The OnePlus 10 Pro has finally been released worldwide, months after its first appearance in China (which was only for sales in that country).
We regret to inform you that the event has concluded; it began at 7 a.m. PT / 10 a.m. ET / 3 p.m. BST on March 31 and ended at 7 a.m. PT / 10 a.m. ET / 3 p.m. BST on March 31 (1am AEDT on Friday 1).
Because OnePlus announced ahead of time that there would be no standard OnePlus 10 at this event or in the future, we only saw the Pro premiere. Also shown was a new colour for the OnePlus Buds Pro. You've arrived at our OnePlus 10 Pro launch live blog, which we started before the event and continued throughout the live stream.
We also kept it going for some post-launch analysis, when we looked at the phone in further detail and talked a lot about the camera samples - you can watch the entire OnePlus 10 Pro launch event live here. Finally, read our in-depth OnePlus 10 Pro review for a complete overview of the new top smartphone.
Table Of Contents
Welcome to our live blog for the OnePlus 10 Pro!
We can have a wonderful slow cadence for our posts for a while because the event is hours away - it's later in the day than most Chinese phone firms have their launch events - so we can have a nice slow cadence for our posts for a while.
While today's presentation is mostly focused on the OnePlus 10 Pro, we believe they will also discuss the OnePlus One.
Our main reason for stating so is because the company has comparable advertisements on its website.
It's possible that this is merely a celebration of ten generations of OnePlus phones, as ten is a lovely round number, but it's not quite that simple. The OnePlus One is barely eight years old, and there was no OnePlus Four.
However, as previously stated, 10 is a lovely round number. So we'll have to wait and see what happens.
Our OnePlus One reviewer scored the phone four out of five stars and described it as "excellent value for money."
"Non-removable battery" is one of the drawbacks listed in the review, which, several years later, is something you wouldn't expect. Non-removable batteries have become the norm, not because they have disappeared.
Let's go into why the OnePlus 10 isn't coming, as we indicated in the start to this live blog.
We attended a OnePlus briefing at MWC 2022, an annual tech event that took place in late February, when the company confirmed this information. It stated that there would be only one phone in the OnePlus 10 series.
That also means there won't be a OnePlus 10T, although that could just be a case of "us reading too much into the lines."
The OnePlus 10 appears to have been dropped so that the firm could focus more on its Nord series of mid-range phones, thus we may see a phone that is a OnePlus 10 in spirit but not in name.
We have heard whispers of a new member of the OnePlus 10 family arriving later this year, however we aren't expecting it today.
This is the OnePlus 10 Ultra, which has been rumoured by a few sources; details are scarce, but it's expected to arrive in 2022, potentially with a rear display.
As previously stated, this is probably certainly not going to happen today.
For a time now, you've been able to pre-order the OnePlus 10 Pro.
You might be tempted to pre-order the phone now that we know all of its specifications, but we recommend waiting a little longer because we don't yet know how much it will cost.
Isn't it true that we should look at the OnePlus 10 Pro itself at some point? We already know about it because it was launched in China.
A punch-hole cut-out for the front camera breaks up the OnePlus's 6.7-inch 2K 120Hz display. The phone's design may be seen above.
There's a 48MP main camera, a 50MP ultrawide camera, and an 8MP telephoto camera on the back, as well as a 32MP selfie camera on the front. If you like the arithmetic, that's a total of 138 MP.
The phone includes a 5,000mAh battery and a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, and it charges at 80W wired and 50W wireless.
Oh, there's one more item to mention.
We stated that the OnePlus 10 Pro supports 80W charging, which it does unless you live in the United States. The phone's version there only has 65W of power. This has already been confirmed by the company.
While you wait for the OnePlus event, you might want to check out some of the news stories we've written this morning if you're a huge tech fan.
We've looked at how to acquire iOS updates early, but there's a good reason why you shouldn't. We looked into reports that iPhones could feature under-display fingerprint sensors, but that won't happen for a few years. We looked at a Huawei patent for a smartwatch with detachable earbuds.
At the launch event, we'll most likely hear about OxygenOS 12, OnePlus' next version of its Android 12 derivative.
This is important to all OnePlus fans because the upgrade may also come to some of the company's earlier phones, implying that any new updates may be rolled out to more devices over time.
