Apple now makes the last smartphone with this feature

The great “iPhone vs. Android” discussion can be very successful Neither side will rage forever without claiming a complete victory. There are pros and cons to both platforms, and companies that manufacture hardware and software. However, there is one feature that Apple can claim exclusivity. This is because the only competitor has dropped out of the arena.

OnePlus 10T does not come with an alert slider

More than a week away from the official keynote, OnePlus has revealed that the next 10T will not feature the company’s notable “alert slider.”Or mute switch. In an interview with The VergeHope Liu, Chief Designer of OnePlus, argued that a switch should be installed to free up space in the phone for “high wattage charging, high capacity batteries, better antenna signals” ..

Liu’s design description may be correct, but this omission is disappointing. OnePlus is the only Android OEM that includes a hardware switch designed to turn sound alerts on and off. It is well known. In the OnePlus version, you can move the slider to three different positions. One keeps alerts enabled, the other turns on silent mode, and the third switches to vibration. Today, OnePlus 10T users, like most Android devices on the market, need to use software controls to mute or vibrate their phones.

This isn’t the first time OnePlus has removed the alert slider from one of its smartphones. Many of the company’s OnePlus Nord series don’t have switches, so customers using one of these devices will definitely be confused by this “news” drama. .. However, Nord is the OnePlus “budget” line. tHis 10T was the first flagship of OnePlus to drop the alert slider on a full-featured smartphone, which feels like a big deal.

The iPhone is the only new smartphone with a mute switch left

This positions Apple as the only smartphone manufacturer to incorporate such hardware switches into its devices. This obviously means that it no longer appears on new Android phones. If you want the versatility to mute your smartphone without looking at it or taking it out of your pocket, you have no choice but to pick up your iPhone or buy an older OnePlus device. That’s not too difficult, as OnePlus released 10 Pro in March of this year. However, unless OnePlus reverses the course, the phone will be the last Android with a mute switch.

But let’s do the truth. No one buys a phone with just a mute switch. Apple is unlikely to run ads that show that customers are subtly muting their iPhones before a major meeting (even if that’s a good selling point). However, it’s a milestone for Android smartphones and OnePlus as a company, so it’s worth emphasizing. I can’t find the alert slider, so I hope it will come back. Until then, mute your smartphone with software.

Interesting fact: Apple has never shipped an iPhone without a mute switch, but has removed this feature from another product line. Up to the iPad Air 2, Apple had built a switch into the iPad. It can be used as a mute switch or to turn the rotation lock on or off.Currently both options have been demoted to Control center..