OnePlus has been launching a ‘Pro’ model of its smartphones since the OnePlus 7 Pro, with the latest one being the OnePlus 8 Pro. These ‘Pro’ phones command a higher price tag and pack in a few extra goodies to justify that premium. However, it appears that we might not get a ‘OnePlus 8T Pro’ this year when the company launches the OnePlus 8T later this year. We have already seen a seemingly official render of the OnePlus 8T and its key specifications have been leaked as well, but so far, the rumor mill has been suspiciously silent about the OnePlus 8T Pro. Now, noted tipster Max J. has shared that a ‘OnePlus 8T Pro’ is not in the pipeline for the company.

https://twitter.com/MaxJmb/status/1302900610161881088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

The leakster first made a cryptic post that signaled that ‘Kebab2’ has been canceled or it won’t arrive. Now, Kebab is reportedly the codename for OnePlus 8T, but so far, evidence of another model called “Kebab2” or “Kebabp” has not popped up. OnePlus has so far followed a similar naming scheme for its smartphone duo, and the absence of a ‘Kebab2’ from firmware files is a sign that a ‘OnePlus 8T Pro’ is not on the table. And if that was cryptic, the tipster went on to clarify in the comments section that a ‘OnePlus 8T Pro’ is not coming at all.

https://twitter.com/MaxJmb/status/1302901750823878656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Why it makes sense?

The ‘Pro’ devices in OnePlus’ lineup are known to pack the best hardware there is in the market, and offer some meaningful upgrade over the non-Pro models to justify the price gap. But with OnePlus 8 Pro already being a fully decked out device, the room for making an improvement to it and launching an altogether different model sounds a bit unreasonable. The only notable upgrade OnePlus can make would be substituting the Snapdragon 865 inside the OnePlus 8 Pro with the new Snapdragon 865+. But the performance gap between the two chipsets is not too high, and the Snapdragon 865 would be perfectly serviceable for at least the next couple of years.

Sure, there is always room for improvement in the camera department, but rather than accepting a ‘new’ phone whose cameras offer only a higher megapixel count, I would rather wait for OnePlus to take more time, fine-tune both the hardware and software, and then debut it on the OnePlus 9 Pro with more meaningful upgrades. Or to put it simply, take your time and put all of that expertise and innovation inside the OnePlus 9 Pro. Plus, making a phone (read: OnePlus 8 Pro) that costs nearly a thousand bucks a generation old by launching an upgraded model only after six months doesn’t sit well with everyone.