OnePlus 7 release date, price, news and rumors

[sincity]

The OnePlus 7 launch is edging ever closer, with more and more details about the upcoming handset (or is that handsets?) appearing online.

We've rounded up all the OnePlus 7 leaks below, to give you an idea of what you can expect from the firm's next flagship handset, which will compete with the best smartphones – and especially the best Android smartphones – coming out in 2019.

OnePlus has even told us one core feature about its next handset, the OnePlus 7 will likely be one of the first phones to support 5G. But it may not arrive on its own, with rumors pointing to a OnePlus 7 Pro as well as the standard OnePlus 7. 

We should learn more on April 17 as the company has teased it will be announcing something then.

Update: A new leak has detailed many of the possible differences between the OnePlus 7 and the OnePlus 7 Pro. Plus, the OnePlus 7 launch date could be May 14, as multiple sources now say as much.

Below you'll find everything that we've heard so far, and we’ll be sure to add any leaks and rumors on the OnePlus 7 to this page when we hear them. 

• What we've learned about the OnePlus 7 from the OnePlus 5G prototype

Cut to the chase

• What is it? The next numbered phone from OnePlus
• When is it out? Likely mid-2019
• What will it cost? Probably at least $549 / £499 / AU$599

OnePlus 7 release date and price

The OnePlus 7 will probably land sometime in the middle of 2019. The OnePlus 6 was announced on May 16 2018, so a OnePlus 7 launch date of May 2019 is a possibility.

That fits nicely with a OnePlus 7 launch date leak which pegs the device's arrival for May 14. That's a date that we've now heard more than once.

However, the OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 3 arrived in June of their respective years, so June 2019 is also a possible launch period. 

We expect OnePlus to keep with May though, which means a OnePlus 7 release date of May 2019 is also very much on the cards.

There's no word on the OnePlus 7 price, but the OnePlus 6T - the most recent handset from the firm - launched at $549 / £499 / AU$599 and prices have been gradually creeping up since the range began, so we’d expect the OnePlus 7 will cost at least that much if not more.

If you want 5G though you might have to pay more. OnePlus has confirmed that it's working on a 5G phone and while it's not known whether the OnePlus 7 will support 5G, the company's CEO has said that its 5G handset will cost between $200 and $300 more than its next 4G device.

We know the company is working on both a 5G and a 4G phone, but it's not clear whether the 5G phone is a variant or a completely different model. Either way though you should be able to get a OnePlus 4G phone if you're not up for paying that much.

And in the US you might be able to buy it from a carrier for the first time, as this is something OnePlus has said it's looking into, so you might not have to pay the whole cost upfront.

http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/i6uhakXJpzwRK6RRnnXavR.jpg

Image Credit: TechRadar

OnePlus 7 news and rumors

We've seen numerous images seemingly showing the OnePlus 7, with the clearest look coming from the renders below, which show an almost bezel-free screen with a pop-up selfie camera, while the back has a triple-lens camera.

You can also see this design in some renders from a case-maker. The pop-up selfie camera isn't visible, but a cut-out in the cases to make space for it is. These images can be seen below.

That same design was suggested in leaked photos too, some of which show an all-screen design with no visible selfie camera, and one of which shows a raised section slightly above the screen, which could be part of the mechanism for a slide-out camera.

Since then we've seen other photos, but these supposedly show the 'OnePlus 7 Pro', which according to another source is one of three upcoming models - the other two being the OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro 5G.

The photos of the OnePlus 7 Pro can be seen below, showing a curved screen and no top bezel. The images also list the phone as having a 6.67-inch screen, a Snapdragon 855 chipset, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and three cameras, with 48MP, 16MP and 8MP lenses.

http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Ea49b7te2DKWCoCPpdTG4b.jpg

Image Credit: IT station (Weibo)

It seems that all of the images showing a phone with a pop-up camera might actually be the OnePlus 7 Pro though, according to a recent leak, which included renders supposedly showing the standard OnePlus 7.

You can see these below. They look a lot like the OnePlus 6T, with a teardrop notch rather than a pop-up camera and two rather than three rear cameras, though unlike the 6T the flash is inside the camera block, and the screen is apparently 6.2 inches (where the 6T is 6.41).

Since then another source has outlined some of the possible differences between the OnePlus 7 and the OnePlus 7 Pro.

They say that while the OnePlus 7 has a 6.4-inch flat screen, the 7 Pro has a 6.64-inch curved one, and that as the pictures above show the OnePlus 7 has a teardrop notch, while the Pro has a pop-up camera and no notch.

They also say that there are two rear cameras on the OnePlus 7, with one of them being 48MP. The OnePlus 7 Pro also apparently has a 48MP lens, but joined by two others - a telephoto one and an ultra-wide one.

They also mention the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G, which sounds to have the same specs as the standard Pro model, just with 5G on board. That's believable, as the company has previously claimed that it will launch one of the first 5G phones this year. 

The OnePlus 7 isn't named, but that's possibly what they're talking about (though the company's first 5G-capable phone might end up being the next one released, the OnePlus 7T).

