. But in case you gotta go quick and wish an reasonably priced cellphone with extra haste, the 10T is likely to be precisely what you want.