OnePlus CEO Pete Lau wrote a blog post announcing a new, affordable lineup of smartphone product line.
While the official name is still not disclosed, it's confirmed the lineup will debut in India and Europe.
Lau wrote the product line is led by Paul Yu, who has headed product development for many of OnePlus’ flagship devices over the past five years.
The OnePlus Z, or the OnePlus 8 Lite or the OnePlus Nord, whatever the name be — It’s real. OnePlus just confirmed it. CEO Pete Lau wrote a forum post announcing a “new, more affordable smartphone product line.” But it's real name is still a mystery.
OnePlus executives have been teasing the smartphone for a while under the hype of “new beginnings”. That’s exactly what Lau wrote about announcing the lineup. The smartphone introduced first in Europe and India, and with a US launch kept for the future.
OnePlus also opened a new Instagram account called "onepluszlitething", which is gaining hundreds of followers by the minute. News about the upcoming smartphone will break first on Instagram, according to the OnePlus Twitter handle. The account already has three posts teasing the phone, but nothing concrete. The name of the account throws more light to what the phone will be officially named. But it also reads as a mashup of every name the rumour mill has pinned on the upcoming smartphone phone. Curiously missing is the word 'Nord' from the name, which was a name of a trademark which the company had filed.
Lau had also released a new OnePlus logo with the hashtag #NewBeginnings on Monday while OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei tweeted “It’s time to rock the boat again”, under the same hashtag.
Which pretty much confirms a cheaper OnePlus smartphone will soon be here. The company has a penchant of keeping fans under a drip-feed of information right before launching a new product. And by the looks of it, things are at full swing with something new about the smartphone expected almost every day.
Lau wrote the product line is led by Paul Yu, who has headed product development for many of OnePlus’ flagship devices over the past five years.
Not just one smartphone, OnePlus Lite Z could be a whole new lineup
Reading into the lines, it's clear that the upcoming lineup will sit below the premium flagships. OnePlus smartphones have increasingly become more expensive with the OnePlus 8 Pro now going way over Rs 50,000.
"Never Settle has always been at the core of OnePlus. For more than 6 years, that has meant working hard to always deliver the best experience for flagship smartphone users. However, as we’ve grown together with our community, we know that there are many people who want a really solid smartphone that meets their everyday needs, and for a more accessible price," Lau wrote.
The words can also interpreted to mean there will be more than one smartphone, as Lau calls it a “product line”. It could be a Pro version of this smartphone, or could simply be recurring launches in subsequent years.
Nevertheless, going by the rumours and leaks, the upcoming OnePlus smartphone will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G, which sits right below the flagship Snapdragon 865, and comes with an integrated 5G modem and a host of Snapdragon Elite Gaming features. The phone is also expected to come with a 90Hz AMOLED display with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. On the back, it’s rumoured to rock a quad camera stack with a 64MP primary sensor. It’s also expected to sport a 4,300mAh battery with 30W fast charging support. Carl Pei even suggested the phone could be priced as much as the original OnePlus One, which launched at around Rs 22,000.
The phone recently popped up on TUV Rheinland website with the model number AC2003. But the official name of the smartphone is not confirmed as of now.
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