The OnePlus 10 Pro remains one of our favourite Android devices above the Rs 50K mark. The pre-launch buzz around the OnePlus 10T finally culminated with the global launch of OnePlus’ second flagship for the year on August 3. The big question? How is the 10T different from the Pro and what are the features this device misses out, given the more affordable price tag? After about a week with the OnePlus 10T, we might have the answer to the question. And it’s one that will please OnePlus die-hards.

Another brilliant spin on green

We called the Emerald Forest variant on the OnePlus 10 Pro our favourite shade of green on any smartphone. The new Jade Green on the 10T is now our favourite spin on green. It’s a gorgeous, almost smoky version of jade green that adds to the oomph of this device. The 10T is a tad heavier than the 10 Pro but feels good in your hand. We love how the rear cam module merges with the device; camera bumps are clearly passé. OnePlus’ design decision to leave out the iconic alert slider has not gone down well with OnePlus fan boys and girls. All I can say is that it’s a feature I’ve never used on a OnePlus device, so, it’s not a feature I missed in my experience.

Raw power

If the 10 Pro’s headline feature was its stellar cam, the 10T is built on speed. This is OnePlus in its comfort zone; the 10T blazed through our tests and in everyday performance. It clocked an impressive 3501 in our Geekbench benchmark test (multi-core). No surprises here given the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset under the hood. It’s the same processor that powers the 10 Pro and a bunch of flagship smartphones. We checked out the 12GB/256GB version. There’s also an 8GB/128GB option and a 16GB/256GB version that will debut soon. It’s not just the raw power of the phone, the 150W in-box charger can take your device from 1 to 100% in under 20 minutes. No kidding. Battery life (the device is kitted with a 4800 mAh battery) is solid. We managed a full day battery with camera usage and over three hours of screen time.

T or Pro?

Now to the part that most folks are really curious about. The first big difference between the Pro and the 10T is the camera. There’s no Hasselblad branding, no telephoto lens and the 150-degree ultra-wide lens with the cool fish-eye mode that was one of our favourite camera features on the 10 Pro. The 10T comes with a 50MP primary lens, an 8MP ultra-wide lens and a 2MP macro cam. Image quality was quite impressive in multiple lighting scenarios. The ultra-wide lens doesn’t quite measure up to the 10 Pro though. Also, the Pixel 6a looms large at a similar price point with its remarkable low-light performance. The 10T features a 6.7-inch Fluid AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. It’s ultra-smooth with brilliant colours. It’s still not in the same league as the LTPO display on the 10 Pro that peaks at 1350 nits. Aside from the cam and the display, you also miss out on some premium flagship features like wireless charging. If these are not deal breakers for you, then the OnePlus 10T might be the smarter choice. It looks good, will exceed your need for speed and has a dependable camera for most everyday scenarios. It’s one of the best smartphones you can buy under Rs 50,000.

The OnePlus 10T comes in Jade Green and Moonstone Black. It costs Rs 49,999 (8GB/128GB) & Rs 54,999 (12GB/256GB). There’s an instant cash back of Rs 5,000 on ICICI cards.