The rumours are in full swing regarding the next OnePlus smartphone lineup. While we have already seen the leaked renders of OnePlus 8 series, there’s still something the company has up its sleeves. If you remember our report from few weeks ago, we divulged about a rumoured third smartphone from OnePlus coming this year. Apparently, this smartphone is supposed to be a budget phone and not a “flagship killer” as we have come to know from the company.
Rumours also suggested that the smartphone will be called OnePlus 8 Lite, which could lay in the mid-range or upper mid-range segment. however, there are some additional reports that give us more clarity, and the company may announce this smartphone as “OnePlus Z”.
The source referred to it as "OnePlus Z" and said the hardware matched the previous OnePlus 8 Lite render. https://t.co/zB5PN9nQjW
— Max Weinbach (@MaxWinebach) March 28, 2020
Two of the prominent names in the tech industry, Max Weinbach and Ishan Agarwal, known for their leaks have said that OnePlus Z could the branding of OnePlus’ next affordable smartphone.
Indeed! The cheaper #OnePlus phone that will be launching later this year may come under a new "OnePlus Z" Series. Let's wait and watch. #OnePlusZ https://t.co/cXJmm29mRt
— Ishan Agarwal (@ishanagarwal24) March 28, 2020
This is not the first time that OnePlus has attempted to launch an affordable phone. They earlier launched the OnePlus X, however, with its issues, the phone never really caught on.
However, OnePlus hopes that OnePlus Z will become a tremendous hit in the industry because they now have much more control over their “OxygenOS” then they had earlier with CyanogenMod during the OnePlus X days. Also, the report mentions that OnePlus Z’s hardware, is same as what we have seen from previous reports.
Therefore, the device will come with 5G support thanks to a MediaTek Dimensity 1000 SoC inside the device that is powerful enough to power a mid-range device. It is also known that the device will have a 90Hz refresh rate display as OnePlus has committed to all its phones have at least a 90Hz panel from late last year.
Also, the main reason of OnePlus Z’s existence is that it will be cheaper than the OnePlus 8 series and it is expected that this could be OnePlus’ answer to the rumoured Apple iPhone 9 which is expected to start at $400. So it is expected that the OnePlus Z will also start at around the same price tag.
At the moment, we don’t know if OnePlus Z will be a single phone or a series like the iPhone 9 series which will have an iPhone 9 and an iPhone 9 Plus variant. It seems clear that since OnePlus smartphone has gotten pricier over time from the OnePlus One days, the company wants to target customers in the same price range once again with the OnePlus Z which might not be a true flagship but should be enough to give a close-to-stock experience for its customers.
