When the OnePlus 7 was launched alongside the OnePlus 7 Pro, it wasn’t particularly impressive, given its incremental upgrades over the OnePlus 6T. But that changes with the OnePlus 7T, thanks to a couple of new additions. Not only is it faster now, it also comes with the Pro’s Fluid AMOLED display.
That’s right, the OnePlus 7T features a 90Hz screen, making it a far more exciting device than its predecessor. Of course, other aspects of the phone have been improved accordingly too, including the camera system. We got our hands on the OnePlus 7T ahead of its Malaysian launch, and here’s our hands-on of OnePlus’ latest flagship smartphone.
First off, let’s talk about the OnePlus 7T’s 6.55-inch 2400 x 1080 Fluid AMOLED display, which is very pleasant to look at. This is thanks to the high 90Hz refresh rate, so everything looks extra smooth on this screen. Whether it’s scrolling through the settings page or navigating the use interface, you’ll definitely appreciate the extra frames the 90Hz display offers.
Screen quality of the OnePlus 7T is great as well. It is an AMOLED panel, so you get deep blacks, vibrant colours, and excellent viewing angles with this display. It can get really bright too, so outdoor visibility should not be an issue at all with this smartphone.
Sure, the notch at the top of the display (which houses a 16MP f/2.0 selfie camera) doesn’t look fantastic, but at least it doesn’t take up too much screen real estate.
In the performance department, the OnePlus 7T is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ chipset paired with 8GB of RAM. Compared to the standard Snapdragon 855 SoC, the former promises up to 15% better performance, thanks to the overclocked CPU and GPU. Paired with the fast 90Hz display, gaming should be very enjoyable on this phone.
That being said, I didn’t manage to play any graphically demanding mobile games on the OnePlus 7T, but I reckon it will be able to offer very, very good gaming performance. After all, it has the same Snapdragon 855+ chipset found in other high-end smartphones like the Asus ROG Phone II and Black Shark 2 Pro. For what it’s worth, the 7T feels very zippy and responsive in my brief time with the phone.
Build quality of the OnePlus 7T is, without a doubt, excellent. The glossy metal frame gives the phone a premium touch, and I love the glass back finished in matte; it feels fantastic to the touch. While it does make the phone more slippery, it can hide fingerprints quite well.
Speaking of which, the in-screen fingerprint sensor of the OnePlus 7T is just as quick as the one found underneath the OnePlus 7 Pro’s display. Even though it’s only an optical sensor – unlike, say, the Samsung Galaxy S10+ and Note 10+‘s fancy ultrasonic unit – it’s easily one of the fastest in-screen sensors in the market now.
In fact, I’d say the 7T’s fingerprint sensor rivals the speed and accuracy of conventional capacitive sensors; that’s a big praise.
If there’s anything to be concerned about when it comes to the OnePlus 7T’s hardware, it would be the 3,800mAh battery. While this isn’t an awfully small battery capacity, it’s not particularly generous either. Given that it has to power a 6.55-inch 1080p display with a high 90Hz refresh rate, it’ll be interesting to see if it can deliver reasonably good battery life.
And then there’s the camera performance of the OnePlus 7T. Unlike the OnePlus 7’s dual camera system, the 7T features a much more sophisticated triple camera configuration. It’s made up of a 48MP f/1.6 primary sensor, a 12MP f/2.2 telephoto lens, and a 16MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle shooter. With three different focal lengths to choose from, this is a very versatile setup.
However, my initial impression of the 7T’s camera performance isn’t great, especially with the 16MP ultra-wide angle shooter. Its detail preservation leaves much to be desired, and the camera interface feels sluggish in low light conditions. As for the 48MP main sensor and 12MP telephoto lens, they seem to be quite competent.
Of course, it wouldn’t be fair to give any verdict on the OnePlus 7T’s camera performance so quickly; I’ll need to spend more time photographing with the phone to really get a feel for the camera performance. Chances are, this triple camera system should perform similarly as the OnePlus 7 Pro.
The OnePlus 7T is a far more attractive phone than the OnePlus 7. It has a more sophisticated, versatile camera system, a fast 90Hz display, and equally fast performance too, courtesy of the Snapdragon 855+ chipset. If priced right, this phone could give the OnePlus 7 Pro a run for its money.
Unfortunately, we still don’t know exactly how much the OnePlus 7T would cost in Malaysia; the only information that’s confirmed is the fact that the flagship will be arriving here sometime next month in November. Only one variant of the 7T will be made available locally, which is the 128GB model with 8GB of RAM.
For the sake of comparison, the OnePlus 7T retails from $599 in the US; that comes up to about RM2,505. If the 7T is priced in the same neighbourhood on our shores, it will almost certainly be well-received.