Normally a headline like this one (‘The best OnePlus device you can buy’) wouldn’t raise eyebrows. After all every smartphone brand always positions its latest flagship as its most formidable. But not this year. The 7 Pro – OnePlus’ most expensive smartphone ever, still looms large in the background. The 7T offers a 15% price advantage over the 7 Pro but doesn’t skimp on the stuff that matters. If you’re looking for an answer to the 7T vs 7 Pro debate and one of the most searched topics on Google during these past few days, you’ve already got our take. But it’s not as easy straightforward as our headline might suggest.
16 gm. That might not seem like a big deal but that difference in heft between the 7T and 7Pro makes a significant impact on your user experience. If you felt the 7Pro was too heavy in your hand, the 7T makes up. The 7Pro is easily one of our favourite displays of 2019, it packs 516 pixels per inch (PPI), the 90Hz refresh rate makes binge watching an absolute treat. The 6.55-inch (1080 x 2400 pixels) display on the 7T retains the same refresh rate but lowers the pixel density to 402 PPI. It’s a display tweak that wouldn’t bother most users. But if you’re very particular about the display resolution, you might still lean towards the 7Pro with its curved display and extra weight.
The 16MP selfie cam matched the results of the 7 Pro but there’s one big change. This one is embedded in a really tiny notch, that’s easy to ignore unlike the pop-up selfie cam on the 7 Pro that keeps the display absolutely clutter-free. We didn’t see a marked difference in the triple rear cam that’s driven by its primary 48MP lens. There’s one cool addition though – macro mode. The 7T allows you to shoot terrific macro shots. We’re seeing quite a few premium devices adding this feature to their shooters. Soon your Instagram timeline is likely to be flooded with flowers, leaves and insects all shot on macro. OnePlus’ Night Sight does a decent job in lowlight but it still isn’t the camera to beat in dim lighting scenarios.
Almost every time we review a OnePlus device, there’s one area where there are no surprises – Speed. It’s a given for any OnePlus device and each new upgrade gets even zippier. The 7T goes one up on the 7Pro with the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ processor that’s slightly faster than the Snapdragon 855. This marginal difference is reflected in our AnTuTu benchmark test where the 7T notched a score of 392947 vis-à-vis the 376625 score that the 7 Pro clocked in our test. While we tested the 8GB/256GB variant, there’s also an 8GB/128GB hardware option.
The other enhancement is the improved Warp Charging 30T solution. OnePlus claims that it powers up your device 23% faster than the 7Pro. It’s quite incredible – we managed to juice up our device in under an hour. The 7T is powered by a 3800 mAh battery (the 7 Pro featured a 4000 mAh battery). It’s almost the same all-day battery life that we experienced on the 7Pro and will certainly please most average users. Battery life hasn’t been a deal-breaker for OnePlus devices over the last couple of years but our recurring cribs continue with the OnePlus 7T. There’s no wireless charging and you can’t still dunk your OnePlus device into the pool. But that apart, OnePlus 7T delivers a stellar Android experience (it comes with Android 10 out of the box). It’s insanely fast and we dig the new matte frosted glass finish that plays out particularly well in the Glacier Blue colour option.
The OnePlus 7 Pro comes in two hardware variants – Rs 37,999 (8GB/128GB) and Rs 39,999 (8GB/256GB). It’s available in Frosted Silver and Glacier Blue colour options
