The OnePlus 3 is here and it is proving a popular choice with punters, but how can OnePlus improve on it with 2017’s OnePlus 5?
OnePlus, despite its humble beginnings, is one of the most prominent brands in the Android space. What’s even more impressive is that the company has achieved global recognition in the space of three years, which is immensely impressive when you consider the costly barriers to entry and competitive nature of the mobile space at large.
Things kicked off with the OnePlus One and OnePlus’ infamous invite system. The company established itself using limited funds and by focussing on community building and covert, targeted marketing on popular social networks. OnePlus apparently spent less than $30,000 doing this and the net result was immensely impressive — in a matter of months EVERYBODY knew about them.
Since then, OnePlus has grown and grown, refining its business, developing its own software and, mercifully, moved away from its invite-system. The OnePlus 3 was the first flagship handset from the company to be available to ALL, not just those lucky enough to blag an invite, which is sign that OnePlus, not just as a brand, but as a corporate entity, is evolving beyond its embryonic start-up phase.
As is the case with Apple, Samsung and Google, once a current flagship is official, all eyes turn to what’s next. In this context, we’re talking about the OnePlus 4 which will now almost certainly be in testing. But what will this handset bring to the fray? How will it develop on the momentum established by the OnePlus 3? And, most importantly, how will it innovate?
The rise of OnePlus’ global brand has been rapid and very impressive. Even more so when you factor in the constrained budget the company has operated under since day one.
Often referred to as the natural heir to Google’s Nexus phone niche, OnePlus will almost certainly be looking to drive above and beyond this in 2017, making itself one of the mobile space’s most visible and recommended brands.
OnePlus competes on pricing. In this respect it has few equals, particularly at the top of the market. Yes, there are plenty of cheaper Android phones available but none have the brand appeal, specs and overall sheen of OnePlus’ releases.
For this reason – and a whole bunch more – OnePlus is now very much one of the most important brands in the Android phone space.
OnePlus 5 Release Date: When You'll Be Able To Buy The OnePlus 5
When will the OnePlus 5 get a release date? Good question. As it stands, no one really knows anything official as of right now.
However, based on past releases, we’re pretty confident the OnePlus 5 will arrive at some point during H2 2017. This has been when OnePlus usually releases new hardware and we don’t expect the OnePlus 5 to be any different.
Current rumours suggest a release at some point between either May and July. This gives OnePlus a chance to miss clashing with all of Samsung, HTC and LG’s big releases which usually happen inside Q1 of each new year.
Competition will be stiff inside the Android space this year with big releases from all the major players. The biggest will likely by the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Samsung Galaxy Note 8, closely followed by the LG G6 and HTC 11.
Apple, of course, will debut its new iPhone 8 handsets towards the end of the year, leaving OnePlus a nice, quiet spot during the early summer to get its new handset out.
OnePlus 4 MIGHT Be Called OnePlus 5
Well, one of the first things to get out of the way is the name – it might not be called the OnePlus 4. According to reports, OnePlus might skip the number four and go straight through to five. Why? Simple: in China the number four is a sign of bad luck. And OnePlus doesn’t want any of that.
This means the OnePlus 4 will probably be called the OnePlus 5, though the rumoured specs, hardware and changes will all be the same. Why is OnePlus being all superstitious? Unclear at present; plenty of Chinese brands have released phones with the number four in their name – Oppo and Xiaomi, for instance.
Also: this isn't 100% official just yet either, so hold your horses before switching from OnePlus 4 to OnePlus 5 in your head. However, one aspect of this rumour which does add weight to Phone Radar’s claims is that the company that owns OnePlus – BBK Electronics – also makes electronics under the Vivo brand and the more savvy among you will know the Vivo V4 never came to market. Instead we got the Vivo V3 and the Vivo V5.
Whatever happens in the end, the handset will still be a progression on from the OnePlus 3T and that’s what is most important. Below we’ve isolated five key points we’re looking forward to on next year’s OnePlus flagship release.
OnePlus 5 Release Date & Specs: Display
I don’t have a problem with 1080p displays at all. Hell, my daily driver at present is an iPhone SE (don’t judge me). But in the Android space, display technology has got very impressive in the past 12 months and leading the charge is Samsung with its amazing AMOLED technology which just keeps on getting better and better.
