It’s the time of year when, normally, we’d be seeing all kinds of leaks about the second OnePlus flagship of the year. But with reports that the OnePlus 9T is cancelled, it seems that the company is now focusing on the OnePlus 10, which is expected in March to June of next year.
In fact, reading between the lines of what leaker Yogesh Brar tweeted, it sounds like the OnePlus 10 could be what we would typically see as the T model. “OnePlus is working on series 10 phones which are being pitched as polished series 9 models,” he wrote.
So OnePlus is working on series 10 phones which are being pitched as polished series 9 models. Apart from this a bunch of Nord series models are on the roster as well. They are expected to announce some new accessories at the next launch.September 2, 2021
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That’s not such a bad thing. The OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro were, after all, excellent phones at a competitive price. But a polished version of the handset is typically what we see at the end of the year, not the new model for spring or summer.
Other than that, Brar claims, the company is working on “a bunch of Nord series models” and “some new accessories” to be revealed “at the next launch.” Notably there is no mention of a OnePlus 9T here, and the sheer volume of products cited may go some way to explaining this.
The ‘T’ model made sense when the company only released two handsets per year, but OnePlus has perhaps felt the effects of spreading itself thin. Not just with vanilla and Pro versions of its flagships, but with multiple OnePlus Nord variants, too. Given that the cheaper Nord handsets are reportedly selling impressively in the U.S., it’s unsurprising that the company would prioritize the budget end of the market, rather than put out another Q4 flagship that will struggle for oxygen with all the iPhone 13 hype.
And there’s the accessories, too. This year, we saw the launch of the OnePlus Watch and the OnePlus Buds Pro, which sit alongside the company’s OnePlus TV. With Brar talking about yet more accessories to follow, it’s not surprising the company may want to give its flagships some breathing space – especially with a global chip shortage to contend with.
Of course, OnePlus itself has hinted that there may be a 9T with a recent teasing tweet:
The #OnePlus9 in tea. Don't read too much into it. pic.twitter.com/hopsJTV8quAugust 11, 2021
Well maybe... but equally maybe not. Android Central reports that the company is planning a OnePlus 9 RT device, which will build on the OnePlus 9R – a handset that didn’t go far beyond India and China.
It’s possible that the company was referring to that with its ‘OnePlus 9 in tea’ tweet – or maybe it’s just a company that knows how to chase the social media engagement numbers, and isn’t afraid of a little trolling to get results. It’s not like the company hasn’t used such trickery before with the world's worst foldable phone tease that turned out to be just a 50% off deal.
