OnePlus' next flagship smartphone is the OnePlus 8T, set to launch this October, with its debut coinciding with the iPhone 12 event as well as Amazon Prime Day.
The company's phone releases usually include a Pro version of the handset, as a more premium offering for customers who want to shell out for extra features. We saw this with the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro – and the latter when on to nab T3's awards for Best Phone and Gadget of the Year 2020.
Meanwhile the OnePlus Nord is on the other end of the scale; it's a budget handset focusing on just a few key areas identified as being the most valued to users, and it sold like hot cakes. It didn't get a US launch so a large portion of fans missed out.
However, OnePlus has just revealed its plans for both the OnePlus 8T Pro and the OnePlus Nord's US launch, and there's good news as well as bad news.
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People have been asking, so here’s the answer: we won’t have an 8T Pro—because the 8 Pro is still one of the best in its class (120Hz QHD+AMOLED, Qualcomm 865, Warp Charge 30 Wireless). The OnePlus 8T is something else, and maybe more than you think. Stay tuned for more, Oct. 14.September 30, 2020
First up is the bad news. OnePlus CEO and co-founder Pete Lau took to Chinese social media site Weibo (via Android Authority) to confirm that there won't be a Pro version of the OnePlus 8T.
He followed up with a tweet explaining the company's decision, which boils down to the fact that the OnePlus 8 Pro is "one of the best in its class", adding that the OnePlus 8T is "something else, and maybe more than you think."
Essentially, as he said in his Weibo post, the OnePlus 8 Pro (dubbed "the annual machine king") is for customers who are seeking Pro-level products, and there is "no room for upgrade". He adds that the OnePlus 8T is a "surprise" that's going to be "worth the wait."
So it's not all bad news, but if you were holding out for an super premium OnePlus 8T Pro, you're better off picking up the OnePlus 8 Pro.
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Meanwhile, US fans are in for a treat! Over on the OnePlus Instagram account is a post from this week depicting the OnePlus logo with the hashtag #ComingSoon.
There's a couple of possibilities here, and they may both be happening. The first is a new Nord colorway which Twitter leaker Roland Quandt predicted back in August, saying it would launch at the beginning of October. According to Quandt, Grey Ash will be joining the existing Gray Onyx, and Blue Marble.
The second is that the OnePlus Nord is finally coming to America. We heard a rumor earlier this month that the smartphone would be coming to the US with a huge price cut.
The price drop is accompanied by a slight downgrade in specs to hit the lower price point, as you'd expect, and the cheaper version reportedly has the moniker OnePlus Nord N10 5G.
So once you get over your initial disappointment at the lack of a OnePlus 8T Pro variant, it's actually all pretty good news for OnePlus fans!
Source: Android Authority
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