Leaks have hinted at this, but now the company has confirmed it: the upcoming OnePlus 10T will be the first flagship OnePlus phone to arrive without an alert slider. It’s an intriguing shift in focus for the company.
The news comes straight from OnePlus, which has been frantically detailing information about its new phone ahead of its official launch on August 3rd. forum post (opens in new tab)OnePlus defended its decision to lose the feature, blaming the new features that come with the phone.
“Our users expect OnePlus devices to have high power charging, large battery capacity and better antenna signal. To excel in each of these three areas, the space inside the OnePlus 10T needs to be filled with new technologies.”
That line of reasoning makes sense – there’s only a certain amount of space on a phone, and unless a brand is willing to create a massive phone (which apparently OnePlus isn’t), sacrifices must be made.
Alert sliders were popularized by iPhones, but in the world of Android phones, OnePlus has been their true champion. They’re a physical slider that you can use to easily jump between silent, vibrate, or full volume ring modes, which saves you having to unlock your device and change those settings if you go to a meeting or want to take a call.
More recently, the OnePlus 10 Pro had the slider, although it should be noted that the feature is not used on the company’s mid-range and cheap OnePlus Nord devices.
Analysis: clearly an unpopular decision
This decision was not well received by OnePlus fans.
In comments on the forum thread, many fans expressed displeasure, with some accusing the brand of taking away the uniqueness of its devices, and one pointing out the irony of the brand’s slogan (Never Settle) by removing features like this.
Still, it is possible that these fans will change their tune when the cell phone is released.
Fast charging in particular is a popular feature among phone fans right now, and OnePlus debuted 150W fast charging on phones in early 2022. So it’s very possible the 10T will get it too.
We need to see what hardcore OnePlus fans say beyond August 3, when the company launches its next phone. Be sure to check it out then, as we’ll have our initial impressions on whether this can join our ranking of the best smartphone.