The OnePlus 3 is a phenomenal device by any measure, able to compete directly with and even surpass this year’s major flagships, depending on who you ask. The device was hyped like crazy for launch, with the spectacle culminating in a special VR shopping experience. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 820-powered device is already being discontinued, however, in favor of the Snapdragon 821-toting OnePlus 3T, set to be released on November 22. With only a few days before the release of the Daydream-capable OnePlus 3T, sales of the flagship OnePlus 3 have already been halted in the United States and Europe, according to an official comment from OnePlus.
The OnePlus 3T is a small, but arguably crucial upgrade to the OnePlus 3. It’s a small price bump from its predecessor, but offers an extra storage option, among other upgrades. A larger battery is on board, as is a better front camera, a sapphire lens for the back camera, and some software improvements. Along with the larger battery, what brings this update into “possibly crucial” territory is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor. The slight bump in speed over the Snapdragon 820 is nice and all, but the big thing is compatibility with Google’s Daydream VR suite. Naturally, since the processor upgrade was partially for that exact purpose, there are more sensors on board than with the OnePlus 3, making for a smoother VR experience in general.
Interestingly, this stoppage of sales on the OnePlus 3 was revealed the day after the device tree and kernel source for the OnePlus 3T were put out on the internet ahead of the phone’s release, enabling app and custom ROM developers to get cracking on creations catered to the device before it’s even available. This means that the device will hit the ground running, and it can be assumed that the bootloader will be unlocked from the get go, or at least user-unlockable with little to no fuss. It will join Google’s Pixel devices as being among the first devices powered by the Snapdragon 821, and will be on a list of such devices that’s fully supported for user projects like custom ROMs; a list that’s likely to stay quite short, given current manufacturer trends with flagship devices.