Rumours of a new OnePlus smartphone are burning bright, and a fresh teaser from the CEO is definitely fanning the flames.
The long-rumoured OnePlus 5 may be nearly ready to launch. We’ve seen a raft of leaks over the past few weeks –including a recent appearance of the mysterious “OnePlus A5000” model number buried within the EXIF data on some photographs taken using a OnePlus smartphone. But now we’ve finally had some official word from OnePlus that something is happening.
In a post to Chinese social network Weibo, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau posted a cartoon image of several labourers – and Lau himself – working hard on a giant smartphone.
Based on Google Translate and a bit of educated guesswork, the accompanying message reads something like: “Working without a break on a OnePlus smartphone, just to make a big surprise.”
Check out the image below:
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The OnePlus 5 is reported to be the successor to last year’s OnePlus 3T. OnePlus is said to be skipping over the OnePlus 4 due to a widespread Chinese superstition that associates the number four with bad luck. OnePlus handsets usually launch in late spring or early summer, so we’d expect the device to arrive any day now.
That said, OnePlus hasn’t made any mention of an actual device called the OnePlus 5, so we’re still largely in the dark when it comes to official details.
However, it’s highly likely that the phone will run on Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 835 chip, because that’s the flagship processor for the year. The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Sony’s latest flagship phone both rock that same chip, so OnePlus would be remiss to forgo it. We’ve also heard rumours of a dual-camera module featuring on the phone, which is a design choice already seen on the iPhone 7 Plus, LG G6, and Huawei P10 – so again, this seems likely.
Unfortunately, until OnePlus actually makes an official announcement, we’ll have to take all rumours, leaks, and speculation with due caution.
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What would you like to see from the OnePlus 5? Let us know in the comments.