OnePlus 5T was launched only in one color option: Midnight Black. The Chinese company later launched a Star Wars Limited Edition, which had a white finish and a Star Wars logo on the back. OnePlus has also introduced a ‘Lava Red’ variant exclusively for its home market. Now the company might just have teased a new OnePlus 5T Sandstone variant that could launch in a few weeks.
OnePlus 5T Sandstone variant may arrive later this month
Loyal OnePlus fans would recall that the company had used Sandstone material on the OnePlus One and OnePlus Two devices. With the OnePlus 3, the company moved to a metal rear panel. The OnePlus 3T, 5, and 5T also came with the same metal back. OnePlus has posted a new video on YouTube teasing the OnePlus 5T Sandstone version. The video runs less than a minute.
The video – titled What’s in the box? – shows a mystery box placed in different streets of London. Random people can be seen touching/holding the mystery OnePlus product in the box, and trying to figure out what it is. People described it as “a little bit textured,” “smooth,” “like stone,” “anti-slipper metal,” “grippy”, etc. One person described the content in the box as “OnePlus One Sandstone.” Another said it was “reminiscent from the sandstone covers” of older OnePlus models.
The teaser video ends with a cliffhanger that the mystery product will be revealed in “January 2018.” It’s clear that the company isn’t bringing an all-new OnePlus 6 just a couple of months after launching OnePlus 5T. The Chinese startup is still busy bolstering the presence of the recently launched flagship. So, it’s reasonable to believe that the company could launch a OnePlus 5T Sandstone variant later this month.
Further details about the OnePlus 5T Sandstone version are expected to emerge in the next few weeks. The standard OnePlus 5T sports a 6-inch Full HD+ Optic AMOLED display. It currently runs Android Nougat-based OxygenOS 4.7, upgradable to Android 8.0 Oreo. The device comes in 6GB and 8GB RAM options. It is powered by the Snapdragon 835 with 2.4GHz clock speed.
Just like the regular version, the OnePlus 5T Sandstone is expected to feature a dual camera setup on the back, consisting of a wide-angle 16MP sensor and a 20MP telephoto lens. Both the camera sensors are supplied by Sony. The OnePlus 5T also has a 16-megapixel camera on the front for selfies. The device includes a 3300mAh non-removable battery.
OnePlus 5T sports a bezel-less design to compete with LG V30, Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and Note 8, and Apple’s iPhone X. It also has a new Face Unlock feature that allows you to unlock the device by looking at the front camera. Face Unlock is faster than Apple’s Face ID, but it is far less secure. That’s why OnePlus has kept the fingerprint sensor on the back of the phone, which you can use to authenticate financial transactions.
OnePlus 5T gets open beta build of Android Oreo-based OxygenOS
OnePlus has officially released the OxygenOS Open Beta 1 build based on Android Oreo for OnePlus 5T. It comes days after the company rolled out the OxygenOS 4.7.6 with Face Unlock Assistive Lighting option. If you want to experience the beta version of Android Oreo-based OxygenOS on your device, you have to back up all your data and then flash the new build on your device.
The Chinese company has already rolled out Android Oreo-based OxygenOS for OnePlus 3, 3T, and OnePlus 5. The OxygenOS Open Beta 1 for OnePlus 5T brings Android Oreo features like Auto-fill, Smart text selection, Picture-in-Picture mode, and others to the latest OnePlus flagship. Other features include a new Quick Settings design, the December security patch, an upgraded Launcher, and the option to upload photos to Shot on OnePlus.
The beta version may contain a few bugs. If you want a glitch-free experience, wait for the stable version of Android Oreo-based OxygenOS. OnePlus hasn’t revealed when it would release the stable version, but we expect it to arrive by the end of January. But if you are feeling a bit adventurous, you can install the beta build right now.
OxygenOS beta with Face Unlock rolled out for OnePlus 5
OnePlus also has something in store for OnePlus 5 owners. Just days after Carl Pei announced that the company would bring Face Unlock to OnePlus 5, it has rolled out the OxygenOS Open Beta 3 build for OnePlus 5. The open beta software brings Face Unlock along with a shortcut for the Recorder app on the Launcher, optimizations for vibration, and a fix for a connectivity issue on 5GHz WiFi networks. It also includes some bug fixes and performance improvements.
Since Face Unlock uses only the front camera and software to authenticate users, it is easy to bring to older models. Unlike Apple’s Face ID, it doesn’t require any specific sensors. There are also rumors that OnePlus could bring the facial recognition technology to the older OnePlus 3 and 3T handsets.
