The OnePlus 6T isn’t exactly old, but it’s definitely time to look ahead to the upcoming OnePlus 7. Or rather, three new OnePlus phones in the 7 range, if you include the upcoming OnePlus 5G phone and believe the prevalent rumors that we’ll be seeing a “Pro” version of the OnePlus 7 for the first time.
But whether or not those rumors prove true, new OnePlus phones always carry high expectations. With flagship-level specifications and good looks — paired with a price tag that’s decidedly not flagship — OnePlus phones have become something of a love affair for many. While OnePlus phones have been getting more expensive, the fact is that they’re still far cheaper than other flagship phones out there, making the upcoming OnePlus 7 range even more exciting. Here’s everything we know about the OnePlus 7.
Display
The display is often not the subject of much speculation before a phone’s release — at least as long as it’s not packing anything spectacular under the hood. We know the basics about the upcoming OnePlus range’s displays. Rumors say the OnePlus 7 Pro will come with a massive 6.67-inch OLED display with an in-display fingerprint scanner and no notch. Instead, the selfie camera will apparently be contained in a mechanically powered slider, which means the display encompasses almost the entire front of the device. The OnePlus 7 is assumed to come with a similar setup, just with a smaller screen size.
What’s more interesting though, is that the OnePlus 7 Pro apparently has an extremely high-quality OLED display. Even though the phone hasn’t been officially revealed yet, DisplayMate has already had a chance to test the OnePlus 7 Pro, and has revealed that the phone’s display has been awarded the highest A+ grade.
DisplayMate's in-depth Lab Tests of the OnePlus 7 Pro OLED Display have just been completed, earning our Highest A+ Display Rating. Our in-depth Display Shoot-Out will be published here on May 14.
— DisplayMate Tech (@DisplayMate) April 29, 2019
This rating puts the OnePlus 7 Pro in the same lofty territory as the Samsung Galaxy S10, which recently received DisplayMate’s all-time top rating. However, we won’t know exactly how OnePlus’s new phone shakes up against Samsung’s latest until May 14, when the phone is officially revealed. However, we can sure the display will be a stunner.
Price and release date
Turns out, the leaks were correct — OnePlus will unveil the OnePlus 7 Pro on May 14. Not only that, but the company will be holding launch events for the phone around the world, with the largest event set to be in New York. If you’re interested in heading to one of the events for yourself, you’ll be able to get a ticket at a discounted price of $20 starting on April 25, but only for 48 hours. After the 48 hours is up, prices will rise, though we don’t yet know exactly how much.
There are four OnePlus 7 Pro launch events in total. The first is at Pier 94 in New York, and it starts at 11 a.m. ET on May 14. The next is at Printworks in London, and it starts at 4 p.m. BT on May 14. Next up is an event at BIEC in Bangalore, India, which starts at 8:15 p.m. IT on May 14. Last but not least is an event at Yanqi Lake, in Beijing, China. It begins at 2 p.m. PT on May 16. Thankfully, if you can’t attend an event you’ll still be able to watch the unveiling thanks to livestreams on OnePlus’ YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook accounts.
Interestingly, OnePlus only noted the OnePlus 7 Pro in its announcement of the events. We’re not sure if that means that there will only be one OnePlus 7 phone, the OnePlus 7 Pro, or the OnePlus 7 Pro is simply the flagship in a series of OnePlus 7 devices.
As far as pricing goes, the OnePlus 6T came in at around $550, so it’s likely the OnePlus 7 range will start at around that price as well, though a price bump is likely. Giztop lists the OnePlus 7 at $569.
Camera
Past OnePlus phones have sported strong cameras, even if they’ve never usually been up to the standard of the top flagships. It seems OnePlus is looking to up its game though, with the addition of triple-lens cameras to both the OnePlus 7 and the OnePlus 7 Pro.