The teaser we posted above displays a lot of icons, including a gaming controller, a music note, a paintbrush, and more - we don't think this indicates all of these functionalities will change, but rather that the app symbols will change.
The weirdest Android apps you've never heard of are among the best unknown android apps of 2020. In the modern world, app developers aim very high and go above and beyond their capabilities to make Smartphone users' digital lives as comfortable as possible.
We're a little disappointed that the OnePlus 10 Pro is the only phone coming out today, as the firm doesn't really offer 'Lite' phones.
This isn't going to be a cheap phone, but it's always wonderful to have a reasonable option for those who can't afford the top-of-the-line model. For example, the OnePlus 9 was similar to the OnePlus 9 Pro.
However, OnePlus made it clear that the Pro is the sole handset in the range, so don't expect a cheaper option.
OnePlus's finest phones
The days of OnePlus only having one or two handsets on sale at any given moment are long gone. In recent years, the Chinese company has been actively diversifying its smartphone portfolio, which means you now have a wide range of options to choose from.
And we're here to help you choose, as we've compiled a list of the finest OnePlus phones available right now.
What position will the OnePlus 10 Pro take in our ranking? Before it can even be considered, you'll have to wait for our comprehensive review, so keep an eye on this space.
A few phone aficionados have asked if OnePlus will release a new Nord phone today, or if it will expand its mid-range and entry-level line, which it introduced in 2020.
This isn't likely, to be honest. OnePlus has always separated its flagship numbered series from its Nord line. They haven't announced any launch or release dates, and their designs and feature sets are very different.
So, unfortunately, we don't believe the OnePlus Nord 3 or Nord 2T will be available today.
So, what about supplementary gadgets, such as a follow-up to the OnePlus Watch (shown)? We wouldn't rule it out altogether, but it's not a plausible scenario.
We say this because OnePlus has a cadence in which it teases various parts of a launch as the date approaches. So, if it were to announce something new other than the OnePlus 10 Pro, we'd most certainly already know about it.
Since OnePlus unveiled the 10 Pro so early in China, the company's cadence has been a little different this time, and the 'teases' have received less attention. Even so, we would have known if a new watch or headphones were on the way.
We're less than an hour away from the start of OnePlus' big event.
With less than 15 minutes to go, get a cup of tea and a biscuit or two... or whatever you choose to munch on.
The livestream for the OnePlus launch event has started, however it's only showing us a preview of the event.
At the bottom, there's a timer counting down from 10 minutes to 00:00, which happens every five minutes for the past hour.
It's all started now!
OnePlus is known for using a mock format for its product launches, and this time is no exception. The company is putting on a spoof of Shark Tank and Dragon's Den.
It's embarrassing, but at the very least it's a new manner of communicating information than every other tech launch.
The commenters on the YouTube live stream are... not pleased with the format of this TV show pitch. The word "cringe" appears in half of the remarks. The OnePlus 10 Pro's camera functions have been reviewed by the business.
Night Video, Fisheye pictures, and 4K 120fps video are among the modes that have been described in depth.
Subtitles effectively convey what the presenter is saying in the video...
The auto-captions, on the other hand, are completely incorrect. At times, it's borderline gibberish. They're now discussing gaming on phones with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor. The streamer who is winning the game has a similar appearance to Tom Holland.
The teeth-clenching 'banter' between the Sharks and Dragons is maybe the worst feature of this format; it's as if whoever organised this production saw one too many Joss Whedon flicks (which is any) and decided it'd be fun to imitate it.
It's humiliating, and it's a waste of time.
Pete Lau, on the other hand, has just joined the stream in a pre-recorded part (obviously this whole thing was pre-recorded).
Here's how the phone performs while gaming - OnePlus claims the phone has a good cooling system, which is significant given how hot the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 gets.
Here's some real news: the OnePlus Buds Pro will be available in a new colour, Radiant Silver. It appears to be gleaming. This was discussed in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it passage for about 5 seconds.
They've moved on to the display, which is a 6.7-inch 2K AMOLED panel with 120Hz refresh rate. I just saved you from having to view the video.
It turns out that OnePlus spells 'Super VOOC' (their charging technology) as 'voke.' It's not 'vook,' as we've been referring to it. Oh.
The company has demonstrated that the phone's battery has charged from 1% to 60% throughout the live; however, since this stream appears to be pre-recorded, this doesn't actually imply much.
