OnePlus 8T Pro might be a no-show this year
It seems that this will be a year of many changes for OnePlus and not just because of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has finally given what fans have been asking for in the form of a more affordable but mid-range OnePlus Nord. It is also revamping its OxygenOS user experience in a major way that seems to be ruffling its own fans' feathers. Now the latest word is that it won't be launching a Pro model to accompany the OnePlus 8T next month.
To be fair, OnePlus only started the whole Pro pairing with the OnePlus 7 last year so it's not like it's breaking tradition entirely. Unfortunately, it seems that OnePlus has had problems trying to think of ways to set those models apart, not just from their non-Pro contemporaries but also from their immediate predecessors. Given today's economic situation, it might have decided to cut its losses and drop the OnePlus 8T Pro entirely.
There has been speculation that the phone won't be making an appearance this year from the lack of clues relating to a "kebabp" or "kebab2", whereas there are quite a few for a plain "kebab", believed to be the device codename for the OnePlus 8T. Then again, even leaks about the OnePlus 8 "kebab" are thin at the moment but that's to be expected with a "T" upgrade. Leaker Max J seems to confirm those theories but also doesn't say much about it either.
— Max Jambor (@MaxJmb) September 7, 2020
The OnePlus 8T has already been leaked with a few interesting features, like a flat screen that hasn't been seen in a while. More importantly, it will be getting some features that were found only in the OnePlus 8 Pro, like a 120Hz screen refresh rate, which does make a OnePlus 8T Pro unnecessary.
The absence of a OnePlus 8T Pro could be more than just a one-off change, though. With the launch of the OnePlus Nord, which is supposed to be a series of phones rather than a single model, OnePlus might be adopting a different strategy of launching a single premium phone twice a year with a mid-range option sandwiched in between.