OnePlus 7T and 7T Pro: Will there still be "T" models?

Since OnePlus unveiled the OnePlus 3T in November 2016, the company is sticking to a reliable release schedule: a brand new smartphone launched in the spring, and a "T" update model launched in the fall. We would expect this year to be no different and we will see a OnePlus 7T and a OnePlus 7T Pro before the end of 2019.

However, things have changed for OnePlus. In fact, the very existence of OnePlus 7 Pro is different for the company because it is the first time we see a smartphone model "Pro" on the list of the brand. In addition, we also launched a third minor phone this year: the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G, available only in some countries.

We also know that OnePlus will launch its first TV in September, called OnePlus TV. This is a brand new product category for the company and may pose a high risk, given the severity of the television market.

All this brings us to the big question: should we even expect a OnePlus 7T and 7T Pro?

OnePlus 2019 Strategy: What we know for sure

From 2016 to the beginning of 2019, there was no surprise product from OnePlus. In addition to launching its Bullets headset series, the company has only two smartphone launches each year on wheels – and that's it.

Last year, with the launch of OnePlus 6T, things got a little different. The biggest news about the release of 6T was the company's new partnership with T-Mobile, which allowed OnePlus smartphones to be marketed for the first time in the stores of US telecom companies. This meant a huge expansion for the company as the partnership would introduce the brand to millions of potential new customers.

Even before the launch of 6T, we also heard about how the company was planning to launch a TV at some point in 2019, another big step forward for OnePlus.

Until 2019, the publishing strategy of OnePlus was simple and reliable. Now things are very different.

In 2019, we saw significant changes in the brand's strategy. We watched the release of OnePlus 7, which surprisingly did not land in the United States. We also witnessed the launch of the OnePlus 7 Pro – which looked more like true OnePlus 6 and OnePlus 6T tracking – as well as the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G, the first 5G compatible smartphone to land in the UK.

In addition to all this, we also know for sure that new things will happen. We know that television is coming, but we also know that the company will launch another 5G compatible smartphone this year as well. It will be a different 5G phone, ie not the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G, and it will be available worldwide.

This means that by the end of 2019, we know that OnePlus will have launched the following products:

• OnePlus 7
• OnePlus 7 Pro
• OnePlus 7 Pro 5G
• OnePlus Bullets Wireless 2
• OnePlus TV
• New OnePlus 5G phone

That's a lot of things. Obviously, compared to huge companies like Samsung, it's a small list, but for OnePlus, it's a lot. This is far from two smartphones and perhaps headphones, as we have seen in previous years.

With all this on his plate, is there room for not one but two additional smartphones with supposed rumors OnePlus 7T and OnePlus 7T Pro?

OnePlus 7T and 7T Pro: rumors heard until now

The biggest rumor of OnePlus 7T and OnePlus 7T Pro comes from Max J., a.k.a. @Samsung_News on Twitter.

Max thinks there will be both a OnePlus 7T and a 7T Pro. In addition, he pretends This phone or both phones could be launched in India on September 26th. Then one or both phones could be launched in the United States and the rest of the world on October 10 for a date of sale on October 15.

We have no idea where Max gets this information. However, he has already had accurate information before publication, so it is quite possible that he is right (although other sources say he is wrong).

There are some notable issues with the idea that OnePlus will release "T" models on these dates, if at all. The most obvious problem is the beginning of the presumed dates. Last year, OnePlus unveiled the OnePlus 6T on October 29 – a full month later than when Max announced the launch of the 7T. It certainly sounds strange.

The second problem is that the OnePlus 7T should, in theory, be a nominal upgrade compared to the OnePlus 7. However, the OnePlus 7 is in itself a nominal upgrade compared to the OnePlus 6T. The devices seem almost identical. Will OnePlus really release a third device that is only a nominal upgrade from its predecessor? An upgrade of an upgrade?

Rumors point to the presence of a OnePlus 7T and a OnePlus 7T Pro, but the "new" OnePlus might not follow its old methods.

Finally, the new 5G phone and OnePlus TV will be launched this year. When will OnePlus launch these devices in this timeline? He would not want to dilute the launch of the TV by pairing it with smartphones, nor the new 5G phone by pairing it with the TV. Would he make several versions?

I think we should at least consider the possibility that OnePlus has a very different plan in mind.

Upcoming OnePlus launches: what we hope to see

The existence of OnePlus 7 – which is only available in certain markets outside the United States – is the best indication we can have of what OnePlus will do. This device is very popular in India and has completely replaced the OnePlus 6T in specific markets (such as the United Kingdom, for example).

In the United States, however, the OnePlus 6T replaces the OnePlus 7. This is likely the company's partnership with T-Mobile, which is likely to have a contractual obligation to sell the 6T for a period of time. The OnePlus 7 and 7 Pro would only confuse customers.

What we have here is a split with OnePlus offering different things in the global markets. The United States being a premium market, OnePlus now considers the 7 Pro as a high-end offer and does not even bother to introduce the OnePlus vanilla 7. India being a market in development, OnePlus focuses mainly on the OnePlus already has a significant presence, he abandoned the 6T to replace it with the 7 because it makes sense to do so for this market.

In other words, OnePlus no longer considers the whole world as a market: it locates marketing.

OnePlus is now a global brand and global brands need to design and market their products in different ways in different parts of the world.

That said, it is highly likely that we will not see the OnePlus 7T here in the United States. If this device is launched, it will probably be exclusive to specific markets, including at least one in India.

As the OnePlus 6T is still available in the United States almost a year after landing, it is also logical to assume that we will not see a OnePlus 7T Pro here in the United States either. OnePlus always tries to impose itself as a viable competitor of major manufacturers such as Samsung and Apple. It would therefore be disadvantageous to introduce too many devices at the same time, especially if these devices look alike much already seen with 'T' models).

Instead, here's what we think OnePlus will actually do:

• Free a OnePlus 7T outside the United States, in countries like India. This device could look like a hybrid of the OnePlus 7 and the OnePlus 7 Pro – different from the OnePlus 6T and OnePlus 7, but not quite as good as the OnePlus 7 Pro.
• Ignore the OnePlus 7T Pro version completely.
• Publish globally the 5G smartphone, still unknown, as a new device. Suppose the OnePlus A 5G, or another completely different line. This device could coexist with the OnePlus 7 Pro as an even more upscale phone.
• Release the TV at its exclusive launch event so you do not compete with new phones.

To be clear, these are enlightened riddles. We do not have any information to confirm or deny that this is what the company will actually do.

If OnePlus has already revealed something, it's because he likes to keep things simple and safe. In the early days, she only sold smartphones to people with invitations to control supply and demand. Once comfortable with this, he offered a budget-level device with the OnePlus X. Then he offered the OnePlus 3 without the necessary invitation code. Then, the OnePlus 3T, and so on – each one moves a progressive step calculated from the previous one.

OnePlus may be doing things very differently from what he did in the beginning, but nothing in his story indicates that he will change things dramatically in a short time. That does not seem very OnePlus. The best choice for what the company has planned for the rest of 2019 is the safest plan, which would mean that the OnePlus 7T Pro is just not likely.