OnePlus defends removal of popular alert slider from OnePlus 10T

Ahead of a launch on 3 August, OnePlus has been slowing teasing out details of the upcoming OnePlus 10T. The mid-ranger is a step-down from the flagship 10 devices, and a step up from the Nord series. At this price point, we expect trade-offs. But the 10T features a trade-off OnePlus had to come out and defend.

As revealed in an official forum post alongside the rest of the design, OnePlus confirmed that the 10T is ditching the popular alert slider. Only a handful of Android phones come with this very popular feature – with OnePlus as the go-to option. Debuted on the iPhone, the slider lets you quickly toggle on or off alerts with a flick.

According to OnePlus, they’ve had to remove the alert slider to make room for other extra features inside the smartphone. With the slider out on the curb, OnePlus has added an extra “charging pump” for even faster charging, and more antennas for better signal.

In the blog post, OnePlus defended the loss of the alert slider with the new features. According to the company, to keep in the alert slider and the extra features, the device would have needed to be thicker – a trade-off OnePlus wasn’t willing to make. The full explanation reads:

To ensure the OnePlus 10T delivers in the areas we know our users value most – with super-fast charging, a large battery capacity, and a better antenna signal while retaining the Alert Slider, we would have had to stack the device’s motherboard, which would have made the device thicker.

OnePlus

While we understand OnePlus wants to prioritise other features, the alert slider is really rather small. We’re not convinced that getting rid of the alert slider was totally necessary, but OnePlus already ditched it. You can catch up on all things OnePlus 10T with our guide or on OnePlus’ forums ahead of the launch on 3 August.