OnePlus 7T Pro review: Let's just say, you better settle for OnePlus 7T

OnePlus 7T Pro review: There was a time when OnePlus was a truly premium brand with select launches in an year and limited models up for sale. All of that and lot more has changed in 2019 with the smartphone maker introducing four new products while keeping the older models alive too. When the OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro were launched in May, we knew it was only a matter of time before the company brings the 'T' variants of the series. Come October, we had both OnePlus 7T and OnePlus 7T Pro retailing in markets across the globe.

While the OnePlus 7T dazzled most smartphone lovers, including us, the same can't be said about the OnePlus 7T Pro. The former was a major upgrade on OnePlus 7 borrowing several features from OnePlus 7 Pro like cameras and display. Its refreshing design and relatively affordable price tag, made OnePlus 7T a complete steal. It offered almost everything you would desire from a premium smartphone and was as good as the OnePlus 7 Pro, both on paper and otherwise.

But, have you wondered what would have happened if George Lucas had settled for the original Star Wars trilogy and wasn't lured into making the prequels? We would have been spared from some lazy screenplay, never been introduced to the annoying Jar Jar Binks and probably, Hayden Christensen would still have a career in films. Okay, okay! Whether the decision was good or bad, remains up for debate, but one thing most comic book nerds would agree on is that the world would never have been the same, had Lucas decided against it.

The OnePlus 7T Pro finds itself in a similar terrain as it comes with only minor improvements like a more powerful chipset, marginally bigger battery and faster charging. The price you end up paying for that is considerably high though. We have been using this smartphone for a couple of weeks now and its time to find out if it is worth your money or not.

OnePlus 7T Pro review: The Seduction Act

When it comes to style, OnePlus knows how to seduce buyers. With the 7T models, it has taken the game to the next level by offering two elite-looking devices that draw instant attention. The OnePlus 7T Pro comes in a new ‘Haze Blue' colour and has been awarded a special McLaren Edition as well. We had the first for review purposes that comes with frosted, matte texture.

Just like the OnePlus 7T, this one also keeps changing its shade as light falls from different angles. The design is very similar to the OnePlus 7 Pro but the two can be differentiated because of the colour and different placing of laser autofocus sensor on the back. The smartphone maker had made a brave move by equipping the OnePlus 7T with a circular camera module at the back but has switched to a vertical module on the OnePlus 7T Pro.

The back panel is neat with OnePlus branding to go with the camera setup and LED flash. The power button is on the right, volume rockers on the left, SIM tray and speaker grill at the bottom. OnePlus has once again ditched the 3.5mm jack which is no more a surprise.

The first problem with the device is with its matte finish which makes the phone very slippery. When you have a Rs 50,000 smartphone in your palm, that keeps slipping out of it, peace would be difficult to find. The problem can be addressed using the case. But, then if only life was so simple. The OnePlus 7T is heavy. And, by heavy we mean that you will feel discomfort while using it with one hand. So, using a case only makes the phone feel bigger.

The weight could be either be because of the pop-up camera module or the bigger battery used, but OnePlus needs to fix this in the coming models.

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Inside the tall OnePlus 7T Pro box, you get the usual stuff - a transparent silicone case, a Type-C cable, a SIM eject tool, warranty information, and the Warp Charge 30T charger. The last claims to give faster charging over the previous-generation Warp Charge 30 charger.

Its basically like the Star Wars characters Yoda and Mace Windu. Both are Jedi but one of them is more powerful. You know who, we are not naming anyone!

OnePlus 7T Pro review: Smooth Display and Powerful Performance

The OnePlus 7T pro is equipped with the same 6.67-inch QHD+ Fluid AMOLED panel with a 90Hz refresh rate that was used on the OnePlus 7 Pro. In fact, the OnePlus 7T also got the same display with 90HZ refresh rate only with a slightly smaller screen size (6.55-inch). The display produces vibrant colours and comes with HDR 10+ support which allows you to stream high quality content.

