First, a crash course on OnePlus’s naming schemes for their phones. OnePlus traditionally has a base model, which is simply named “OnePlus <Number>” (e.g., OnePlus 3). Sometimes, they follow up with an updated phone several months later, which usually packs better specs than the base model. The name for the updated model simply appends a T after its number (e.g., OnePlus 3T). Starting with the OnePlus 7 Series, OnePlus has introduced a “Pro” model, which has more bells and whistles over the base model. The Pro variants always have a better display, from 1080p to 1440p, increased size, responsiveness, and color capabilities (HDR/Dolby Vision). You’re welcome.
For the OnePlus 10 series, there wasn’t a more affordable OnePlus 10, breaking the trend for the first time. Instead, there was only the OnePlus 10 Pro. Thankfully, it had a lower price than the OnePlus 9 Pro of yesteryear, which makes up for not having a base model. The closest thing to the nonexistent OnePlus 10 was the OnePlus 10R, which is limited to India (OnePlus is the most popular “budget” phone there). Now, on August 3, the UK and US will have its own more affordable model, the OnePlus 10T. It isn’t a Pro model, so it lacks a higher resolution display. But, it has some substantial upgrades.
The 10T has up to 16 gigabytes of RAM, and paired with Oxygen OS’s improvements in RAM management, will allow for up to 30 apps to stay loaded, meaning they open instantly (and can run in the background effectively). Finally you can cycle through your various social media apps, music and video apps, edit videos and documents, shopping apps, and play a few games without any delay! Higher RAM also offloads stress on storage (which is utilized as extra RAM at times), improving overall performance.
The biggest improvement is in the charging department, with charging speeds up to 150 watts. I doubt your laptop can reach charging speeds that high. In comparison, the 10 Pro only has 80 watt charging (65 watts for U.S.). Don’t freak out over these insane charging speeds; OnePlus phones have always had healthier charging than other phones. High current alongside an intelligent power brick means less stress on the battery, all without compromising. Meanwhile Samsung and Apple still justifying using sluggish charging speeds for “battery safety and longevity”.
These high charging speeds also means more multitasking in real life; no more being glued to a wall, or stressing that your phone is low and you only have a few minutes to charge before going out. Last but not least, there’s even more antennas, greatly improving connectivity, especially when gaming online (Looking at you, Wild Rift players). These improvements however, came with a sacrifice: The Iconic Alert Slider. You know, the slider that slides between mute, vibrate, and ring. It’s also present on iPhones, though its users never seem to use it.