The OnePlus hype machine is kicking in – the company likes to provide information slowly before every phone launch, and the OnePlus 10T is currently getting the treatment. We recently learned about its release date (August 3), and now the company has confirmed a number of camera specs for the 10T as well.
This comes from the OnePlus Community forum, where the company posted a long thread (opens in new tab)diving deep into the 10T’s rear camera hardware and processing abilities.
We now know that the main camera has a resolution of 50MP, using Sony’s IMX766 sensor. We’ve seen many affordable phones utilize this sensor as it performs admirably in low light conditions. OnePlus’ sister brand Realme has used it to great effect on budget phones like the Realme C35 and Realme 9 Pro Plus.
We’ve recently seen the Nothing Phone 1 use this sensor as well. This was the debut smartphone from tech startup Nothing, which was formed by OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei, and there’s certainly a bit of rivalry between the two brands.
Joining that main camera are two additional sensors, one with an ultra wide lens and one with a macro lens, and we’re a little more apprehensive about that. Almost every budget phone comes with a combination of ‘high-res main camera, low-res ultra-wide, useless depth sensor/macro’, and it looks like the OnePlus 10T will be exactly the same.
This particular lens combination usually doesn’t bring as much photographic versatility to the overall experience, especially compared to what a telephoto or periscope lens would offer, however, while these zoom modules are generally more expensive, phone makers seem to prefer to ship. more affordable phones with mediocre secondary and tertiary sensors rather than serving them with the solo (more capable) primary snapper.
Another thing worth noting is that the OnePlus 10T will not continue the Hasselblad partnership that the latest generations of the company’s flagships (including the OnePlus 10 Pro) have had. The company says this is because “we wanted to deliver a high-performance smartphone experience at the device’s chosen price.” which likely means that the Hasselblad brand would have cost the company too much to be worth it.
Analysis: If the price is right…
We often see OnePlus’ T-series phones launch as refreshed versions of the respective year-old flagship model, but with minor improvements in some areas. As such, they often cost as much as – or more than – their counterparts at the start of the year.
We hope that’s not the case with the OnePlus 10T – lots of leaks and now these confirmed specs make it look a lot more like a mid-range device with a mighty heart than an improved OnePlus 10 Pro.
This makes sense given the aforementioned Nothing Phone rivalry, as this phone costs £399 / €469 / AU$749, which is far less than the 10 Pro when it launched.
So while the camera’s specs might inspire mixed reception, if the phone is competitively priced it might be worth tossing out just yet. Maybe we’ll see a flagship OnePlus device on our list of the best cheap phones, for once.