The OnePlus 5 hints just keep on coming, provided directly by OnePlus CEO Pete Lau. The latest from the Chinese executive has confirmed the rumors that like the Samsung Galaxy S8 the next OnePlus flagship killer will hit the road will Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 processing chip.
The revelation was hardly a shock as the handset is long-rumored to be powered by SD 835 but Lau held off in providing further details like the exact RAM support that the OnePlus 5 will unbox with. The tack of gradually releasing OP5 teasers appear to be deliberate. As noted by GSM Arena on its report, "This is a very familiar strategy that OnePlus has used before, and with some success - it basically keeps its name in the news week after week."
So it can be expected that more clues will be dropped before the OnePlus 5 becomes official.
Short of the technical details, Lau, however, said the next OnePlus model will certainly be a step up from the previous models in terms of OS behavior. The executive assured that users will have faster and smoother Android experience with the OP5, likely to match the buttery Pure Android rendering that can only be found on Google's Pixel phones.
In a related report, WCCFTech said Qualcomm has affirmed that SD 835 is indeed part of the OnePlus 5 deal with the possibility of RAM support ranging from 6GB RAM to a whopping 8GB RAM. Traditionally, OnePlus handsets exceed the RAM found on previous models and smartphone rivals.
For instance, the GS8 has 4GB RAM when it jumped out of the box so the OP5 is likely to boast of 6GB RAM provision. But since the OnePlus 3T came out with 6GB RAM, the chance is high that an OP5 model will benefit from up to 8GB of RAM support.
Speculations are rife there will be multiple OP5 variants. Leaks have suggested the basic OnePlus 5 will have a 64GB storage capacity with corresponding 6GB RAM while the 128GB model is expected to be paired with 8GB of RAM, all making use of the LPDDR4X memory chip technology.
In the aspect of industrial design, the OnePlus 5 is thought to use the same all-screen profile that was seen with the GS8 but Lau hinted recently that the handset's fingerprint sensor is front-located and likely embedded with a physical control key. That means having a bezel-free front display will be highly unlikely for the OP5.
However, the OnePlus 5 is said to get a glass cover on the rear panel, which indicates that wireless charging is on the list of fresh feature upgrades.
Also listed is a dual camera setting as seen in a leaked photo that showed the vertically arranged rear shooter. This is an assurance that the OP5 will be in the same league with the Apple iPhone 8 and Samsung's Galaxy Note 8 release later in the year.
As for the asking price on release date, confirmed to happen summer of 2017, the latest reports claim the OnePlus 5 will sell starting at $440, debunking the rumors that price tag for the next-generation flagship killer will be no less than $600.