OnePlus 3T: Release date, rumours and everything you need to know

The OnePlus 3 is a fantastic smartphone and although the company ditched the “flagship killer” branding, it is probably this generation that would have been most-worthy of the tagline.

Unfortunately for all those who thought the same us and now own the OnePlus 3, your device might be about to go out of date. No the OnePlus 4 isn’t coming just yet, but there has been talk of a faster OnePlus 3 going by the name OnePlus 3T.

Here is everything we know so far.

OnePlus 3T: Release date

A OnePlus device with the model number A3010 recently passed through China’s version of the FCC – the China Compulsory Certification. A OnePlus designer is then claimed to have confirmed a new device from his Weibo account, referring to the device as the OnePlus 3T.

Neither confirms a release date or price, but the approval from the Chinese Compulsory Certification suggests the device will appear sooner rather than later. There has been talk of a December release, which would make the OnePlus 3T available just in time for Christmas.

OnePlus 3T: Design

The OnePlus 3 features an all-metal, beautiful design and the OnePlus 3T is rumoured to feature the same. Chances are, it will be no different to its slightly older brother.

If this is the case, the OnePlus 3T will be made from anodised aluminium, measure 152.7 x 74.7 x 7.35mm and weigh 158g. The OnePlus 3 is available in Graphite and Soft Gold colour options so we’d expect the same for the OnePlus 3T.

A physical button with a fingerprint sensor built-in will be found on the front of the OnePlus 3T if follows the same design path, while the rear will see a small centralised OnePlus logo, with a larger camera sensor above it towards the top.

OnePlus 3T: Display

Like the design, the display of the OnePlus 3T is expected to remain the same as the OnePlus 3. This means a 5.5-inch Full HD panel for a pixel resolution of 401ppi, putting it slightly lower than the recently launched Google Pixel and Pixel XL.

Google opted for Quad HD on its larger device, which is the same size as the OnePlus 3 and expected OnePlus 3T, but we can’t see OnePlus moving to a higher resolution screen on what is seemingly an incremental upgrade device rather than a new “flagship killer”.

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OnePlus 3T: Hardware

According to the rumours, the OnePlus 3T will feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, which is a slightly enhanced version of the Snapdragon 820 found in the OnePlus 3. This is the only area where the new device is rumoured to differ.

Launching a OnePlus 3 upgrade with the new processor not only puts it in line with the latest Google flagships terms of speed, but it will also make the OnePlus 3T more VR-friendly given the SD821 has been specifically associated with virtual reality.

All the other hardware is expected to remain the same as the OnePlus 3, meaning 6GB of RAM, 64GB of storage and a 3000mAh battery. Dash Charge will of course be supported again no doubt and USB Type-C will also be present.

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OnePlus 3T: Camera

As you might have guessed by now, the camera combination on the OnePlus 3T is rumoured to be the same as the OnePlus 3.

That means you can expect a 16-megapixel Sony sensor on the rear featuring 1.12µm pixels, an aperture of f/2.0 and 4K video recording capability. It will also likely come with optical image stabilisation, something the Google Pixel devices don’t offer, and phase detetion autofocus.

On the front, the OnePlus 3T should come with an 8-megapixel snapper, offering fixed focus, an aperture of f/2.0 and 1080p video recording capability.

• OnePlus 3 review: The flagship killer we’ve been waiting for

OnePlus 3T: Software

The OnePlus 3T should arrive on Android Nougat with the Oxygen OS overlay. Whether the new device will feature the 7.1 software build is not yet known, but this would make the most sense.

OnePlus weren’t the quickest to update its devices to Marshmallow after the final build was announced in October 2015, with users having to wait over six months, so it would be great to see the OnePlus 3T arrive on the latest software straight from the box.

OnePlus 3T: Conclusion

Based on the rumours, the OnePlus 3T will be the OnePlus 3 but with the latest Snapdragon 821 processor and it will arrive before the end of 2016.

Whether OnePlus will announce a couple of extra surprises for the OnePlus 3T remains to be seen and we are still waiting on a concrete release date, but if you’re considering buying a OnePlus 3, you might want to hold off for a few weeks.

Rumours should of course all be taken with a pinch of salt, but is it worth the risk of seeing your brand-new device potentially replaced with a faster model almost immediately?