A mid-life refresh has been something of a staple for OnePlus smartphones (with a few exceptions) – and now it looks like there’s a new one on the horizon. The OnePlus 10T is expected to make its official debut later in 2022, bridging the gap between the OnePlus 10 Pro 5G and whatever will follow it next year.
Seeing as there was no OnePlus 9T, news that the firm would be bringing back this half-year upgrade cycle came as a surprise. But then there’s been no shortage of OnePlus models of late, with multiple Nords and region-specific releases stretching the definition of what we’ve come to expect from the brand.
Will the 10T redress that balance with a sweetly-priced ‘flagship killer’? Or has OnePlus now fully migrated into premium territory? Here’s everything we know about the upcoming phone, including likely hardware specs, a possible release date, and more.
OnePlus 10T design: goodbye notification slider?
Right now, the only visual clues we have come via a leak collab between twitter tipster Onleaks and Indian tech site Smartprix. Renders of the phone from all angles, reportedly created from photos of a pre-production handset, pretty much reveal everything – assuming they are accurate.
The renders suggest a tweaked version of the OnePlus 10 Pro, with roughly the same rear camera layout, although the camera bump doesn’t look quite as smoothly blended into the frame as it was previously. The LED flash has moved from the bottom right to the top right corner, and the hole punch camera on the front has shifted from the top left corner to the top centre of the display.
The biggest change is the removal of the notification slider, a OnePlus staple that has been present since the original OnePlus One. More recently OnePlus has ditched it for the more affordable Nord handsets, so it wouldn’t be a total surprise if it was also done away with at the top-end. Still, it’s one less unique feature for a phone line-up that used to pride itself on doing things differently from the rest of the industry.
There’s also speculation that the frame is made from metal, rather than plastic, which could suggest OnePlus is targeting a lower price.
Two colours are suggested at launch: green and black. This would suggest no major change from the OnePlus 10 Pro, which is available in Volcanic Black and Emerald Forest hues.
OnePlus 10T hardware: true flagship power?
Rumoured specifications should be taken with a liberal pinch of salt right now, seeing how very few sources have spoken about the phone so far.
The OnePlus 10T is believed to be in line for a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, which would put it near the top of the pile for performance. It should get up to 12GB of RAM and as much as 256GB of storage. A 4800mAh battery will be tasked with keeping the lights on, and incredibly fast 150W rapid charging is apparently on the cards too.
The display could be a highlight, with a 6.7in AMOLED being the most likely candidate. It should have a FHD+ resolution, rather than QHD, but use LTPO tech for power-saving variable refresh rates all the way up to 120Hz.
On the camera front, leaked renders suggest a triple-lens setup similar to the OnePlus 10 Pro 5G. Expect a 50MP main lens, a 16MP ultrawide, and (sigh) a 2MP macro sensor. The front-facing selfie camera should get a 32MP sensor.
OnePlus 10T likely release date: not long to wait
The 10T is tipped to make its debut later this year, but so far there have been no indications as to exactly when. That leaves us to look back at previous OnePlus releases to try and narrow the window down – although given the firm skipped the 9T altogether, and the pandemic threw the entire industry through a loop, we’re slightly flying blind.
The OnePlus 8T made its debut in October 2020, some five-and-a-bit months after the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro, which landed in April of the same year. Before it, the OnePlus 7T had rocked up in October 2019, with a slightly smaller gap back to the OnePlus 7, which first appeared in May.
With that reasoning, the 10T should appear five to six months after the 10 Pro. That phone released in March 2022 in the UK, but had been doing the rounds in China for several months prior. That could mean we’ll see the 10T as soon as July, or closer to September, depending on whether OnePlus wants to attempt a global launch or will stick to staggered releases.
Our best guess: an announcement towards the end of the summer, with handsets going on sale around a month later. If you’re in the market for one, expect to have it in your hands by October at the latest.
OnePlus 10T possible pricing: slightly more affordable
The OnePlus 10 Pro 5G remains one of the most expensive phones ever to wear a OnePlus badge. It starts at £799 and rises to £899 depending on how much memory and storage you go for. Rumours suggest the 10T will attempt to lower that price a bit, but as of now we’ve got no concrete details.
If it is indeed using plastic construction, it would be hard to justify a high price, but equally the latest Snapdragon silicon doesn’t come cheap. We’re expecting a similar two-tiered approach for the 10T, and wouldn’t be surprised if £699-£799 was the target for the base model. This would price it above the Google Pixel 6, but beneath the Pixel 6 Pro.
