Which phone should you buy?

October 30, 2022

The iPhone 14 and OnePlus 10T make for an interesting comparison. The OnePlus 10T is one of the most affordable flagships in the US, with a big screen, Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset, insanely fast charging and a rich software experience. In many ways, it’s even better than its more expensive sibling OnePlus 10 Pro, with a more powerful CPU, up to 16GB of RAM, and faster charging speeds.

The iPhone 14 may not look as glamorous and fun as the OnePlus 10T, but it’s one of the most refined smartphones you can get for under $1,000. Rather than the latest and greatest, it sticks to the tried and tested while adding some minor but meaningful upgrades. But which one should be your next smartphone?

Index of Content

Apple iPhone 14 vs OnePlus 10T: Specifications

Specification	Samsung Galaxy S22	OnePlus 10T
To build	Aluminum center frame Glass front and back “Ceramic Shield” for front glass	Plastic center frame Gorilla Glass 5 front and back
Dimensions and weight	146.7 x 71.5 x 7.8mm 172g	163 x 75.37 x 8.75mm 203.5g
Display	6.1 inch OLED screen, Resolution of 2556 x 1179 pixels at 460 PPI 60Hz refresh rate HDR Display, True Tone, Wide Color (P3) 800 nits maximum brightness, 1200 nits peak brightness (HDR)	6.7-inch FHD+ Liquid AMOLED 120Hz refresh rate with adaptive refresh rate (60Hz/90Hz/120Hz) Corning Gorilla Glass 5
SoC		Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1
RAM and storage	6GB RAM 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, No microSD card	8GB / 16GB RAM 128GB / 256GB UFS 3.1 Storage No MicroSD card
Charge battery	3,279 mAh suitable for up to 20 hours of video playback 20W wired charging 15W MagSafe charging 7.5W Qi wireless charging	4.800mAh 125W support for fast cable charging (North America) 150W fast charging support (international)
Safety		In-display fingerprint scanner
Rear camera(s)	primary: 12 MP wide, f/1.5 aperture, 1.9 m sensor shift OIS Seven element lens 5x digital zoom Subordinate: 12 MP ultra-wide angle lens, f/2.4 aperture	Primary: 50MP f/1.8 Sony IMX766, OIS Ultra wide angle: 8 MP f/2.2, 119.9 degrees FoV Macro: 2MP
Front camera(s)	TrueDepth camera: 12 MP, ƒ/1.9	16MP
Port(s)	lightning gate No headphone jack	USB Type-C No headphone jack
audio	Stereo speakers Dolby Atmos Spatial audio
Connectivity	5G (sub-6GHz and mmWave) Gigabit LTE with 4×4 MIMO and LAA Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2×2 MIMO Bluetooth 5.3 Ultra-wideband (UWB) NFC	5G (mmWave) Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2×2 MIMO Bluetooth 5.1 NFC
Software		OxygenOS 12 based on Android 12
Other possibilities	Apple Pay IP68 rating eSIM

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Design and display: traditional design versus unique

Apple has been known to stick to its product designs for a long time and the iPhone 14 is arguably the best example. The new iPhone retains the same design as its predecessor. It’s still a nice phone, but there’s nothing special about the design either. From flat aluminum sides and ugly cutout on the front to that square camera module on the back, it’s all too familiar.

iPhone 14 in white color held in hand against the background of blue sky

The OnePlus 10T, on the other hand, has a refreshing design, with a unique camera module that blends into the side frame. But while the iPhone 14 uses a glass and aluminum construction, the OnePlus 10T settles for a plastic body that doesn’t feel premium. The OnePlus 10T is also much bigger and heavier than the iPhone 14.

Another area where the iPhone 14 has the edge over its OnePlus counterpart is the IP rating. With IP68 certification, the iPhone 14 positions itself as a more durable device that can withstand water splashes and exposure to dust. You don’t get this peace of mind on the OnePlus 10T.

If you’re a fan of big screens, you’ll be impressed by the OnePlus 10 T’s 6.7-inch AMOLED FHD+ display. It’s a 120Hz high refresh rate panel that delivers smooth images, peak brightness of 950 nits and support for HDR10+ content.

The iPhone 14’s 6.1-inch screen may not be as big and immersive as the OnePlus 10T, but it’s brighter and sharper. It also has Apple’s True Tone feature, which automatically adjusts the white balance based on the ambient lighting for a more comfortable reading experience.

Performance: Excellent in everyday life

The OnePlus 10T is powered by Qualcomm’s latest and greatest Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 SoC. The new chipset offers 10% faster CPU performance and 30% improved power efficiency over the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, which powers the OnePlus 10 Pro. In addition, the OnePlus 10T also has up to 16 GB of RAM compared to 12 GB in the OnePlus 10 Pro.

There is no change in the processing package of the iPhone 14. It uses the same A15 Bionic chipset as the iPhone 13, with the only notable upgrade being the additional GPU core. While the chipset is unchanged from last year, the RAM has been increased from 4 GB to 6 GB, which should help the iPhone 14 offer a better multitasking experience.