Likewise, the company announced it will release the first 5G phone in Europe. OnePlus is partnering with the UK network EE to bring said phone to the UK at some point in 2019.

A prototype of that phone has been shown off, complete with a Snapdragon 855 chipset and what appears to be a 21:9 screen - though elsewhere there are reports that the final device won't have a 21:9 screen, and nor will it have wireless charging.

But it's entirely possible that the OnePlus 7 won't be the 5G-connected phone the company has been talking about. Sources said that the 5G device will be the first in an entirely new line, and another rumor hinted that it may start at $649 (or $100 more than the 6T).

That said, as noted above, more than one source reckons the 5G phone will be called the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G, suggesting it will be a version of the OnePlus 7.

We've also seen possible case renders for the 5G model, which you can see below. We'd take these with a huge side of salt though, as they look more like the OnePlus 6T than most of the OnePlus 7 leaks we're seeing. 

They do look similar to some renders above, supposedly showing the standard OnePlus 7, but we'd expect the 5G model to be more in line with the OnePlus 7 Pro.

Beyond all this, the OnePlus 7 will probably have a glass back, since OnePlus only recently switched to glass with the OnePlus 6 and OnePlus 6T.

It’s likely to also have an alert slider, since previous handsets in the range do, and it’s sure to have the best Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset available - the Snapdragon 855.

The OnePlus 7 is sure to also have loads of RAM. The OnePlus 6T tops out at 8GB and the company has also launched OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition which has 10GB of RAM, so the OnePlus 7 may well match that.

Don’t expect a microSD card slot though based on past form and the screen resolution is very much a question mark – OnePlus has consistently stuck with Full HD resolutions, but that’s feeling ever more dated so sooner or later we’d expect a switch to QHD or higher.

Since the 6T got rid of the headphone jack, it's likely OnePlus won't bring it back for the 7.

What we want to see

We don’t know anything much about the OnePlus 7 yet but based on the OnePlus 6 and what’s going on in the rest of the phone world we know what we want from it.

1. A QHD screen

http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/KYENBUmNsWqjUzFPMWNFTQ.jpg

The OnePlus 6 has a good screen, but it could stand to be sharper

OnePlus always packs its phones full of cutting-edge specs and features, yet it always sticks with a Full HD screen, which isn’t a match for most of the top-end flagships.

That may well be keeping costs down, but it’s time the range made the jump to QHD, especially given that its screens are getting bigger, so we want to see that happen for the OnePlus 7.

2. A microSD card slot

You can get a decent amount of storage in the OnePlus 6 but you don’t get a microSD card slot, so if the amount it ships with isn’t enough you’ll have to start deleting things.

That’s not ideal and while the 256GB top size should be plenty for most people it won’t be for everyone – especially those who plan to pack their phone full of music, films and games. So adding a slot into the OnePlus 7 would be much appreciated.

3. Proper water resistance

http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ebJVCAVvyyquxX8kNkk9qR.jpg

The OnePlus 6 should survive a spill, but we want more of a guarantee from the OnePlus 7

The OnePlus 6 has some water resistance, but it doesn’t have an IP rating. So it should be able to survive a splash if you dry it off quickly but can’t really be put in the water.

Not that we’d advise doing that in general with most phones, but knowing that it would survive if you did – or if you use it in heavy rain - could give some real peace of mind that you don’t get with the OnePlus 6, so we’d like to see this improved for the OnePlus 7.

4. Stereo speakers

The OnePlus 6 has just a single speaker, and its placement at the base of the phone makes it easy to muffle, so we’d like to see it ideally moved and definitely doubled up for the OnePlus 7, with a second speaker allowing for loud stereo sound.

Sure, you’ll probably mostly use headphones anyway, but having a quality speaker setup can make all the difference when you just want to watch a YouTube video or listen to a podcast without plugging in.

5. No notch

http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XzgvekSPBsvEtJcjizER8S.jpg

For the OnePlus 7 we want no notch and no bezels

The OnePlus 6T is one of many recent phones to get a notch, and while it can be hidden if you prefer, what we’d really prefer for the OnePlus 7 is no notch at all.

But we don’t want a return to big bezels either. We’re starting to see phones like the Vivo Nex and Oppo Find X which have almost no bezel at all and we’d like the OnePlus 7 to join them. This isn’t out of the question, especially as Oppo is heavily linked with OnePlus. In fact, current leaks point in this direction.

6. Wireless charging

Despite having a glass back, the OnePlus 6 doesn’t support wireless charging, which seems like a major omission for a flagship phone.

This is probably a cost-cutting measure and, in a sense, seems reasonable, since we doubt wireless charging is a heavily used feature, but it would be nice to have.

7. An in-screen camera

Along with an all-screen design we’d like the OnePlus 7 to have an in-screen camera. Most leaks point in the direction of a pop-up solution, but an in-screen one would be so much more elegant.

We don't think this is likely for the OnePlus 7, but you never know. After all, just such a camera has been rumored for at least one phone.

• Check out our thoughts on the Samsung Galaxy S10

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/ZohU2TDV968