OnePlus 7T Review: Tailor-made for India

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Not many months ago, OnePlus launched its ambitious flagship – the7 Pro, while the regular 7 played the second fiddle. The OnePlus 7 was a OnePlus 6T rehash with a few relevant hardware updates and served as the low-cost option to the pricey Pro. (OnePlus 7T review हिंदी में पढ़िए)

OnePlus is being more earnest in its efforts with the base variant for its ‘T’ upgrade. The 7T gets holistic improvements and bridges the wide price gap between the 7 and 7 Pro. OnePlus makes the most coveted features of the OnePlus 7 Pro (review) accessible at a more reasonable price, and that makes it a very compelling upgrade in India.

Key changes include the new design, 90Hz ‘Fluid AMOLED’ screen, upgraded Snapdragon 855+ chipset, the third camera sensor, improved haptic motor, and even faster Warp Charging.

Do all these changes add up for a better OnePlus experience? Let’s answer that question as we take you through our OnePlus 7T review.

Page Contents:

OnePlus 7T India price and specifications

Model OnePlus 7T
Display 6.55-inch, 2400×1080p (20:9); 90Hz, 402 PPI; Fluid AMOLED; Gorilla Glass Protection (Front and Back); DCI-P3 100; HDR10+
Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+; Adreno 640
RAM 8GB LPDDR4X
Storage 128GB/256GB; UFS 3.0
Rear camera 48MP+ 12MP (Telephoto)+16MP (Ultrawide)
Front camera 16MP, F/2.0; Sony IMX471; Waterdrop notch
Battery 3800mAh; 30WT Warp Charge
Software Android 9.0 Pie-based Oxygen OS 9.5
Fingerprint sensor Optical In-display
Others USB 3.1 Type-C, Dual nanoSIM, Dual-Stereo Dolby Atmos speakers, NFC
Price  Rs. 37,999 / 39,999

ALSO READ: Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ Review

OnePlus 7T Unboxing

The change starts with the OnePlus 7T box. The package has a tall rectangular make, something similar to the Oppo Reno 2. Apart from new box contours, OnePlus has used a poping red color with a text inscription.

As for things packed inside the box, here’s everything you’d get:

  • OnePlus 7T handset
  • Warp Charger 30T brick
  • OnePlus Charging cable
  • SIM tray ejector pin
  • User guide
  • TPU Case
  • Never Settle sticker

OnePlus 7T Review: Design and Build Quality

Each time you buy a new smartphone, design and build quality are key deciding factors.

OnePlus has always had a different, more refined taste than other Chinese smartphone makers. Be it the sandstone back on the OnePlus One or the marble glass finish that debuted with the 6 – OnePlus phone have always been distinct in a good way, and the same can be said of the 7T.

The OnePlus 7T sticks to the V-shape notch and is missing the curved edges on the 7 Pro, but the moment you hold it in hands you will be able to appreciate the ergonomics. The 7T is significantly lighter, thinner and more comfortable to operate than the 7 Pro.

OnePlus claims the 7T notch is 31.46-percent smaller than OnePlus 7 which I find plausible. The display size has been increased and now stands at 6.55-inches, and you will find a familiar elongated earpiece on the top (just as on the 7).

The Glacier Blue variant, that we have with us, has a frosted finish on the glass. On the sides, the phone has a polished metal frame that makes it quite sturdy. The phone further has Corning Gorilla Glass (version unspecified) on both front and back. OnePlus has also repositioned the SIM tray and alert sliders to the bottom and to the right, respectively.

On the flip side, there is a massive circular camera that juts out, which kind of reminds me of the original Nokia’s Lumia 1020. The camera hump evens out if you apply the bundled case. However, if you are among the few who prefer to use your phone without a case, you will have to take extra care to protect the camera from scratches.

Overall, the OnePlus 7T shows iterative design improvements and is closer to the 7 than the 7 Pro. This is a good thing since the 7 Pro didn’t exactly nail it when it came to ergonomics. The 7T kind of strikes a balance.

ALSO READ: Asus ROG Phone 2 Review

OnePlus 7T Review: Display and Biometrics

The OnePlus 7T screen is the biggest upgrade over the OnePlus 7. The 7T sports a full HD+ OnePlus’ Fluid AMOLED screen with extremely slim bezels.

It gets the OnePlus 7 Pro markee feature – the 90Hz fluid AMOLED display. If you are moving from the regular 60Hz screen, the 90Hz display will grow on you real fast. Scrolling, animations, transitions – all feel a lot smoother and you will definitely feel something is amiss when you switch back to a 60Hz phone.

The display also supports HDR 10+ which makes a delightful experience if you watch the HDR content on Netflix. The OnePlus 7T screen has excellent sunlight legibility as the brightness peaks at 1000 nits outdoors.

Colors are good too and there are quite a few manual adjustments you can make from the Display Settings.

And yes, there is an extremely fast fingerprint sensor lying underneath. The sensor is also extremely consistent and works almost every time. The phone also has face unlock that you can also enable side by side.

ALSO READ: Black Shark 2 Review

OnePlus 7T Review: Performance and Software

Like all OnePlus phones, this one too ships with Qualcomm’s current-best at launch. It’s powered by higher binned Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 plus which is a theoretical upgrade, but don’t expect any noticeable changes in performance, at least in the short run.

Just as the SD 855, the Plus variant has a tri-cluster structure where high-performance Kryo 485 CPU Gold core is clocked at a higher 2.96GHz, while the remaining seven cores are clocked similarly to the Snapdragon 855 chipset. The integrated Adreno 640 GPU clock frequency has been tweaked from 585MHz to 672Mhz. All these changes result in a 15 percent performance improvement.

