Keeping the tradition alive, OnePlus is coming out with a T smartphone, months after their regular flagship line. However, instead of launching two smartphones they're just launching only one, this time around. So, there is a OnePlus 8T 5G with no OnePlus 8T Pro this year. But, just like what OnePlus did with the 7T, the OnePlus 8T is going to be a significant upgrade over the regular OnePlus 8. This time however, we do know a lot the 8T in advance, even though it's coming out on October 14. Now if you clicked on this link, you want to know all those things too so, keep reading.
120 Hz Flat OLED Display
OnePlus has confirmed that they'll be loading up the OnePlus 8T with a 120 Hz OLED display. The regular OnePlus 8 had a 90 Hz display while the 8 Pro did come with 120 Hz and now the 8T gets that too. However, there will be some trade-offs as the 8T is going to be significantly cheaper than the 8 Pro & there's a rumor floating around that it may even undercut the OnePlus 8.
So, what are these trade-offs then? Well, for starters the display isn't a 3D curved one. Both the OnePlus 8 & OnePlus 8 Pro had 3D curved displays but, the 8T will come with a flat display. The resolution will also be at 1080P like the regular OnePlus 8. Now, flat displays do cost less so, maybe that's why OnePlus has decided to use it on the 8T but, it doesn't necessarily mean that they're switching back to flat displays for their upcoming flagships.
65W Warp Charging
Fast Charging has always been a strong suit for OnePlus Phones & with the 8T, they're taking it a step further. If 30W wasn't enough, the OnePlus 8T will support 65W Fast Charging. OnePlus is calling this Warp Charge 65 & it is supposed to give a day's battery life in just 15 minutes of charge. This also means OnePlus is using two batteries instead of one to make it work.
According to the rumors floating around, the total Battery capacity of the OnePlus 8T is somewhere around 4500 mAh & the 65W charger can top it up from 0% to 100% in about 35-39 minutes. These may not be the exact numbers but, this is as close as it gets. OnePlus also confirmed that the 65W Warp Charger is rated at 10V-6.5A. There is still no Wireless charging by the way, at least not in the regular OnePlus 8T.
Another small change that OnePlus is bringing to the table is, making the charger USB-C and that also means the USB cable will be USB-C to USB-C for the first time in OnePlus history. The Warp Charge 65 charger & the cable is going to be proprietary of course but, now the charger can charge other devices like laptops with USB-C charging, tablets, gaming consoles, headphones, etc.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+, 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2
Just like what we've been seeing with previous OnePlus T smartphones, the OnePlus 8T will be powered by the new Snapdragon 865+ SOC. This basically means about 10% better performance & improved gaming experience. The Snapdragon 865+ runs at a higher 3.1 GHz frequency, has faster GPU speeds & the new FastConnect 6900 Wi-Fi/Bluetooth Subsystem over the FastConnect 6800 on the regular Snapdragon 865.
The FastConnect 6900 platform does support the new 6 GHz Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 ay) standard but, no other manufacturer seems to have adopted it in their flagships so, we're pretty sure that the OnePlus 8T will come with regular Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 ax) instead. As far as Bluetooth goes, the device should come with Bluetooth 5.2 as that's the default for the Snapdragon 865+.
For 5G it's still the same Snapdragon X55 modem so, 7.5 Gbps Download & 3 Gbps Upload speeds are going to be the max limit for the OnePlus 8T 5G. However, most countries don't even have 5G & those that have it available, don't get these kind of speeds available anyway. So, you do get the top-of the line 5G modem available but, you won't be able to unlock it's full potential anytime soon.
A New Camera Setup
The OnePlus 8T will have an upgraded camera system which should bring some improvements over the regular OnePlus 8. But, it's still unclear how significant this upgrade is gonna be. If OnePlus follows their own footsteps, there should be a wide-ultrawide-telephoto-depth setup. However, there are some faint sources claiming that OnePlus may have gone with a wide-ultrawide-depth-macro setup, similar to the OnePlus Nord. We sincerely hope that's not the case.
As far the front facing camera goes, it's almost certain that it's going to be the same 32 Megapixel sensor from the OnePlus Nord. It's still gonna be a hole punch style camera so, if you were expecting a under-display unit, that's not coming out before next year.
Oxygen OS 11 with Android 11
As one the first round of devices, the OnePlus 8T will come with Android 11 out of the box. This also means you'll be getting the new OxygenOS 11 with all the new design changes & added features, right away.
No OnePlus 8T Pro (Update: 29 September, 2020)
Pete Lau, the Founder on OnePlus has confirmed that they are not launching an OnePlus 8T Pro this year. The regular OnePlus 8 Pro will continue to be their premium offering for 2020.
Newly Designed Camera Module (Update: 8th October, 2020)
OnePlus just posted an official video showcasing the a new camera module for the OnePlus 8T with a quad-camera setup. The video also confirms the main sensor to be an optically stabilized 48MP unit.
Keep checking back this space as we'll be adding more info as soon as they are available, leading to the launch on October 14. The timings are 7:30 p.m. IST or 10:00 a.m. EDT or 2 p.m. GMT.