OnePlus 10T vs OnePlus 10 Pro: Camera trade-offs

Last year, OnePlus skipped the "T" model in its portfolio, prompting rumors and speculation about the future of this tick-tock cycle the company has been known for. Even though the reasons behind the cancelation of the OnePlus 9T weren't clear at the time, many people felt a gaping hole in their hearts and the fear that OnePlus will never be the same again. Today, we're happy to report that the company has reverted back to its "T" roots with the OnePlus 10T.

Comparing the OnePlus 10T to the flagship OnePlus 10 Pro version is not exactly fair but with the lack of a true predecessor, we're left with little to no wiggle room. Furthermore, these two devices share a lot of similarities, and there are certain areas in which such a comparison makes perfect sense. So, today we're comparing the OnePlus 10T with the now-several-months-old flagship OnePlus 10 Pro phone in several key areas - design, display, performance and software, camera, battery life and charging. Here we go.

Get OnePlus 10T at 37% off on Amazon

Amazon directly sells you the OnePlus 10T 8/128GB configuration at an incredible price. Right now, the model in Moonstone Black is 37% cheaper.

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Design wise - not much has changed since the debut of the OnePlus 10 Pro. The T-model employs the same square-shaped camera bump, it's the same size as the Pro, and even the weight is very close - the OnePlus 10T is only 3 grams heavier than the Pro (200.5 vs 203.5). OnePlus 10T comes in two different color variants - Moonstone Black and Jade Green. The former sports a sand-like texture due to the special treatment OnePlus has applied to the back (similar to the Sandstone back on the original OnePlus One). The Jade Green variant also has a special coating that mimics ceramic.

The OnePlus 10 Pro also comes in two color variants and they're actually the same colors, just different hues. The Volcanic Black and Emerald Green are both matte finishes and a little darker than the ones you see on the OnePlus 10T. Both phones feature Gorilla Glass above the display - it's Victus on the Pro model, and Gorilla Glass 5 on the OnePlus 10T. Last but not least, the physical Alert Slider is gone on the 10T.

Both the OnePlus 10 Pro and its more affordable cousin - the 10T feature 6.7-inch OLED displays, both support up to 120Hz, 10bit color reproduction, and in-display fingerprint scanners. The only big difference lies in the actual resolution. While the OnePlus 10 Pro comes with a QHD panel (3216 x 1440 pixels), the OnePlus 10T brings the pixel count down to 2412 x 1080.

In real life though, there's no big difference in picture quality between the two - both are gorgeous looking and pretty bright, as you can see from our display tests. For what it's worth - the lower pixel count is actually better for battery life, but all in all - both phones are quite similar in this area.

Another (not that big) difference between the OnePlus 10 Pro and the OnePlus 10T lies in the silicon used. There's actually an advantage to be found here for the 10T, as it comes with the latest, slightly overclocked version of the top Qualcomm SoC - the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. The OnePlus 10 Pro features the previous "plus-less" version of the same SoC, and it's not a slouch either.

Both phones come with 8GB/128GB base memory configurations and this can go up to 16GB on both models, but the Pro has a slight advantage when it comes to built-in memory - there's a 512GB version, while the 10T tops at 256GB.

The software onboard of both phones is almost identical - it's the Oxygen OS 12.1, lightweight and clean version of Android 12. On the updates side of things, both phones will get three major updates, bringing the software to the Android 15 and its Oxygen variant respectively.

One of the biggest differences between the OnePlus 10 Pro and its T-cousin lies in the camera department. The Pro model comes with a very respectable triple camera system, consisting of a 48MP (Sony IMX789 sensor) main camera, a 50MP (Samsung JN1 sensor) ultrawide, and a dedicated 8MP telephoto camera with 3.3x optical zoom. Unfortunately, the camera system on the OnePlus 10T feels like a big downgrade.

