OnePlus has confirmed to CNET Espanol that the OnePlus 6T’s successor, the OnePlus 7 (the company did not mention it by name, though, so the name is not confirmed just yet), will not have 5G. The company said that it is planning to release a 5G-ready smartphone early next year, as the company’s exec confirmed recently, though, so OnePlus will release at least three smartphones next year. OnePlus also reiterated that the 5G-ready phone will be a part of a totally new line of smartphones, that will “complement the company’s portfolio of smartphones”. OnePlus did not say that the device will launch at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2019 in Barcelona, but that seems to be the most obvious venue to launch it, notes CNET. It is worth noting that the company did not specifically mention that it will launch the OnePlus 7 and 7T in 2019, even though it probably will, but it wanted to be perfectly clear that the 5G-ready device will be a completely separate entity.
Background: The only new piece of (new) news here, really, is the fact that the OnePlus 7 will not support 5G, as everything else was more or less confirmed quite recently. At the end of October, Pete Lau confirmed that the 5G-ready device will launch in early 2019, and that it will not be a part of the company’s current lineup of smartphones. He also confirmed that the company is working with European carriers in order to bring the device to Europe next year. Pete Lau also said that the company decided to work on a 5G-ready smartphone so soon because of its consumers, who apparently seem to be really interested in the 5G technology, and have been asking for the device for quite some time now. It is also worth noting that the company had sent out its very first 5G tweet quite recently as well, which is also something that OnePlus announced officially. We don’t know practically anything about the upcoming 5G-ready OnePlus smartphone, though some info is expected to arrive in the near future. Chances are that it will have high-end specifications, but we’re only guessing, as the company did not share a single piece of info, same goes for rumors and leaks.
OnePlus has been quite busy over the last couple of weeks, as it announced its new flagship, the OnePlus 6T in New York, and then yesterday the company introduced a new color variant for international markets, the Thunder Purple OnePlus 6T. That variant of the phone originally launched in China, and due to very high demand from users, OnePlus had opted to introduce it in international markets as well, even though it did not plan on doing so, initially. The OnePlus 6T Thunder Purple handset comes in 8GB RAM + 128GB storage variant only, while the OnePlus 6T in general is available in both 6GB and 8GB RAM variants, and aside from being available in the ‘Thunder Purple’ option, it also comes in Mirror Black, and Midnight Black iterations.
The OnePlus 6T is quite similar to its predecessor, the OnePlus 6, as the two devices sport a very similar build, even though they look a bit different due to a smaller notch on the OnePlus 6T, and the fact that the device does not sport a capacitive fingerprint scanner on the back, but an in-display fingerprint scanner. The two devices also have similar internals, both are fueled by the same processor, the Snapdragon 845, while both come with same RAM setups as well. These two devices actually have the same camera setups as well, while they come with the same display tech, even though sizes of those displays are different. The OnePlus 6T includes a 3,700mAh battery on the inside, which can be quickly replenished using OnePlus’ proprietary fast charging, which is no longer called ‘Dash Charge’ due to legal reasons. The OnePlus 6T does not include an LED notification light, unlike the OnePlus 6, and the same can be said for a 3.5mm headphone jack that is not available on the OnePlus 6T.
Impact: So, by the looks of it, OnePlus will launch at least three smartphones in 2019, and the company’s 5G-ready phone is a complete mystery at this point, though OnePlus will probably want to differentiate it from its main devices, as it is making user people realize it will be a separate entity. 5G will not become a standard next year, far from it, 5G technology is expected to become available in the second half of 2019, quite probably in Q4 2019, and not many countries will have proper access to it by the end of 2019. Such technology may become a standard in 2020, but it remains to be seen how fast will carriers adopt it. Still, many people actually expected the OnePlus 7 to be a 5G-ready smartphone, as it will be a solid option for consumers a year or two after its release. The OnePlus 7T, which will probably arrive in the fourth quarter next year, if OnePlus ends up sticking to its release cycle, is expected to be a 5G-ready device, as 5G will be a thing once its launch date comes to pass. The company’s upcoming 5G-ready device will be a solid “test” phone for the company, and it will rather interesting to see whether this will be another high-end device, comparable to what the company usually releases, or will OnePlus opt to release a mid-range phone perhaps… chance are it will be the former, it’s hard to expect a mid-range phone to become OnePlus’ first 5G-ready device. It will be also interesting to see whether that device will be comparable to the OnePlus 6 and 6T in terms of the design, or will OnePlus opt to go a completely different way in that sense as well. All in all, the company’s upcoming 5G-ready phone is a complete mystery still, but as its release date is coming closer, more info is expected to become clear, as OnePlus will start throwing out teasers, while rumors and leaks will reveal various aspects of the device as well, most probably.