After consistently teasing the OnePlus 5 for weeks, OnePlus has finally announced the phone’s release date. The Chinese company has built a loyal fan base worldwide in just a few years. It will unveil the OnePlus 5 at 12 PM Eastern Time on Tuesday, June 20. Previous leaks pointed to a June 15 release. Now we know when we will get to see the handset.
OnePlus 5 New York event to be held on June 20
The launch event will be live streamed via OnePlus website starting 12 PM ET on June 20. Interestingly, the Chinese smartphone maker will be organizing “pop-up events” in major cities worldwide to show off the handset in person. One pop-up event will be held in New York on the launch day itself, where OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei and YouTuber Marques Brownlee will unveil the device.
Are you prepared for the OnePlus 5? Focus on what matters and join our keynote live on June 20. https://t.co/uuWc1m3pz1 pic.twitter.com/KfbVfMyh00
— OnePlus (@oneplus) June 6, 2017
Subsequent pop-up events will be held in Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam, and Copenhagen on June 21. A London event has been planned but the date wasn’t specified, and the Mumbai event will take place on June 22. The announcement image has the tagline “Focus on what matters.” This could be a hint for the dual-camera system coming with the OnePlus 5, which may offer an iPhone 7 Plus-like Portrait mode.
It looks similar to the iPhone 7 Plus
Ahead of the launch event, folks at Android Police have obtained a leaked image of the device. The image shows an angled view of the phone’s front and back in matte black color. It looks surprisingly similar to Apple’s flagship iPhone 7 Plus. 9to5Google reached out to its own sources to confirm whether it is indeed OnePlus 5. They told the publication that the image was legitimate.
The OnePlus 5 will have a dual-camera system on the back. The cameras are arranged horizontally, just like the iPhone 7 Plus. As if that wasn’t enough, the placement of LED flash and the secondary noise-canceling microphone is also similar to the iPhone 7 Plus. The Android phone has slim side bezels, but the top bezel is slightly larger than most users would expect.
SlashLeaks has also posted photos of the device on Twitter, showing it from the back and side angles. It also appears similar to the 5.5-inch Oppo R11, which was unveiled a few days ago in China. That’s expected considering both Oppo and OnePlus are the brands of BBK Electronics. It’s not uncommon for a company to have two phones sharing a few design elements.
#OnePlus – #OnePlus5 – Alleged new OnePlus 5 press render leaked https://t.co/tT5DohzGNI pic.twitter.com/PK9rQjX0LP
— /LEAKS (@Slashleaks) June 6, 2017
OnePlus 5 features and specs: What to expect
The leaks have almost confirmed that the device is coming with a dual camera system on the back. OnePlus executives have teased that improved low-light shooting and depth-of-field will be key highlights of the phone’s camera. OnePlus has also partnered with DxO, the company behind the popular benchmark DxOMark, to enhance OnePlus 5’s camera capabilities.
Last month, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau and Qualcomm both confirmed that the upcoming flagship will be powered by Snapdragon 835, the same CPU that runs Samsung’s Galaxy S8. Besides using the most powerful processor available, OnePlus will also optimize the phone’s performance. Pete Lau said that the OnePlus 5 would offer improved touch latency.
The OxygenOS will have a new feature to make apps run smoother than ever before. The most frequently used apps will be ready to go right from the moment you turn on the device. The apps you rarely use will get deprioritized to ensure that they don’t affect the phone’s performance. These optimizations helped OnePlus 5 beat the Galaxy S8 in a recent GeekBench test.
Pete Lau has teased in a Weibo post that OnePlus 5 would be the company’s slimmest flagship phone. The fingerprint sensor will be located on the front, not on the back panel. Other expected features include a 5.5-inch display with Full HD resolution, 6GB RAM and 64GB/128GB/256GB of internal storage.
How much will it cost?
Historically, OnePlus devices have been priced in the mid-range while offering premium features. But the Chinese company has been increasing the price of its flagship devices with each new model. However, if OnePlus prices its devices too high, it would be competing directly with the iPhones and Galaxy S handsets. OnePlus became what it is today because of its competitive, not premium, pricing.
According to a Weibo post spotted by Xiaomi Today, the OnePlus 5 would cost 2999 yuan ($440) for the base model in China. The Weibo post came from noted tech analyst Jiutang Pang. If it turns out to be true, the OnePlus 5 will be more expensive than last year’s OnePlus 3T, which was priced at 2699 yuan ($396) in China. It means the upcoming smartphone will also be more expensive than its direct competitor Xiaomi Mi 6, which costs 2499 yuan ($363).
Besides Xiaomi Mi 6, the OnePlus 5 will have to compete with the Moto Z2 Play and the recently announced Essential, which will be more of a premium phone with premium pricing.