I’d like to see OnePlus up its game in this respect because A) the OnePlus 3’s panel wasn’t exactly great; the colour reproduction is very squiffy, and B) it’s high time OnePlus joined the ranks of EVERYBODY else and outfitted its handset with a QHD panel. Hell, even BlackBerry has done it with the PRIV. And while QHD isn’t ESSENTIAL on a phone, I believe the OnePlus 4 will almost certainly feature a QHD AMOLED panel.
And the logic as to why is simple: as OnePlus gets bigger and more well known, Android fans, that are keen on specs, are going to start asking questions — questions like, why doesn’t it have as good a display at the Galaxy S7? OnePlus needs to be able to answer these questions if it is to grow and prosper because regardless of your preferences the Android space is still very much governed by The Specs Race.
OnePlus 5 Release Date & Specs: Overall Design
2017 is going to be an interesting year because two of the biggest players in the space — Apple and Samsung — are apparently coming to town with two vastly different handsets; Apple with the iPhone Pro, which will apparently feature a curved OLED panel, and Samsung with the Galaxy X — a completely flexible handset that will pack in a 4K flexible OLED display.
Make no mistake: if this happens, things will be very different. Other OEMs will be forced to think on their feet and adapt quickly. What we’re potentially looking at here, especially with the Galaxy X, is similar to what happened way back in 2007 with the first all-touch smartphones — an entirely new form-factor and look for topflight smartphones.
For this reason, I’d like to see OnePlus shake up its design language and do something a little special. I’m not saying rewrite the playbook on how phones should look, but something, well, a little more exciting than a slight physical rehash of what came before.
OnePlus 5 Release Date & Specs: Specs & Hardware
The main rumour is that it'll feature a ceramic bodyshell made by the same firm which created the Xiomi Mi Mix's ceramic exterior - previously the OnePlus X was launched as a limited run model which also featured a ceramic build. It's believed, according to PhoneRadar's sources, that the OnePlus 5 will arrive in 2017's second quarter (April-June), while specs are pegged thusly:
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor
- 6GB RAM
- 5.5in QHD AMOLED display
OnePlus has had a very impressive 2016 so far. The company’s OnePlus 3 has sold very well and, from out of nowhere, the company released a modified version of the handset just six months after its release in the form of the OnePlus 3T.
The OnePlus 3T replaced the OnePlus 3 and adds in a bunch of improvements over its predecessor, such as a larger battery and Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 821 CPU.
It wasn’t a MASSIVE update, more an iPhone 6s-style update on what came before. OnePlus is charging $40 more for this handset but when you consider the bump in battery performance and overall performance and the already low asking price for the OnePlus 3, this is hardly a big ask of consumers.
OnePlus has made a name for itself by providing Android fans with excellent hardware sold well below the usual price bracket of modern flagships. In this respect, the company is sort of the natural heir to Google’s Nexus line of phones, which are no longer being made.
Oppo (owned by OnePlus’ parent company) and Xiaomi have similar approaches to mobile but these brands are, for the most part, exclusive to China. This could change in 2017, however, as reports suggest Xiaomi is eyeing an expansion into the US during 2017.
Until then, however, OnePlus is kind of a rule unto itself; nobody is making handsets this good at these prices and we don’t see that strategy changing anytime soon, so expect more of the same – with regard to pricing and specs – for next year’s OnePlus 5.
Another persistent rumour about the OnePlus 4 is that it will be the first Android phone to ship with 8GB of RAM. This rumour has been doing the rounds on the web and on social networks, however, as of right now it is pretty much unfounded. OnePlus does have pedigree with respect to shipping high amounts of RAM inside its smartphone, but 8GB is A LOT even by 2016’s standards.
OnePlus 5 Release Date & Specs: More Models?
I admit, doing ALL of these things would hike the price up. But here’s a solution: why not make more than one handset? Apple does. Ditto Samsung. In this context, OnePlus certainly has room for expansion; it could make a more expensive option that’s decked out with all the latest and greatest features, charge more, and then, if it tanks, not bother doing it again in 2018.
OnePlus 5 Release Date & Specs: Something Unique
Which brings me to my last point: doing something unique. Up to today, OnePlus’ MO has been simple: make great phones at a great price. This is a good model and one it should 100% stick to.
BUT that’s not to say it should be scared of trying something new like releasing a higher-specced handset. Just look at the success Samsung has had with its Note range. Everybody laughed when that handset first landed because it was a risky move.
I’d love to see OnePlus do something similar in 2017 alongside the OnePlus 4.
How would you like to see OnePlus develop things in 2017/18?
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