What can we expect from the OnePlus 7?

Just a few months after OnePlus 6T’s launch set the budget flagship market abuzz, OnePlus 7 rumors are making the rounds. While there’s no official word from the manufacturer, rendered images and supposed leaks have been sprouting up in China. What’s new? What’s not? What’s missing? All your questions about the leaks & what we can expect from the premium smartphone behemoth One Plus 7: answered.

The OnePlus 6 released in May 2018, while its predecessor shipped in June 2017. The company has a tendency to launch One Plus 7 in that start of the summer window, following the barrage of other Android flagship launches that occur in the spring. As the hype train rolls, expect some hints on the company twitter page.

How much money will it cost?

Given the volatility of the current market, and how one product is enough to cause a segment-wide price disruption, its hard to say what price the One Plus 7 will finally be launched at. From One Plus 1 to One Plus 6, the base asking price of the handset has doubled over the years. The One Plus 7 might also be the first to breach 50,000 rupees mark which the day-one fans don’t seem to stoked about.

Will there be a new design?

Speculation is rife following leaked renders that the phone is coming to market with a pop-up selfie camera module, akin to the Vivo Nex. When you need the front-facing camera, a motorized module pops up to reveal it. OnePlus is expected to avoid a notch and deliver a full-faced screen, but that would mean a compromise on durability and water and dust resistance.

The design on the back is where there is contention. In an image leaked by Ishan Agarwal, the company purportedly shows a new OnePlus handset design at an internal meeting, with CEO Pete Lau apparently in the foreground.

There’s no indication that this is the OnePlus 7 or that this prototype will even see the production line, but it’s a compelling tease of where OnePlus might shift its design philosophy to a large, centralized camera module reminiscent of old Nokia Lumia phones.

Parallel leaked renders showcase a triple-camera design similar to the 6T’s central setup, with the back glass panel following the gradient trend that’s all the range in Chinese markets.

Will there be a new screen panel?

This one seems unlikely. OnePlus keeps resisting the urge to bump the resolution up from 1080p, and given its advantages in battery and processing over a Quad-HD panel, this feature is probably not going to be upgraded soon.

How much processing power will the OnePlus 7 pack?

OnePlus has always turned to Qualcomm for their latest and greatest, and the next on the horizon is the 7nm Snapdragon 855. OnePlus confirmed in a keynote that it will be “one of the first” to use it.

What about the camera sensors?

OnePlus cameras, on recent handsets, have been consistent, if not quite as strong as those seen in the pricey flagships it’s trying to undercut. While there is no clarity on the number of sensors, there’s speculation that OnePlus may introduce a 10x hybrid optical zoom camera on the OnePlus 7, or potentially a later model. Oppo is teasing a 10x zoom for an upcoming phone, and Oppo’s hardware typically informs the OnePlus design given their parent company connection.

Is a 5G-ready OnePlus a possibili-T?

Affirmative! It’s possible that the OnePlus 7 will be one of the first major 5G-compatible phones on the market in 2019… but not the base model. A pricier special edition, even the 7T maybe?

5G networks are scheduled to be set up soon, and OnePlus confirmed at October’s Qualcomm 4G/5G summit that it will be one of the first companies to release a 5G phone. OnePlus showed off a 5G prototype at MWC 2019 enclosed in padding, so that’s a dead end.

Will OnePlus finally introduce wireless charging?

No! This just in from MWC 2019, OnePlus announced that it’s not going to feature wireless charging on the OP7. While this may be seen as a cost-cutting measure, the company claims that it’s inefficient and pales in contrast to its proprietary Warp Charge technology.

The OnePlus 7 is expected to be a major disruptor. The leaks are likely to pile on as we approach launch week, and it will be interesting to see what shapes up the new ‘Flagship Killer’.