OnePlus 10T is slated to drop the Alert Slider, although some upcoming OPPO phones might pick it up

The OnePlus 8T is now expected to gain the direct successor it missed out on in 2021. Now, however, this next-gen flagship refresh is also now believed to come with a potential compromise that would never have been thought of on the 2020 premium Android device's launch. Eagle-eyed tech fans might already have spotted it in the latest renders associated with its rumored upgrade.

The 8T counted the Alert Slider (OnePlus' take on an iPhone's mute switch that arguably improves on it with a third step) among its potential advantages on its debut; now, however, it seems its 10T descendant may not be able to do the same. The reliable leaker Yogesh Brar claims to have heard that the brand is making this iconic aspect of its phones to date exclusive to the Pro variants of its flagship line going forward.

Should this be the case, a putative next-gen T-series phone would become ineligible for an Alert Slider, no matter how many other top-end specs it might have. However, and however ironically, this new alleged restriction may somehow not apply to other phones from other brands.

Brar also asserts that the Slider is to be ported to "some OPPO flagships" (as it was to the Vivo X Fold earlier this year), which might be yet more evidence of the former's inexplicable urge to cannabalize the market share of what is essentially its subsidiary - one that had been building a healthy sustainable brand identity nearly worldwide to boot.

There are already signs of this being the case: the OnePlus Ace, also known as the 10R, has launched with nothing more than conventional buttons, as has its Racing Edition (now more likely than ever to rebrand as the 10R Lite soon); therefore, it seems that even devices that are technically part of the OnePlus One's legacy are truly no longer Alert Slider-worthy.

All in all, this potential new move might prove the last vestiges of all pretence that there is any real difference between the various BBK Electronics brands out there, OPPO and OnePlus included. In addition, it might certainly be one that demonstrates their need to pool their resources and manufacturing plans as of late.

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