OnePlus 4/OnePlus 5: News and rumors

Why it matters to you

OnePlus has a history of launching stellar phones at reasonable prices and it seems likely that its next offering will be no different.

It seems like it was only yesterday that OnePlus, the Chinese smartphone maker with a dedicated following, released the latest flagship in its eponymous series: The OnePlus 3T. But rumor has it that a brand-new model is on the horizon. It might be called the OnePlus 4, or even the OnePlus 5.

Here’s everything we know about it so far.

Pricing and availability

When will the next OnePlus phone arrive? The company hasn’t stuck to a traditional annual release schedule, updating the OnePlus 3 to the OnePlus 3T after around six months, meaning its current phone isn’t really out-of-date. However, until the OnePlus 3T’s arrival in November 2016, OnePlus launched phones in April 2014, July 2015, and June 2016. This suggests a launch may happen during the summer of 2017, although no announcements have been made.

At the beginning of May, OnePlus made a post on its official Weibo account saying the team didn’t take time off over the Chinese holiday period at the start of the month, because it’s working on a, “big surprise.” The message was also posted by OnePlus CEO Pete Lau on his own Weibo account. Nothing was specifically mentioned regarding a new phone, but there’s a better than average chance it may be the unnamed surprise.

Assuming the OnePlus 4’s pricing is in line with its predecessors, it will retail between $400 and $500. The OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T launched at $400 and $440, respectively.

Camera and battery

The phone reportedly won’t disappoint in the camera department and we now have some proof to back up that claim. Images were recently leaked that were reportedly taken by the OnePlus 5, or a device with the model number OnePlus A5000. The images do not show all that much, but the EXIF data for the images shows that they were taken in Shenzen, China, which makes sense considering OnePlus is based there. Of course, it is possible to fake EXIF data. The images were leaked by True Tech and you can see two of them below.

It’s expected to sport a 23-megapixel main camera (up from 16-megapixels on the OnePlus 3T and OnePlus 3) with an LED flash and 16-megapixel front camera for selfies. This isn’t certain, and a Chinese rumor report mentions a dual-lens camera mounted vertically on the back of the phone, again with 23-megapixels.

A 3,000mAh or 4,000mAh battery may be used to power the phone.It’s highly likely to support the company’s Dash Charge technology, which can charge the battery to 60 percent capacity in just 30 minutes. The base OnePlus 4 or OnePlus 5 will reportedly pack 64GB of storage and have a USB Type-C port.

Design

The OnePlus 4’s design officially remains a mystery, but reports suggest it will adopt an all-glass, curved aesthetic in the style of the Samsung’s Galaxy S8’s dual-edge panel. Our first possible look at the phone came in late April, when a render was published by India Today, based on eyewitness reports from those who claim to have seen the device. At this stage it’s impossible to judge its accuracy, and the accompanying report does say the final design hasn’t been settled on yet, so it may change before release.

India Today

Although the shape of the phone doesn’t give much away, there’s a definite curve to the sides, and the antenna bands are fully hidden in this render. However, the most striking change to previous models is the addition of a dual-lens camera setup. This has been rumored before, and it is one of the hottest smartphone trends around, so adding it to the OnePlus phone wouldn’t a huge surprise. The render shows a black device, which has appeared on a list of options for the phone in a previous rumor. It was joined by white, gold, blue, and a ceramic finish.

Despite the rumored glass design, GizBot reports that the OnePlus 4 will be more durable than its predecessor. It’s said to be IP68 rated against water and dust exposure, or safe in up to 1.5m of water for 30 minutes.

Specs and screen

The next OnePlus phone is shaping up to be a veritable heavyweight. A report from China says the phone will use the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, which has been introduced initially in the Samsung Galaxy S8, and will become more widely available over the next few months. This follows another rumor, from Android Headlines, also indicating the phone will use Qualcomm’s cutting-edge chip.

The same report states the next OnePlus phone will use an AMOLED screen with a curved edge, similar to the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. Some reports suggest it’ll measure 5.5-inches and have a 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution. Rumors originating from China agree, and also mention a bezel-less screen, much like the new Galaxy S8. The fingerprint sensor may be relocated to the back of the phone too.

One rumor pegs the OnePlus 3T sequel as having a whopping 8GB of RAM, besting the previous 6GB found inside the OnePlus 3. It’s not out of the question — the Asus ZenFone AR packs 8GB of RAM, and Samsung unveiled a 10nm 8GB LPDDR4 module in October.

Name

OnePlus might skip the “4” for “5.” India Today reports that the next OnePlus flagship will be called the OnePlus 5 rather than the OnePlus 4, because the number 4 is considered unlucky in Chinese culture.

Article originally published in April 2017. Updated on 05-03-2017 by Andy Boxall: Added talk of a big surprise being worked on by OnePlus.