Generally, OnePlus releases two flagship phone series a year. There's the mainline smartphone towards the start of the year followed up by a "T" variant later in the year. Last year saw the release of the OnePlus 8 series and the OnePlus 8T but not a OnePlus 8T Pro, and this year, we may not see a "T" refresh at all. That means there may not be a OnePlus 9T or a OnePlus 9T Pro.

This information was revealed by OnePlus leaker Max Jambor, who has a fairly good track record when it comes to OnePlus leaks.

There are a couple of reasons why OnePlus might choose not to release a "T" variant of the OnePlus 9 series. For one, there probably aren't a lot of tangible improvements that can actually be made to the series, and secondly, the ongoing global chip shortage makes sourcing parts for smartphones difficult in the first place. Even Samsung is reportedly feeling the effects of that, as reportedly, the company's upcoming Galaxy S21 FE has been delayed and its potential availability restricted.

Given that this is a leak, it's not confirmed that there won't be a OnePlus 9T series this year, but as we said, Max Jambor has a stellar track record when it comes to OnePlus leaks. Last year, he also said that there wouldn't be a OnePlus 8T Pro (and that the 8T would be the only "T" device released), and he has also leaked countless other pieces of information about upcoming devices from the company. While he certainly could be wrong this time around, his track record means we can't discount the possibility. The next flagship phone that will be released by the company, by the looks of things, may be the OnePlus 10 series early next year.

We reached out to OnePlus UK for comment, though they declined to comment.

Feature image: OnePlus 9 Pro