OnePlus has launched the OnePlus 7T amidst much fanfare today. The phone has a lot of expectations riding on it and comes as a successor to the largely successful OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro. So what is this device packing? I spent time with the device and here are my first impressions.
OnePlus has a history of making the T updates very interesting and feature loaded. They have also sometimes made radical changes in design with the T series. In my books, the OnePlus 7T is a flag bearer of that tradition. There are a lot of important changes both internally and externally. Let us discuss them now
First up, the design. You will look at the front of the device and feel that the design is similar to the OnePlus 7 with the drop notch and the familiar power button and alert slider on one side with the volume rocker on the other. Turn the phone over and you will be pleasantly surprised. The familiar vertical camera alignment has given way to a circular camera bump with three cameras – yes, a triple camera has been added. There is a flash right below the camera assembly. otherwise the back is symmetrical and clean.
I got the blue version of the phone with 8GB RAM and 256 GB internal storage for review. I opened the box and put the SIM card in and the phone powered up in a jiffy and told me that it is running Android 10 out of the box. After the usual fast set up process, I saw that Oxygen OS is smoother and faster this time. That is always true for Oxygen OS. This time, there are a lot of nifty changes that will make your life a lot more smoother and easier. There are many utilities like OnePlus Roaming that will make travel easier for you when you go abroad. The usual lightness of Oxygen OS gets a solid boost with the Android 10 features thrown in with it. More on that in the full review
The aspect ratio and the size of the device make it ideal for one handed use and it is also very pocket friendly in terms of size and weight. The back has a matte finish but I would suggest a back cover with it, just to be sure. And yes, everyone’s favorite Warp Charge just got better with the new charger. It charges up in a jiffy and obliterates the need for overnight charging. Battery anxiety will never be a problem for you with this one.
Coming to the display, that is where the biggest surprise is, the display now supports 90 Hz refresh rate. Yes you heard that right. I tried a variety of interesting things to explore this and found the crisp and insanely clear display to be a huge plus for the phone. It kept me going on gaming sessions and long video binges. I could hardly take me eyes off the screen. Very addictive and extremely crisp display. You do have the option of dialing it down to 60 Hz if you are battery conscious and gaming is not your thing. But that will spoil the fun. So, if you are a professional or a road warrior, OnePlus has you covered here.
The triple camera is packing a 48 MP+16 MP+12MP setup. In my initial trial I found that the camera churns out well fleshed out colours and good detail consistently. The front camera is also a very good one for you if you are looking to up your selfie game a notch. There are a lot of in-device AI twists added to improve the quality of pictures. More about that in the full review.
If I have to rate this phone on a first impression, I would say that this is the best Android experience of the year so far. The full review is coming soon. Watch this space in the coming days.