Both phones perform excellently in everyday tasks. Whether you’re juggling multiple apps or playing graphic-intensive games like Duty or Genshin impact, you are unlikely to encounter any major lag or lag on these phones. While the iPhone 14 is more powerful in terms of raw power, the OnePlus 10T is smoother and more responsive thanks to its 120Hz higher refresh rate display.

Cameras: iPhone 14 takes the lead

The iPhone 14 has a familiar dual-camera system on the back, consisting of a 12MP main camera and a 12MP ultra-wide angle lens. While the resolution is unchanged, there are two major upgrades to the main camera: a faster aperture (f/1.5 vs. f/1.6) and a larger pixel size of 1.9m (vs 1.7m). In addition, the camera system also uses Apple’s new image pipeline called Photonic Engine, which the company claims will significantly improve mid-to-low-light performance for all cameras.

The OnePlus 10T has a triple camera system with a 50MP f/1.8 main camera, an 8MP ultra-wide camera and a 2MP macro lens. It’s a big step back from the OnePlus 10 Pro’s camera system, which included a 48MP Sony IMX789 shooter, a 50MP ultra-wide camera and an 8MP telephoto lens. Not only that, but the OnePlus 10T also lacks the Hasselblad branding and features like X-Pan mode and Hasselblad Pro mode.

As for selfies, the iPhone 14 has a new 12MP f/1.9 TrueDepth camera with autofocus, while the OnePlus 10T has a 16MP f/2.4 fixed-focus shooter.

iPhone 14 camera samples

OnePlus 10T camera samples

While both phones take great photos in good lighting conditions, the iPhone 14 has an edge in low-light photography. In addition, the iPhone 14 outperforms the OnePlus 10T in terms of video performance with its superior stabilization and features such as Cinematic Mode and Action Mode.

Battery life, charging and software: different systems

While the OnePlus 10T loses out to the iPhone 14 in the camera race, it shines in the battery department. The OnePlus 10T has a 4,800 mAh battery, which is 200 mAh smaller than the OnePlus 10 Pro. But despite that, it delivers much better battery life thanks to the efficiency improvements of the new chipset. As noted in our review, the OnePlus 10T is a battery champion, delivering up to six to seven hours of screen time on moderate use. Of course, your mileage will depend on your usage patterns, but you should be able to get through the day without a hitch.

The iPhone 14 may not be a battery champion like the OnePlus 10T, but it still offers respectable battery life. With moderate use, I regularly get 4 to 4.5 hours of screen time on my iPhone 14, and I can’t recall ever having to do a quick top-up before bed.

While the OnePlus 10T loses out to the iPhone 14 in the camera race, it shines in the battery department.

Not only endurance, the OnePlus 10T also blows the iPhone 14 out of the water in charging speed. With super-fast 150W charging, the OnePlus 10T can go from 1% to 100% in just 19 minutes. The charging speed of the iPhone 14, on the other hand, is 20 W and it takes almost two hours to fully charge the device. Another win for the OnePlus 10T is that it comes with a charger in the box, while the iPhone 14 doesn’t (you only get the lighting cable).

However, the OnePlus 10T lags behind the iPhone 14 with wireless charging. This shouldn’t be a deal breaker for most users, but something to keep in mind if you’re coming from a phone that supports wireless charging. The iPhone 14 offers MagSafe magnetic charging as well as Qi wireless charging support.

Software-wise, both phones have vastly different operating systems. The iPhone 14 works iOS 16 out of the box, while the OnePlus 10T comes with Android 12 based OxygenOS 12. Both phones also differ when it comes to software support. The OnePlus 10T promises three major software updates and four years of security updates. While Apple hasn’t confirmed how long it plans to support the iPhone 14, we can expect the phone to get iOS updates for at least five years.

Other notable highlights of the iPhone 14 include basic satellite connectivity, Face ID, Crash Detection, stereo speakers, Spatial Audio, NFC, and Ultra Wideband (UWB). Notable highlights of the OnePlus 10T include an in-display fingerprint scanner, stereo speakers, dual-band GNSS, Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 6 with 2×2 MIMO, and a dual nano-SIM slot.

Apple iPhone 14 vs OnePlus 10T: Which One Should You Buy?

The OnePlus 10T is the cheapest Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 smartphone in the US. It starts at $649, and the power and value it offers for that price tag is unmatched. From a big beautiful AMOLED display and powerful chipset to insanely fast charging speed and a rich software experience, the OnePlus 10T delivers a flagship smartphone experience in an affordable package. The only downside is the camera performance, which falls short of the OnePlus 10 Pro benchmark.

The iPhone 14 starts at $799, but you can get it for a lot less with offers and discounts. While not as exciting as the OnePlus 10T, the iPhone 14 delivers a very refined smartphone experience at a reasonable price. While iPhone 13 and iPhone 12 users will have to hold off on upgrading to the iPhone 14, there are many improvements and upgrades in store for those coming from an iPhone X or iPhone 11. Aside from solid cameras and powerful performance, the iPhone offers 14 also new features such as Emergency SOS via satellite and action mode, which you will not find on other smartphones. That said, if you can spend more, we recommend the iPhone 14 Pro, which has many exciting features to offer, including Dynamic Island, a 48MP camera and an Always-on display.