This is where you also realise the importance of having the pop-up mechanism. Even though it adds to the weight of the device, you get a better screen-to-body ratio which definitely enhances the video streaming experience. The OnePlus 7T Pro also ships with a pre-applied screen protector and is extremely fast to work on.

The apps open smoothly and the 8GB of RAM allows you to do multitasking without any issues. For high performance, OnePlus has used Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ chipset on the OnePlus 7T Pro which is an upgrade on the Snapdragon 855 which powered the OnePlus 7 Pro. The processor is claimed to give 15 per cent better performance and has been used on select smartphones in India including OnePlus 7T and the Realme X2 Pro.

The OnePlus 7T Pro is only available with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. However, you get the 12GB RAM option with the McLaren Edition. I played several games on the OnePlus 7T Pro like PUBG MOBILE, Asphalt 9: Legends and Call of Duty Mobile. While the performance is almost similar to that of a Snapdragon 855 powered smartphone, it is the combination of the chipset and 90hZ refresh rate that makes the difference.

Not to forget, this is one of the few smartphones to come with Android 10 out-of-the-box which further enhances user experience. Now, my problem is that while the OnePlus 7 Pro users are missing out on most of these specs, you get almost everything on the OnePlus 7T for a considerably low amount.

What differentiates OnePlus smartphones from competitors though is their operating system. The OnePlus 7T Pro uses OxygenOS 10 which is based on Android 10 and comes with notable changes like a new ‘chromatic' option in the Reading Mode that reduces the saturation level of colours and a redesigned Game Space which allows you to customise profiles for each game. As always, you can choose between the gesture-based navigation and the three-buttons system, my preference being the former.  

The battery capacity on the OnePlus 7T Pro has been increased to 4,085mAh, from 4,000mAh on its predecessor. Again, this is too small a change to force you to buy a new smartphone. One medium usage, you can expect the smartphone to last for an entire day which is better than what we got on the OnePlus 7T. 

OnePlus 7T Pro review: Strong Camera Game

One thing that OnePlus smartphones have always been known for is their camera. In terms of specs, there is again not much difference here from the OnePlus 7 Pro. The new device comes with a triple rear camera setup that includes a primary 48-megapixel Sony IMX586 sensor with OIS and an f/1.6 aperture; an 8-megapixel telephoto camera with OIS and an f/2.4 aperture and a 16-megapixel ultra wide-angle camera with an f/2.2 aperture. The camera app gets few new features like Super Macro mode and Nightscape with the wide-angle camera.

Notably, OnePlus had used a 12-megapixel telephoto lens on the OnePlus 7T while the other two lenses were the same.

In daylight landscapes, the OnePlus 7T Pro captures good quality images with high details. Even if you are not a photography enthusiast, you can manage to click good images using the primary camera of the OnePlus 7T Pro. The wide-angle lens and macro shots add an extra dimension of the camera setup, allowing more educated photographers to explore new side of subject.

On the front, we have a 16-megapixel, fixed-focus pop-up camera for selfies. The front camera clicks impressive images in better light conditions. It captures great details and produces punchy colours.

OnePlus 7T Pro review: Final Verdict

In isolation, the OnePlus 7T Pro is an excellent smartphone with a quality display, solid processor, majestic camera and matchless user experience. The harsh reality it that despite all of that, it will be very hard for it to make a telling impact in the flooded Indian smartphone market. There was a time when OnePlus used to stop selling its previous smartphones and it made the 'T' model an actual upgrade on whatever you were already using. But, now that the company is selling so many devices in the country, there is little or no difference between them.

Even though OnePlus 7T Pro is an upgrade on the OnePlus 7 Pro, it is hard not to compare it with the OnePlus 7T which offers almost everything that is on board the premium offering, that too for almost Rs 15,000 less. Now, let's say if you are using a OnePlus 5 or a smartphone from any other brand that was launched around the same time and have the money, there is no harm switching to the OnePlus 7T Pro.

However, if you are on a OnePlus 6 series device or were looking to push your budget to get the OnePlus 7T Pro, don't. You can better settle for the OnePlus 7T and end up saving a decent amount while getting the same experience.