The OnePlus 8 series of phones has only just started to arrive in showrooms though rumours of its successor in the form of the OnePlus 8T series has begun to surface already. For those not in the knowing, the Chinese manufacturer launches a flagship phone every year during spring and follows that up with another upgrade that comes with the ‘T’ badging. Such ‘T’ suffixed phone again are launched during fall.
So, this year, it is going to be the OnePlus 8T that is in the making for launch during the autumn months. Also, while it intrigues us as to whether there is room for any improvement with the otherwise brilliant OnePlus 8 series of phones, here is a compilation of what we can expect with the 8T version due in a few months based on the leaks and rumours we have had so far.
Design:
OnePlus generally does not tinker with the design of its ‘T’ badged phones and there is no reason to believe there is going to be an exception this time either. That said, the OnePlus 7T did feature a circular camera bump at the rear compared to the elongated camera housing that the OnePlus 7 came with.
So, the point to note here is that OnePlus 8T is likely to have the same looks like that of the OnePlus though you should not be taken by surprise if there are some slight modifications introduced. But what seems a surety is that the OnePlus 8T is not going to differ from the original by a wide margin.
A couple of new colour options cannot be ruled out either. As it is, the company is following a strange convention of offering specific colours for specific regions. For instance, the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro devices sold in the US is available in Ultramarine Blue and Interstellar Glow colour options. It will be interesting to see what colours the OnePlus 8T and 8T Pro is going to be available in.
Display:
Rumour has it that the base OnePlus 8T might see a bump in its refresh rate, from the current 90 Hz as on the OnePlus 8 to a more pleasing 120 Hz for its upgraded model. The Pro model already comes with a 120 Hz display, and the 8T Pro might just be seen continuing with the same.
Otherwise, the 6.55-inch FHD OLED panel on the OnePlus 8 and 6.78-inch QHD OLED panel on the OnePlus 8 Pro will likely be continued with the 8T and 8T Pro models as well.
Performance:
The OnePlus 8 range has already set a gold standard on this front, leaving virtually no room to expand any further. That said, there are rumours of Qualcomm launching a higher rated Snapdragon 865 Plus chipset, which again is believed to power the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 range. If that indeed is the case, then the OnePlus 8T series too are hot contenders for the SD865 Plus chipset as well.
Battery and charging:
The OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro come with a 4,300 mAh and 4,510 mAh power sources respectively. While those might be adequate, there does not seem to be any plans to include bigger power sources for both phones.
However, rumour has it that OnePlus is contemplating using a 65W fast charging solution to juice up the OnePlus 8T range. If true, that can easily be the game-changer for the upcoming OnePlus phones. The current range features 30W Warp Charge technology, and it does an excellent job of filling up the cell with new life. An upgrade to 65 W charging tech will surely do wonders.
Software:
The company’s latest Oxygen OS 10.0, which is based on Android 10 is considered among the best Android OS derivatives and comes preinstalled on both the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro. However, with Google expected to launch Android 11 by fall, rumour has it that the Chinese firm might opt to offer something like Oxygen OS 11.0 based on Android 11 for the OnePlus 8T series of phones.
Camera:
The OnePlus 8 comes with a 48 mp primary camera, a 16 mp ultra wide angle lens and a 2 mp macro shooter. The 8 Pro is one-up with its quad cam setup comprising of a 48 mp primary sensor, a 48 mp wide-angle lens, an 8 mp telephoto lens with 3X optical zoom and a 5 mp color filter cam. The latter again evoked a lot of controversy with its x-ray effect that enabled it to see even under people’s clothes though the same has been disabled now.
With the OnePlus 8T range, the company may not be seen upgrading the camera hardware significantly though what seems likely is that there will be a software upgrade to allow for better post processing work. The telephoto lens becoming standard across the range is also being speculated as well, with a depth sensor replacing the 5 mp color filter camera can’t be ruled out either.
Price:
The company started with the premise of offering more for less, something that seems to be waning off with each subsequent new launches over the years. In light of that trend, experts opine the OnePlus 8T and 8T Pro might end up starting at $749 and $949 respectively.
For comparison, the current OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro starts at $699 and $899 respectively.
Expected launch:
As already stated, that likely will happen around fall 2020.