The leaked image reportedly from a OnePlus 7 Pro’s About phone page shows what we can expect from that variant’s camera suite. A 48-megapixel main lens is joined by a 16-megapixel lens, and a third 8-megapixel lens. Details on the specifics of the lenses aren’t known at the moment, but it’s likely the second lens is a wide-angle lens of some sort, while the final 8-megapixel lens is most likely to be a 2x telephoto zoom lens.
The OnePlus 7 has a slightly different triple-lens setup, if Giztop’s store page is to be believed. That listing claims the OnePlus 7 will come with a 48-megapixel primary lens, joined by a 20-megapixel secondary lens, and a 5-megapixel tertiary lens. The pop-up selfie camera is also listed as 16 megapixels. It seems odd that OnePlus would pack the more powerful version of the phone with an inferior secondary lens though, so it may be advisable to take that listing with a pinch of salt for now.
Design
What will the OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro look like? It now looks certain OnePlus will adopt a new look for its newest range, and that new design seems set to use a mechanism to hide the front camera, allowing for both phones to rock a full-screen display without a notch. We have seen this approach on the Honor Magic 2, and the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3, and also on the Vivo Nex S.
The latest renders showcasing this look come from Slashleaks contributor Sudhanshu Ambhore, who posted a series of tweets containing renders from a case manufacturer. It shows a stunning display that covers the entire front of the phone, with an extremely slim bezel running along the bottom. There are holes along the bottom of the case for the SIM card tray, USB-C port, and speaker. The headphone jack is still gone, as it has been since the OnePlus 6T. The back of the phone shows a vertically stacked triple-lens camera. Giztop’s store listing claims the AMOLED display will be 6.5 inches.
Interesting to note is the addition of a large hole in the top of the case — which allows the mechanically rising selfie camera to operate, even with a case on.
OnePlus 7 rendered from all angles by case maker.
1/2#OnePlus #OnePlus7 pic.twitter.com/9lR33XCm74— Sudhanshu Ambhore (@Sudhanshu1414) April 3, 2019
It seems the OnePlus 7 Pro will mirror this design for the most part, but will add rounded edges in the same style as Samsung’s Galaxy range. We saw a snapshot of this design in a leaked pair of pictures from the social media site Weibo. Captured by the picture of the specs identifying this phone as the OnePlus 7 Pro, the phone sports rounded edges, and a stunning design with almost no bezel around the display. It also confirms the phone will sport a massive 6.67-inch AMOLED display, making it the slightly larger of the two phones.
This also makes it likely the renders posted earlier in the year show the OnePlus 7 Pro, rather than the OnePlus 7.
The render came at around the same time a case render was also leaked, which concurred with the vertical, central camera layout seen above, and has a cutout for the pop-up camera module, too.
Before all this, an image published by SlashLeaks, showed two phones in a plastic casing, one with a “slider” mechanism that’s closed, and the other with it open. Cutouts for the camera and its sensors rise above the screen and speaker.
Specifications
OnePlus puts most of the latest and greatest components into its devices, so what can we expect from the OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro?
Thanks to leaked images from Chinese social media site Weibo we have a fairly strong idea of what to expect from the OnePlus 7 Pro. According to the image, that variant will come with the Snapdragon 855, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage.
The Snapdragon 855’s addition is unsurprising, as OnePlus CEO Pete Lau confirmed that processor at Qualcomm’s annual Snapdragon Summit. Previous leaks had also suggested the phone range would have either 8GB or 12GB of RAM, and it’s possible both variants will come with options for 8GB and 12GB. The same source — an online retailer — states the phone will have a 4,000mAh battery with fast charging, and a choice of 128GB or 256GB of storage space.
The phone won’t have wireless charging though, according to OnePlus CEO Pete Lau at MWC 2019. Lau said wireless charging is an inferior version of cable charging, and isn’t something OnePlus is looking to implement. OnePlus prides itself on its fast cable charging, and boasts of being able to refill 50 percent of a battery in just 20 minutes.
Updated on April 29, 2019: The OnePlus 7 Pro has been awarded DisplayMate’s highest rating for display quality.