OnePlus has been doing a solid job hyping its next handset without delivering much in the way of actual information about the thing. On June 20, the company will finally debut the phone to the world, in a customarily idiosyncratic fashion, offering up “popup” events at locations around the globe to show it off in person.
OnePlus has never been above a good launch gimmick, a part of the company’s DNA that stems from its early days of invite-only devices, which it finally ditched around this time last year with the arrival of the OnePlus 3 (itself launched with a VR-streamed keynote). But the hardware maker has really distinguished itself by delivering flagship quality products at a low price, a defining characteristic since it first arrived out of nowhere in 2014.
Details are pretty few and far between, though the company has confirmed that it’s skipping the number 4 and going straight to the OnePlus 5 (which will hopefully have better results than when Samsung last skipped a number). A few weeks back it also revealed that the device will feature the Snapdragon 835, the same processor found on flagships like the Galaxy S8.
OnePlus has also acknowledge a partnership with DxO to improve the handset’s camera, and some recent leaks point to the company adding its name to the growing list of phones with dual-cameras. Other speculation involves an even beefier battery and more RAM, both longtime selling points on OnePlus devices.
The device’s actual pricing has been the subject of some debate ahead of launch. Some rumors point to a decent hike on that front – probably a bad move, given that high quality at a low price point is part of what has helped the company rise the ranks so quickly among increased competition from fellow Chinese smartphone makers.
One thing OnePlus has managed to do well, in the meantime, is maintain an open channel with its intensely loyal fanbase. Co-founder Carl Pei has used the company’s message boards and social media like Twitter to gauge users’ interest in various features, like the slowly disappearing headphone jack (that was overwhelmingly pro-jack, by the way).
Hopefully it will be able to maintain that magic balance between requested features and a low entrance fee.