OnePlus a smartphone manufacturer who is here to stay. A flagship killer by nature has become a flagship itself. On present development in the smartphone, world change is quick and upgrades cannot be delayed. The OnePlus 7T is now a very real thing and there are subtle, and some not-so-subtle changes and improvements compared with the 7. OnePlus 7 Pro, especially with its smooth 90Hz display, the capable cameras, the sensational haptic feedback, and the faster Warp Charge 30 system. It was a fresh insight into what an Android flagship phone could be without costing Rs 60,000. For those who couldn’t afford the OnePlus 7 Pro, the regular OnePlus 7 was there as an upgraded OnePlus 6T with all the 2019 essentials packed into it.

With its 90 Hz Fluid Display, things look richer, sharper and more responsive on the new OnePlus 7T. For those with things to do and apps to run, powerfully optimized hardware means you won’t get slowed down. Business or pleasure, the OnePlus 7T is the phone you want pic.twitter.com/XVtqYk5c2Z

— OnePlus India (@OnePlus_IN) September 26, 2019

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Well, it seems that OnePlus has been planning it for September. It starts at Rs 37,999 for the base variant which now comes as standard with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage, the 7T sits in between the OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro. On paper though, the OnePlus 7T seems like a cut-price OnePlus 7 Pro, raising the bar for the flagship killer category of phones in 2019.

Let’s talk design

Rummaging through the previous leaks and rumors there is nothing to be surprised here. The leaks are confirmed. It’s the same design with the large circular camera bump and the familiar front face from the OnePlus 7. However, as someone using both the OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro for the last few months, the OnePlus 7T comes across as a completely new phone, one that shares nothing common with the old phones yet is related largely to them.

The major highlight of the OnePlus 7T design is that round camera module. It appears that OnePlus has simply followed putting a big camera module on the phone, like the old Motorola or a Nokia Lumia 1020. The camera hardware pretty similar to OnePlus 7 Pro, with a large half-inch image sensor underneath, which possibly explains the big bump.

The best part is that apart from the new camera design, which may look a bit out of place, the rest of the phone is strikingly OnePlus, in other words, the phone is still sleek with a curvy form factor. It’s comfortable to hold and the weight balance is just right for a phone of its class. The front looks identical to the OnePlus 7 but looks closely and you will see subtle changes. The flat edges on either side are easy to adapt although curved edges could have given the OnePlus 7T a premium design.

And it’s not just the design but the build on the OnePlus 7T is exceptional. The back panel is now finished in what OnePlus calls “4th generation matte frosted glass material”. All you need to know is that its glass and it will be susceptible to scratches and shattering if you drop it. What I love though is that the matte finish doesn’t love smudges as much as the glossy surface on the OnePlus 7 and it is very easy to wipe it off even if you happen to get some oily hands on it.

OnePlus 7T spec and features

OnePlus has been happy to flaunt the 90Hz display for extending the smooth experience to the regular model. And I can say that at first glance, the display is definitely worth upgrading even from the OnePlus 7. It now measures 6.55-inches and uses a new Optic AMOLED Full HD+ panel with a refresh rate of 90Hz and support for HDR10+ colours. The 90Hz refresh rate makes everything look smoother than usual, although that also has something to do with optimization for Oxygen OS.

Speaking of Oxygen OS, OnePlus has given it meaningful updates where it matters. It is now based on Android 10 and as we saw with the Android 10 update for the OnePlus 7 series, it brings in a couple of Android features as well as custom UI changes to make the experience more fluid.

OnePlus usually does well in the raw performance department and thanks to the Snapdragon 855 Plus chipset, going through everyday tasks and playing graphically intensive games should be better than we saw on the OnePlus 7 series. The battery also gets a mild update to 3800mAh when compared to the 3700mAh unit from the OnePlus 7. However, Warp Charge 30T is now claimed to fill up the tank 18 per cent faster than the Warp Charge 30 system on the OnePlus 7 Pro.

Talking about cameras, the rear module now gets a 48-megapixel main camera with ½-inch Sony IMX586 sensor, F1.6 aperture lens and Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS). The second camera gets a 16-megapixel sensor with a wide-angle lens offering a 117-degree field of view. The third camera is a 12-megapixel sensor offering a 2x optical zoom. This setup on paper is already superior to the dual-camera setup from the OnePlus 7. The selfie camera still uses the 16-megapixel like older OnePlus phones.

The rear camera gets a new macro mode for close-up shots while the camera can shoot 4K videos at 60 fps. In my brief time with the phone, the camera performs as good, if not better in certain scenarios, as the OnePlus 7 Pro. The new hardware along with OnePlus’ revamped algorithms definitely shows the gains in night photography. Although you will have to wait for the full review for our verdict, all I can say is you don’t always need to use the Nightscape mode every time in low light.

OnePlus 7T verdict

The OnePlus 7T is an upgrade to the OnePlus 7 (obviously) and it is reflected in the prices too. You get the base variant with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage, which possibly is the best deal you can get. There’s also a variant with 256GB storage that will ask you to shell Rs 39,999. If you are coming into the OnePlus ecosystem for the first time, your experience will certainly be joyous. However, if you are interested in knowing about the OnePlus 7T in details, stay tuned for more.

(With input from agencies)