With the OnePlus 3T being the current flagship of the Chinese smartphone maker, you would have expected a OnePlus 4 next. However, it appears that is not to be the case; instead, the OnePlus 5 will be the next handset. Why? In China, the number 4 is unlucky, as such, the company prefers to miss it out. As for details on this handset’s release date, price, camera, display, storage, and power here’s what we know so far.
OnePlus 5
While the majority of the internet continues to talk about possible features and specs, we’ve come across some detailed information. It appears that one Chinese retailer and GearBest have published information too early. This showed in detail on a Pre-order page what consumers and we want to know about the OnePlus 5. That’s its price, design, and internal specs.
So without further ado, let’s here’s what we have discovered.
Release Date
Unfortunately, the most important detail of when the handset’s release date will be, it was not included in the information we saw. However, we can with some reasonable certainty, say that it will be on sale sometime this summer. OnePlus itself, recently approached the Verge, to say so, and as such, it should arrive less than 9-months after the 3T. With sometime late in June or early in July the consensus at the moment.
We will keep you informed, as we discover more.
Price
As we previously mentioned, the OnePlus 5 was prematurely listed on a Chinese retailer’s web site. In doing so, it revealed a lot about the handset including the price.
Now, this is where things get a little convoluted as there are three prices, all in USD. To start with there was what appeared to be a Chinese model for $621.99. However, there’s also an international model, retailing for $688.00. Although, if you take a look at the image above, the price is $449.99, this reduced price is, apparently, for those who pre-order before the smartphone starts to ship.
Will the price differ in other markets? It’s likely; we will bring you those details as we find them.
Camera
Up until the early reveal, there was little if anything known officially about the OnePlus 5’s cameras. Many had speculated that a dual-lens setup would grace its design. However, if the information we’ve seen is accurate, that is not the case. Instead, it will have a 23-megapixel rear facing sensor, and a 16-megapixel front-facing selfie sensor. Both of which, will significantly increase the quality of images and video.
Display
While previous OnePlus models have focussed on providing an 180p full HD experience. The company has promised an improved resolution for future handsets, probably to make devices like the OnePlus 5 VR headset compatible. And, it looks like that word has been kept, due to there being a 1,440 x 2,560 resolution, which makes it Quad HD. As for the all-important pixels per inch ratio, this works out at 534.
As for screen size, it’s offering 5.5-inches, and like Galaxy S8 will have significantly reduced bezels.
Storage
If there’s one thing you can say about OnePlus smartphones, it is that they are always slightly ahead of the game when it comes to RAM. And, we can confirm that the OnePlus 5 doesn’t hold back on this either.
Now depending on where you are in the world, you could get either 6GB or 8GB of RAM. The only question remains, is if this will be of the LPDDR4 or LPDDR4X varieties.
Working alongside this, is the physical storage space for images, apps, movies, games, and everything else. For which there appears to be a single option of 64GB available. However, don’t be alarmed, a MicroSD card slot is also in place, meaning that expansion of storage is possible up to 256GB.
Power
There has been consistent speculation about what chip may be included in the OnePlus 5. With many pointing towards the companies history of adding only the best CPUs and GPUs to its products. As such, the focus has been on the Snapdragon 835, performance wise it has what it takes.
According to the information we’ve seen, this speculation is accurate, as 64-bit Snapdragon 835 clocked at 2.35 Ghz will be included. As will an Adreno 540 GPU, for that extra bit of graphical power. Coupled with the huge amount of RAM, this will make the OnePlus 5 a formidable device. One that is probably worth calling a flagship killer.
Final Thoughts
Thanks to the obvious pre-order mistake of a foreign retailer. We have been given our first insight into what is probably the most powerful (on paper) Android device we’ve seen to date. The only problem now is, we want to put some extra flesh on those detail bones. That includes the narrowing down the release date, and other missing details. After all, they give a very monotone view of the device. Additionally, we would like to see how it compares to say the iPhone 7 Plus and others in benchmark testing.
What do you think of the details provided, are there enough for a purchasing decision?
