During an interview, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau confirmed there will not be a OnePlus 9T this year.
This comes months after a rumor suggested there wouldn’t be a Pro model, either.
Granted, OnePlus could still launch more phones in 2021, but a T-series model won’t be one of them.
Every year since 2016, OnePlus has launched an updated version of its current flagship phone. It started with the OnePlus 3T and has gone on without a hitch up until last year with the OnePlus 8T. However, the streak comes to a halt in 2021.
Pete Lau, OnePlus’ CEO and co-founder, confirmed to Android Authority that there will not be a OnePlus 9T this year. Previously, the rumor mill suggested there wouldn’t be a Pro T-series model, which wasn’t too surprising considering there wasn’t one last year, either. However, the lack of any T-series device is a big shift for the brand.
See also: A history of OnePlus’ entire lineup so far
It does make sense, though. The ongoing global chip shortage is making the launch of any large-scale smartphone difficult, for one. Also, OnePlus’ portfolio is getting very tight, with phones like the OnePlus Nord 2, OnePlus 9R, and OnePlus 8T all being very similar in multiple ways. If you throw a OnePlus 9T in there, things will simply get more convoluted.
Additionally, Lau also confirmed that Oxygen OS is going through a big change. The company will be merging Oxygen OS and Color OS — the Android skin of its sister brand Oppo. Launching a new smartphone in the middle of that major transition would be tricky.
Regardless, if you were looking forward to the OnePlus 9T, it’s not happening. Keep in mind, though, that this doesn’t mean OnePlus doesn’t have any new smartphones on the way in 2021. There could be a few surprises left — just no 9T.