While the main camera remains pretty ample with its 50MP Sony IMX766 (we're familiar with this sensor from the Asus ZenFone 9 and the ROG Phone 6 Pro), there's no trace of the high-res ultrawide camera, and we have to deal with an 8MP 119-degrees version. Things get even more disappointing with the third camera of the bunch - on the 10T it's a 2MP macro camera, which won't get much usage over the much more practical telephoto on the Pro.

You can check out the galleries below to see the practical results of the above camera specs differences:

The OnePlus 10T manages to hold its ground when it comes to the main camera but it falls short with its low-resolution ultrawide, and the strange 2MP macro snapper. It's as clear as day what OnePlus has done here - the company deliberately trimmed down the camera capabilities of the OnePlus 10T in order not to step on the toes of the Pro. Video is the same story - while the OnePlus 10 Pro can shoot in 8K, the 10T model maxes out at 4K. You can check out some video samples below and judge for yourselves.

 

And for comparison purposes here we have one pretty cool video our colleague Victor did not long ago, comparing the video capabilities of the OnePlus 10 Pro with the iPhone 13 Pro Max and the Pixel 6 Pro.

There's nothing wrong with the main camera of the OnePlus 10T. That being said, it's not the flagship experience some of you probably hoped for, and frankly, it's not on par with other areas of the phone (pure hardware performance, fast charging, display).

The OnePlus 10T features a slightly smaller battery than the Pro - 4,800mAh vs 5,000mAh respectively. On the other hand, the display of the 10T has lower pixel count at FullHD vs QHD on the Pro. In reality, both phones will last you through one whole day of moderate to heavy use, and of course you can stretch that if you're a bit careful.

In our rigorous battery test procedure both phones performed quite well, and pretty close to each other, with one exception - the web browsing test. The OnePlus 10T managed to pull ahead with quite some margin, probably due to its lower pixel count - less pixels to light up and drive equals longer browsing times. 

Let's talk about charging, saving the planet, and getting rid of some cables, shall we? One of the key selling points of the OnePlus 10T is its super-fast... fast charging (tautology here but hey, it's really fast!). The phone supports up to 150W of juice going to its 4,800 battery, which results in astounding 0 to 100% charging times.

What's even more impressive is that both phones come with huge fast chargers included in the box. We're not sure if the planet will be withering away faster because of this fact (highly doubtful) but a charging brick in the retail box is always nice. Below you will find the detailed charging profiles for both the OnePlus 10T and the OnePlus 10 Pro.

in 5 minutes — 31%
in 10 minutes — 52%
in 15 minutes — 68%
in 20 minutes — 89%
23 minutes for a full, 0-100% charge

in 5 minutes — 26%
in 10 minutes — 45%
in 15 minutes — 62%
in 20 minutes — 76%
in 25 minutes — 88%
in 34 minutes — 100%

You can find a quick specs comparison in the table below. There's also a detailed OnePlus 10T vs OnePlus 10 Pro specs comparison you can check out.

 

 

Well, looking at the specs above, two things seem to really stick out. First, the camera system (as we've already mentioned a couple of times) should be the main consideration when choosing between these two phones. Second, the price - you can save $250 and still get flagship experience in more or less the same package, barring the aforementioned camera system.

At the end of the day, choosing between the OnePlus 10T and OnePlus 10 Pro turns out to be pretty difficult, actually. On one hand, you have the superior camera system on the Pro model, plus the wireless charging support. But on the other hand, with the insane wired fast charging of the 10T, you won't need wireless charging. Furthermore, the OnePlus 10T sports a faster chipset, and last but not least, it's substantially cheaper at $649.

Get OnePlus 10T at 37% off on Amazon

Amazon directly sells you the OnePlus 10T 8/128GB configuration at an incredible price. Right now, the model in Moonstone Black is 37% cheaper.

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It all boils down to one simple question: would you pay $250 extra for a better ultrawide camera, and a telephoto lens? All other differences are either minor, or balancing each other out. One thing is certain, though. No matter which model you choose, you'll be pretty happy with it.