The 7T retails in one single variant with 8GB LPDRR4X RAM and 128GB UFS 3.0 storage. The ROG Phone 2 that retails for the same price has a similar configuration but has faster UFS 3.0 storage.

Storage speed: ROG Phone 2 VS OnePlus 7T

We had no trouble running heavy Android games like PUBG Mobile and Call of Duty Mobile on the OnePlus 7T. We were able to experience flawless gameplay even on HDR graphics while frame rates were set to extreme.

For good performance, a lot depends on the software OnePlus’ Oxygen OS that pays special attention to snappy and smooth transitions. It’s one of the most favorable custom ROMs around and has always served as a massive advantage for OnePlus phones. The OnePlus 7T is, in fact, its first smartphone that hits the market with Android 10 based software out of the box. OnePlus has kept things simple and hasn’t really deviated from its successful closer-to-stock formula.

While most of the Oxygen OS highlights are intact, the tenth iteration is said to have received more than 350 optimizations. These include new Android 10 gestures, Dark Theme, option to choose between home screens and app drawer style, new Gallery app, improved Zen mode, Screen Recorder, reading mode and more.

In case you are interested, we recently covered all new Oxygen OS 10 changes in a dedicated article.

OnePlus 7T Benchmark Test Scores

Benchmark  Score
AnTuTu 3,79,455
Geekbench 5 single-core 778
Geekbench 5 multi-core 2778
3D Mark Sligh Shot Extreme OpenGL ES 3.1 6008
3D Mark Sligh Shot Extreme Vulkan 5419

ALSO READ: 10 Best Phones Under Rs 40,000 To Buy In 2019

OnePlus 7T Camera Review

In terms of optics, the OnePlus 7T has a lot in common with the OnePlus 7 Pro. This time, photography duties are shared between a triplet at the back and a solo sensor on the front. The triple optics setup includes a 48-megapixel(f/1.7) primary camera, a 12-megapixel (f/2.2) telephoto camera, and a 16-megapixel(f/2.2) ultra-wide camera. Out of the three, only the primary sensor has OIS support. As for the selfies, a 16-megapixel (f/2.0) resides in the notch.

Let’s start with what’s new in the Camera UI. The portrait mode is now available for both regular and 2X zoom option. Similarly, the OnePlus 7T camera app also lets you use the ultra-wide-angle lens in nightscape mode. There’s also a new macro mode that lets you capture extreme closeup from distance between 2.5-inch to 8-inches.

Now, let’s talk about the OnePlus 7T camera performance.

Out of the three, the 48-megapixel sensor delivers the best results and that too when it is taking 12MP images. It manages to capture a lot more details and has a better dynamic range than the other two sensors. One thing that we noticed (and you will too) is the difference in the color profiles between these three sensors.

Close-up

The primary sensor manages to capture colors and dynamic range well in the daylight. The details and textures are also good in shots taken in broad daylight. The ultra-wide-angle one does capture a wider canvas. It adds versatility to the OnePlus 7T camera and makes it a choice for group photos and landscape shots. Having said that, the ultra-wide shots have slight distortion on the edges as well as some softness.

2X Zoom
1X (primary camera)
Wide-angle
Portrait (outdoors)
Portrait (indoors)

 

Dark scene: Regular (Auto) Mode
Dark scene: Night Mode

With fading light or in the dark, the OnePlus 7T primary sensor should be your preferred shooting option. In such lighting, performance expectedly takes a hit. The Nightscape mode now also works for the ultra-wide camera. The Nightscape takes multiple long-exposure shots which allows you to take better than regular shots in extreme low light conditions.

So, overall, we do notice a few improvements but the camera quality isn’t very different than what we had anticipated.

OnePlus 7T Review: Battery

The OnePlus 7T packs a slightly larger battery capacity than the 7. Of course, with the new 90Hz screen the demand on the battery increases proportionately. We managed to get over 5 hours of screen on time (at 90Hz display refresh rate) with moderate to heavy usage, which is respectable. OnePlus more than makes up with fast charging.

OnePlus 7T resorts to 30W warp charge and a 5V/6A charger is bundled in the box. OnePlus claims to have further optimized its charging algorithm and made tweaks in battery structure which helped it achieve 18% faster charging-speeds.

Charging the OnePlus 7T is a delightful experience. Just 10-15 minutes of charge can refill enough juice to last you a workday. It took just 1 hour and 16 mins to go from zero to a hundred percent. It took the OnePlus 7T less than 20 minutes to go from 0 to 40, and the phone attained a 90% charge in just 48 minutes.

OnePlus 7T Review: Should you buy it?

The OnePlus 7T should now be the de facto OnePlus recommendation for us. That’s not because its cheaper than the 7 Pro, but because it imparts an almost similar experience as the Pro model for a lower price while being comparatively more ergonomic.

We quite enjoyed our time with the OnePlus 7T and it surely makes for an easy recommendation. The biggest challenger is the Asus ROG Phone 2 that offers comparable hardware and very unique experience. The OnePlus 7T is relatively more mainstream and is already running the latest Android 10 based software.

Pros

  • Excellent performance
  • Gorgeous display
  • Elegant looks
  • Extremely fast charging
  • Audio output

Cons

  • Notch appears dated
  • No audio jack
  • No expandable storage
Deepak RajawatDeepak Rajawat
Experienced technology journalist with over 7-years of experience. Before embracing online journalism, he has worked with several legacy publications including print editions at Hindustan Times and The Statesman. He also has a keen interest in Sports, which he used to cover with equal enthusiasm in his early career.

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