Among the most awaited device launches this month is the OnePlus 5.
If you own a OnePlus 3, and are wondering what happened to the OnePlus 4, it’s not coming. Possibly for superstitious reasons, the Chinese smartphone-manufacturer has skipped the ‘4’th iteration — the number is considered unlucky because it sounds similar to the Chinese word for ‘death’. However, according to Android Authority, OnePlus insists that its employees are big fans of NBA basketballer Rober Horry, who wears a jersey numbered ‘5’.
Amid leaks and teasers, OnePlus officially tweeted on June 6 that it would launch the latest iteration of its value-for-money series of smartphones on Tuesday, June 20. Seemingly one for subtlety (or should we say ‘5ubtlety’) it had begun dropping hints at the start of the month.
According to Android Authority, a new handset will be launched two days later at an exclusive event in Mumbai, on June 22. It will also host pop-up eventsacross New Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad.
Speed could well be the premium feature of the OnePlus 5, given that it will run on the latest Snapdragon 835 processor, and Android 7.1.1 Nougat. It will be the first phone in India to run on the 835.
According to Tecnoblog, which has so far been the only portal to exclusively confirm the specifications of the new smartphone amid all the rumours, the OnePlus 5 will have a 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) resolution, with up to 8GB RAMand 128GB storage. The phone has already received criticism for being a clone of the iPhone 7 and others, because of its special dual-lens camera feature and hardware appearance. But, it will have a 3.5mm headphone jack, in case that makes you feel better.
Design-wise, the camera has been moved to the upper-left corner. With an aluminium back panel, the phone will be priced around Rs.30,000.
BGR, which relies on Tecnoblog’s exclusive information, reports that the phone will come with a fingerprint sensor and a 3,300-mAh battery with Dash Charge (the battery charges just as fast even when the phone is in use), which is actually a step down from the 3T’s 3,400 mAh. Which might be bad news for those worried about the juice ramifications of the phone’s 2K resolution on a 5.5-inch screen.
But the UFS 2.1 storage — it offers high performance with low power consumption — could make up for that.
That said, some sites expect a 3,600-mAh battery. So, as techradar suggests, the OnePlus 5 battery size is not a confirmed spec as yet.
Most of all, the focus appears to have been on smoothness of user experience — touch latency, which measures response to touch, and OxygenOS, which prioritises apps based on your usage, are among the parameters co-founder Pete Lau mentioned in a blogpost last month.
It will also come with a 16MP camera — OnePlus had teamed up with DxO in May. It will have Bluetooth 5 support and appears, from leaked photographs, to be in Midnight Black colour.