Oh, and here's something else: they're responding to criticism that OnePlus has become too similar to Oppo.
Despite its recent merger with Oppo, the firm claims to have maintained its individual character... but we're not convinced.
The OnePlus 10 Pro looks and feels eerily similar to the Oppo Find X5 Pro, and the OxygenOS software is very identical to Oppo's ColorOS.
It's still going on, wow. And it's all a sham because of the Shark Tank storyline.
They simply flashed the rates across the screen, and we were unable to discern international costs due to the speed with which they were displayed. The price in the United States will be $899 for 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage - that's all we saw.
Oh, and with all of the Sharks investing, the entire Shark Tank background was rectified. What a delightful and heartwarming story.
The phone appears to be available for pre-order right now. It will be available for purchase on April 5th.
The full price for 8GB RAM and 128GB storage is $899 / £799, and $899 for 12GB RAM and 256GB storage is $899 / £799 - sorry, US shoppers, but you're apparently missing out on the larger option.
The 8GB RAM variant is black, while the 12GB RAM version is green; you don't get to choose the colour based on storage capacity.
Our OnePlus 10 Pro review is now available online!
We gave it four out of five stars. It's a huge, powerful phone with an enticing price tag, but the cameras are, for want of a better description, 'goofy.'
There were a few minor flaws that rendered the photography experience inferior than those of similar-tier competitors. Apart than that, it's excellent; we wanted to give it four and a half stars, but the camera experience was simply inadequate.
Let's look at a few examples of cameras to demonstrate the idea.
The grass by the feet appears too fuzzy given how close it is, so this was taken in Portrait Mode. It's uncannily fake, and it makes the photo look worse than if it were taken with a real camera.
This selfie camera's Portrait Mode speaks for itself - it's just too grainy. It's far too hazy. You wouldn't know that are boats in the backdrop or that the wall behind them is covered in graffiti just by looking at it.
You can adjust the blur, however this was shot using the default setting.
This is perhaps our favourite photo taken with the OnePlus 10 Pro; it was taken during the Golden Hour (just before sunset), and the framing and colours are both pleasing and dramatic.
Even so, it would take a poor phone to shoot a bad image at that setting.
The previous photograph was taken with the main camera. We found that ultra-wide shots looked okay, but they showed signs of oversharpening, which did mar the pictures in certain scenarios.
The lens is 150 degrees, and that's so you can take 'fisheye' shots. It means that, for 'standard' ultrawide shots in the camera app, you're getting a cropped version of the image that the 50MP camera sensor is seeing.
Here's one final picture we'll share - you have to hit up our OnePlus 10 Pro review for more. It's a dog - that's all really.
Something very interesting has happened. If you follow tech news, you'll know that the brand Nothing was started by one of OnePlus' co-founders, and it's gearing up to release its first smartphone, the Nothing Phone (1), very soon.
Well, Nothing has teased that it's going to reveal some information tomorrow. Sure, it could just be an April Fools' day joke, and that'd be incredibly annoying (this writer finds tech-related April Fools announcements unanimously irritating). But the fact that Nothing has announced it today, which is March Serious People's day, could lend it some legitimacy.
Now let's talk about the most interesting part of the OnePlus 10 Pro: its price.
For 8GB RAM and 128GB storage, you have to pay just $899 or £799. At that price, the phone is a closer rival to the Samsung Galaxy S22 or iPhone 13, than the Galaxy S22 Plus and iPhone 13 Pro.
OnePlus has made a phone that's named and spec'd like a Pro or Plus device, but with a lower price, and that could win over loads of prospective fans.
March has been a manic month for mobiles, and the OnePlus 10 Pro is the last of the bunch. So it's likely it won't see a competitor any time soon - not until the iPhone 14 Pro at least, unless something surprising comes along.
Well, we're going to wrap up this OnePlus 10 Pro launch event live blog - as you can see from the time of the first post, we've been doing this quite a while, so it's time to take a nice little break.
Thanks for following along for the whole day if you have been, or for checking out this live blog if you've only spent some of the day with us. To reiterate, you can check out our OnePlus 10 Pro review here, full of camera samples, benchmark tests and images of the phone.
Interested in news and updates? Bookmark our website to stay updated all day everyday.
