Back in the summer of 2019, OnePlus unveiled the OnePlus 7 Pro and it was clear that OnePlus is ready to make world-class phones while still managing to keep the prices within the reach of most premium phone buyers. Then came the OnePlus 7T and OnePlus 7T Pro -- the more polished versions of the OnePlus 7 series bringing more refinements. I reviewed both the T series OnePlus devices and ever since its launch, the OnePlus 7T has been in my pocket for the majority of the time.
My friends often ask me when they see me using the OnePlus 7T as to why, as a tech reviewer who is supposed to be using the latest and greatest in the world, I use the humble OnePlus 7T and not super expensive iPhone 11 Pro or a Samsung Galaxy Note. And I answer: the OnePlus 7T offers all that I need from a phone. Nothing less, nothing more.
2019 has been a crazy year for phones, with big folding screens and DSLR-rivalling multi-lens cameras donning some of the most expensive phones. From OnePlus itself came the OnePlus 7 Pro (and later the 7T Pro) with faster 90Hz display having no notch and minimal bezels, great cameras and a premium design. Using these fancy phones feels great but living with them on a daily basis isn't easy.
That's where the OnePlus 7T comes in, offering everything that you want from a premium phone while sticking to the core aspects of a good smartphone -- performance, practicality, design and value. The OnePlus 7T offers 80 per cent of what you get from the OnePlus 7T Pro but in a package that makes more sense every time you take it out of your pocket or purse.
The OnePlus 7T defines fast for a premium phone's performance. It offers the latest Snapdragon 855 Plus chipset and that's capable to run any app or game you can throw at it now. It will also manage to do that two years from now, given that the chip has been designed for gaming phones. On top of that, OnePlus squeezes every ounce of performance with clever optimisations of its Oxygen OS, which is not only fast but sets a benchmark for UI refinements and practicality in the Android universe. In fact, Oxygen OS is on par with iPhone's iOS 13 -- that's the highest compliment I can think of.
Cameras matter a lot to premium phone buyers and the OnePlus 7T has got it covered there as well. You get a 48-megapixel main camera with a Sony IMX586 sensor that's clubbed with a 12-megapixel 2X telephoto camera and an 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera. I can go on about the photo quality and video stabilisation but to give you a real-world example, consider this- Most of the product shots you see on all the smartphone or laptop reviews on India Today Tech have been taken mostly on a OnePlus 7T. Whatever may be the lighting condition, the OnePlus 7T camera will give you photos that you might don't need to edit.
The phone also gets 30W Warp Charge 30T that's silly fast in filling up the battery to 100 per cent when the indicator goes red. The Alert Slider is something that makes it easy for working folk. The in-display fingerprint sensor works every time and it's secure. The haptic feedback is almost on par with Apple's Taptic system- the superior vibrations make the phone react to your inputs in a way that you never assumed as Android phone would ever do.
What else? The 90Hz display with the smooth animations spoils the eyes while consuming media. OnePlus is also great with software updates and when the next Android version comes out, it will be on the OnePlus 7T within a month or two.
The best part is that despite featuring fancy frosted glass and metal, the phone is slim and light. Hence, you can keep using your phone without getting irritated about the weight or impractical curved screens.
It certainly isn't. While I love using the phone, I don't like looking at it, especially the rear. The beautiful glass finish can't compensate for the big ugly circular camera hump- it makes the phone look weird. In addition, I would have liked OnePlus to do more colours on the 7T, like black, white, red, gold, green and more- the current gradient colours (only two) don't offer enough options. OnePlus could also have gone for a punch-hole cutout for the front camera instead of the dated-looking notch. And yes, a 3.5mm headphone jack will still be welcome.
Now, these are niggles that you can live with (hence OnePlus is selling the 7T like hotcakes) and we might see the OnePlus 8 fulfilling it in 2020. I still want the headphone jack back and if that's not possible, pair the phone with wireless earbuds.
There are many exciting phones you can buy this year but the OnePlus 7T offers the best combo of the best phones we have seen this year. Surely, the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro have the best cameras while the Samsung Note 10 Plus offers the best display but you end up spending a fortune on those, even for the base variants. With the OnePlus 7T, you get similar premium build and world-class user experience but at a starting price of Rs 34,999, which is less than half of what you will pay for the newest iPhone. I can't recall any other premium phone that offers this much value and yet appeals to everyone equally.
Hence, the OnePlus 7T is our best pick for a premium smartphone in 2019. It's the best of everything you need from a premium smartphone- nothing less, nothing more.
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