Believe it or not it’s been quite the busy phone year for OnePlus if you can keep track. They have released a whopping four OnePlus devices in different variations. In the Spring they released the OnePlus 7 Pro and OnePlus 7(intl only) and then in the Fall 7T Pro (intl only) and 7T. Really five if you count the 5G variants as well.
The OnePlus 7T release was an interesting and slightly weird release as it goes back to the realm of the 6T with some style moments but manages to do some things better than the OnePlus 7 Pro.
Style
Like others before it the OnePlus 7T utilizes matted frosted glass coated in Gorilla Glass 5 on the front and back areas and still looks good doing so. Here we are looking at Glacier Blue which is shades lighter than the Nebula Blue on the 7 Pro. You still get that two-tone blue depending on how you angle it against the light. There is also a Frosted Silver colorway if blue isn’t your style. Holding it hand in hand with the 7 Pro it is lighter at 190g and a smidgen smaller body wise. I always felt like the 7Pro had some heft to it. Its not slippery by any means but having a case on it could add some longevity to the device.
There are of course no headphone jack and has dual speakers on the top and bottom. The top speaker looks to be bigger on the 7T. Type C port and Dual Sim port are on the bottom. Of course, if you get it from T-Mobile you will just get a single sim slot. Volume controls on the left and alert slider with the power button underneath on the right.
Processing Power & Smooth 90Hz
Here is where we creep back into 6T territory as the 7T has an AMOLED 6.55” 1080P display(2400×1080,402ppi) with the “barely there” teardrop notch. The display isn’t curved like the 7 Pro still manages to bring the silky smooth 90Hz refresh rate. I tell people once you get used it to its hard to go back. Those coming from 6T to 7T will enjoy the welcome changes while if you had the 7 Pro you might miss that full screen display, higher resolution and curved glass. Me using the 7 Pro for months on end and going to this one I frankly don’t miss it all that much.
OnePlus known for putting the latest processors in their phones doesn’t skim with the 7T has it carrying a Snapdragon 855+ chipset alongside an Adreno 640 GPU. On OnePlus and T-Mobile website it has only an option of 8GB RAM and 128GB storage which is the model I’m using. There seems to be 256GB options floating around elsewhere also. 128GB sounds like a lot but I have managed to use about have the space and feel like 256GB is the sweet spot for storage at this point.
Nothing I have used charges faster than OnePlus phones. The 7T managed to get me from 5% to 100% in about an hour to charge its 3800mAh battery. I love Warp Charging and while other phones charge fast OnePlus is just on another level of battery juicing. I still like to see wireless charging for when I’m not near the warp charging plug and want to use my wireless pads laying around.
Funny enough one of my fave features is still Dual Sim capabilities. I mainly use it on my carrier T-Mobile, but it also works just as good on Verizon’s network as well. 4G LTE speeds with making calls, using data, you name it and it works. Just don’t expect Wi-Fi calling from Verizon though.
7T also handles games steady ranging from simple games like Candy Crush Saga Friends (don’t judge me) to more intense games like Call of Duty Mobile or even Fortnite. No hiccups, no hot phones just tons of smooth running and gunning.
Oxygen OS
Oxygen OS level of customization and options makes it hard to leave when dealing with Android OSes. You can do just about anything and makes 3rd party launchers not as necessary unless you need to something drastic. Out the box Android 10 is on the OnePlus 7T and doesn’t feel super different from Android 9.0 but does bring a different way to use gestures. Basically, requires you to use the very ends of the screen to navigate. It can take some adjusting but if you don’t like it you can go in the options and change it of course.
Screen Unlock works great on the 7T and I still consider it one of the faster ones on the market. Even picking up the Galaxy S10+ time to time it can take a couple of presses to get my phone unlocked but here with the 7T no problem.
Triple Camera System
OnePlus revamped the Triple Camera System on the 7T with this circular slightly protruding look. There is Wide-Angle(48MP), Telephoto(12MP), and Ultra-Wide(16MP) options at your picture taking disposal. Right off the bat I felt the 7T was taking better pix than the 7 Pro. I was able to do more point and shoot and not have to adjust or take multi shots. Images also seemed sharper and more detailed than the 7 Pro. You do seem to get a small amount of saturation compared to the more natural shots on the 7 Pro though. Low light shots are brighter but, in my eyes, look good. Since there is a tear-drop notch on the front of the 7T there is no pop-up camera. The front lens is 16MP with the right lighting will give you detailed images.
Verdict
If you are coming from the OnePlus 6T or even lower you will love the additions to the 7T such as the faster processor, smooth 90Hz display and significantly better camera system. Its price point of $599.99 is a sweet spot and still manages to uncut some of the larger flagships out there. Its also one of the few that has the latest Android 10 out the box. It has everything you want in a phone and I can only say to look at the 7Pro as they been on/off sale and you want a full no notch display, curves and a higher resolution.
