We may finally know exactly when the OnePlus 8 series will be announced
Leaked OnePlus 8 Pro render
At the same time, rumors have been swirling for a little while of a possible change in the Chinese outfit's traditional release schedule, and a "source close to the company" tells TechRadar India that the OnePlus 8 series will indeed go official earlier than you may have expected. While noted Twitter leaker Ishan Agarwal shared some inside information calling for a "launch in late March or April" about a month ago, this hot new report further narrows down the OnePlus 8 timeline.
Mid-April global announcement?
If TechRadar's anonymous sources prove accurate, the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro will see daylight in the "second week of April." That's a little over a month away, mind you, not to mention it would only be roughly six months after the October 10 launch of the exceptionally well-reviewed OnePlus 7T Pro last year.
Leaked OnePlus 8 render
Perhaps most notably, an April 9 or so announcement event would come less than 11 months after the May 14 launch of the OnePlus 7 and 7 Pro, which arrived almost exactly one year on the heels of the OnePlus 6. Going back further in time, we should probably highlight the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 5 were unveiled in June 2016 and 2017 respectively, while the OnePlus 2 broke cover in July 2015.
So, no, it's not entirely surprising to hear the company is planning to further move up its release schedule for the first half of the year, and although the mid-April tip specifically concerns India, recent history indicates a global announcement will likely follow shortly or take place at the exact same time. Also based on recent history, we can expect the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro to go on sale around the world within days of officially breaking cover, but there are a couple of things a little trickier to predict this year.
Designs, specs, Lite model, and Verizon availability
We can't be absolutely certain the company's first mid-range handset since 2015's OnePlus X will be joining the high-end OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro to the mid-April launch event, but at least for the time being, that seems like a relatively safe bet.
Meanwhile, it's pretty much etched in stone that the OnePlus 8 Lite will adopt a modern hole punch design, triple rear-facing camera system, and a flat display measuring around 6.4 inches in diagonal and most likely sporting a blazing fast 90Hz refresh rate. That doesn't sound very "lite", which is why we're not quite sure that's how the affordable device will be branded after all.
Leaked OnePlus 8 Lite render
Another big question mark is when might the OnePlus 8 5G be released on America's largest wireless network. Verizon's support for a 5G-enabled OnePlus phone is obviously a huge deal, following in the footsteps of the company's multiple partnerships with T-Mobile of late.
The OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro are largely expected to share the same super-premium design language, as well as a state-of-the-art Snapdragon 865 processor, and perhaps most importantly, a 120Hz "fluid" display. Of course, the 8 Pro is tipped to offer a little extra screen real estate compared to its non-Pro sibling, as well as a larger battery, a fourth rear shooter, top-notch water resistance, and wireless charging.
The latter two features have headlined many wishlists of hardcore OnePlus fans for a number of years now, so it's definitely nice to see the company willing to finally adapt to industry standards and respond to user feedback.
Then again, it remains to be seen if people will also be happy with the inevitable price hike of the feature-packed OnePlus 8 Pro. By the way, there are no guarantees on that front just yet, although most predictions so far circle the $450 mark for the OnePlus 8 Lite, with the "regular" OnePlus 8 and the unapologetically high-end 8 Pro forecasted to start at around $550 and $700 respectively.
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