OnePlus 10T drops the brand’s flagship component

OnePlus flagships have historically been equipped with a unique component in the Android smartphone market. They featured a slider that quickly controls the device’s sound settings, being able to move the phone from a ringtone audio profile, to a silent one with only vibration, or to a completely silent one that doesn’t ring at all. However, it seems that the new OnePlus 10T, the next flagship, due to launch on August 3, will not be equipped with this component.

OnePlus 10T won’t have slider for audio profiles

According to The Verge, which cites OnePlus chief designer Hope Liu, the company’s new flagship OnePlus 10T, which also appears in the first official images, will not integrate the slider for alerts. It will thus be the first phone in the main OnePlus series to ship without this component, with the 10 Pro from earlier this year still integrating this button.

The reason cited by Liu for this decision is the very limited space inside the phone. Because OnePlus wanted to offer faster charging, better battery life and better signal connectivity with better antennas, something had to go in this phone. Since OnePlus no longer offers a card slot or a headphone jack, the last component that could have been removed to make room for these improved capabilities was the slider.

It seems that the 30mm square that the sider system occupies inside has made room for the possibility of including two charging “pumps” that can power the phone faster. The only way to integrate all of these components would have been a “sandwich” motherboard, which we’ve seen recently on flagships from Apple or Samsung. However, Liu says that approach would have had the unintended effect of producing a thicker device.

Another compromise for the OnePlus 10T seems to be in the camera department. Images provided by OnePlus to The Verge do not include Hasselblad branding. It’s dropped those capabilities because the OnePlus 10T is a smartphone focused on high processing performance at a more affordable price. A Sony IMX766 sensor has been confirmed for this model on the main camera, as well as a 6.7″ screen and Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor. With specs like that, the OnePlus 10T could be a benchmark “champion”, even if it probably won’t excel in other areas.