I used to have a mental rule that I wouldn’t spend more than $1,000 on a phone.
It is funny how our perceptions change. Phone prices kept creeping up, and now I don’t blink when the iPhone 13 Pro starts at $999.
The iPhone 13 Pro I carry starts at $1,099.
I say all this because I miss mid-priced phones. By mid-priced, I mean $400-$800 phones.
There have always been far more mid-priced choices on the Android side, and today I’m looking at the OnePlus 10T, which packs some impressive features starting at $649.
OnePlus 10T
When you hear the term mid-priced phone, you probably think older or slower components to put together a phone that is just decent.
Not so with the 10T — for the most part.
It is sporting the latest and fastest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen1 processor with a new cooling system designed to keep the phone running at top speed.
The graphics chipset is the Adreno 730.
The 10T comes in two configurations, with 8 gigabytes of RAM and 128 gigabytes of storage ($649) or with 16 gigabytes of RAM and 256 gigabytes of storage ($799).
Both phones are available for preorder starting September 1, at oneplus.com, Amazon.com and Best Buy.
There are some other top features, like a 6.7” AMOLED display with a dynamic refresh rate up to 120 Hertz, which means the screen can refresh itself up to 120 times per second to make motion look very smooth and clear.
The screen has a resolution of 2,412 x 1,080 pixels for a pixel density of 394 pixels per inch.
The phone measures 6.4 inches by 2.96 inches by 0.34 inches and it weighs just 7.17 ounces.
The 10T has Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 and 5G.
OnePlus has redesigned the phone’s antenna system with a total of 15 antennas around the edges of the device.
It runs the Android 12 operating system as well as OnePlus’ Oxygen 12.1 overlay. Oxygen is OnePlus’ software that tweaks the stock Android interface. Android 13 and Oxygen 13 is coming in an upgrade later this year.
Unlocking options include an in-screen fingerprint reader and face recognition.
Charging
The 10T has a dual-cell 4,800 milliamp-hour battery which supports 150-watt fast charging, although in the US, our 120v outlets will mean it charges a bit slower.
The benefit of two batteries is the charge can be split between them and smaller batteries charge faster.
OnePlus says the 10T’s battery will charge from 1 percent to 67 percent in just 10 minutes, and a full charge takes less than 20 minutes.
This is the fastest charging I’ve seen, and it makes me almost forget the 10T has no wireless charging option.
The fast-charging power adapter ships with the phone, which is rare these days. Apple and Samsung have stopped including power adapters.
Cameras
The 10T has a three-camera system on the back with a 50-megapixel main camera, an 8MP ultra-wide and a 2MP macro camera. Notice no zoom lens.
Photo modes include Nightscape, which offers truly amazing performance in low light; pro mode, which gives the user the ability to set the ISO, shutter speed, and white balance.
It can shoot 4K video at 30 or 60 frames per second and features image stabilization for both photos and videos. There’s a dual-view video mode that shoots video from both front and rear cameras at the same time in a split-screen that’s interesting.
The selfie camera has a 16MP sensor that’s used for face unlock as well as photos and 1080P videos.
This is the first OnePlus phone in a few years without the Hasselblad co-branding, if you worry about that. I never thought the word Hasselblad on the camera bump plus whatever software they contributed to the phone didn’t add all that much value.
Hyperboost Gaming Engine
If you are a phone gamer, the 10T has a Cryo-velocity Vapor Cooling System to keep the internals running cooler for better graphics performance.
OnePlus says the 10T uses something called a GPA Frame Stabilizer and GPU Load Control for the smoothest action on any OnePlus device.
The games I tried played smoothly and without any lag.
Impressions?
Many reviewers are on the fence about the 10T.
If you watch the YouTube reviews of this phone, its commonly called boring or pointless.
I’m not sure I agree.
There are some nice features, like the processor and screen refresh and the wired charging system and battery are top notch.
The Moonstone Black finish I reviewed has a textured back that simply does not show fingerprints at all.
Unlike Apple and Samsung, which make you find your own USB wall charger, OnePlus includes the fast charger in the box, which is great, especially because there’s no wireless charging.
On the downside, there OnePlus has removed the alert slider from the 10T. If you are not familiar with OnePlus phones, the sleep/wake button on the side has always been a slider to mute the phone. Now you must wake the phone to mute it using the volume buttons.
OnePlus issued a press release explain the slider was eliminated because it took up space inside the phone that was needed for other technologies like the faster charging.
The 10T is very similar in looks and features to the 10 Pro released earlier this year.
Since the 10T is cheaper, people may look to it to be a lesser phone. I’m not sure I’d call it lesser, but it is very close. The 10T has a faster, newer processor, but lacks wireless charging.
The lack of a telephoto lens is another trade-off.
Deciding between the 10T and the 10 Pro is not easy.
I think OnePlus should do a better job in differentiating their phone models next year.
Pros: Fastest processor, fastest charging, smooth gaming, improved cooling, included USB fast charger.
Cons: Lesser camera system, no wireless charging.
Bottom Line: For me, the 10T as great specs for a mid-priced phone.
