The OnePlus 5T is set to be unveiled today at an event in New York, putting an end to all the rumors that so far have been busy guessing its price and expected specs. However, one rumor that is still doing the rounds is that the Chinese company is also planning a OnePlus 5T Star Wars edition.
OnePlus 5T Star Wars edition: what do we know?
It was first reported by XDA (the link is to an archived post, as the original article has been taken down for reasons unknown), after one of their readers noticed a reference to a Star Wars accent color while going through the Launcher, Settings and System UI APKs. The color code #ff2837 is the same shade of red that was seen in Star Wars: The Last Jedi posters. In addition, the XDA user also found the string of code that read as “DEVICE_CUSTOM_STAR_WARS.”
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is set to release next month in theaters around the world. There is a possibility that Star Wars and OnePlus entered into an exclusive deal to make limited editions of OnePlus 5T Star Wars-themed phones. No pictures of the rumored phone have surfaced yet.
Previously, OnePlus launched the Black Colette edition of the OnePlus 3T and a “Castelbaraj” variant of the OnePlus 5. Both of these limited-edition smartphones were made available in a few regions only, according to Gadgets360. So there is a good chance that the OnePlus 5T Star Wars edition could only be made available in the U.S.
Root Access – not a major security issue
Just days before the launch of the OnePlus 5T, it was reported that OnePlus smartphones are extremely vulnerable to hacking as anyone can easily get the root access of the phone. Mobile security researcher Robert Baptiste, popularly known as Elliot Alderson, found that OnePlus smartphones are shipped with a hidden backdoor, or an API, dubbed “EngineerMode.”
Later, OnePlus issued a statement saying, “EngineerMode is a diagnostic tool deployed during factory production line functionality testing and after sales support.”
Further, the company assured that users need not worry because the APK would not let third-party apps access full root privileges. USB debugging is also required to activate EngineerMode.
“While we don’t see this as a major security issue, we understand that users may still have concerns,” the Chinese company said, adding that the root function would be removed with the next update.
Meanwhile, OnePlus is all set to launch the OnePlus 5T today. Customers will be able to buy the OnePlus 5T in America and Europe starting Nov. 21. For China, the date has been set for Dec. 2. In India, the handset will go on sale for Amazon Prime members starting Nov. 21.
A couple of days ago, a OnePlus 5T unboxing video was uploaded to YouTube, but it was later removed. According to PhoneArena, the video detailed that the handset would have an edge-to-edge display and be powered by the Android 7.1.1 Nougat. Although there is no confirmation about the price of the smartphone, various reports are suggesting that it will be the same as that of the OnePlus 5.
