Two weeks before the OnePlus 10T launch today, the company prepared fans for the worst – the famous alert slider that allowed users to quickly silence notifications was disappearing.
However, even though it was removed from the latest “Major Killer” due to space concerns, that doesn’t mean it will be gone forever. Realizing that there was a lot of chatter among the community, OnePlus released a statement on the matter, pledging to work on the technical challenges that forced it to cut out the “signature” feature in the devices. While he makes no promises, he leaves the possibility of a return in the future very open.
The company wrote: “Our product team plans to overcome this technical and design challenge in future devices so that we can offer improved technologies while retaining our signature alert slider. While the OnePlus 10T does not have the alert slider, this does not mean that it will be removed of all future OnePlus devices.”
Max Parker, who reviewed the phone ahead of release next month, wasn’t too bothered by the absence. In his review of the OnePlus 10T, he wrote: “Personally, I do not consider it a huge loss, as I personally prefer to always keep the phone on vibrate, but I can understand why some fans are sad to see such a hallmark of this series be absent.”
OnePlus explained its initial decision in a blog post that previewed the phone last month. She says the choice was necessary to keep the phone thin and light. “With the OnePlus 10T, we wanted to take this concept to the next level by developing device upgrades beyond improvements to speed alone,” the post read.
“To achieve this goal, however, the necessary trade-off was the removal of the signature alert slider. This decision gave us the necessary space within the device to add meaningful new technologies that deliver major improvements to the OnePlus experience while maintaining a thin and light form factor.”
OnePlus chief designer Hope Liu told The Verge in an interview that while the component looks small on the outside, it actually takes up valuable space on the motherboard. Keeping it could mean stacking the motherboard, and thus a thicker device.
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