OnePlus 8: new leak paints a picture of a real crowd-pleaser

Based on its typical naming and release schedule, it is likely that OnePlus' first flagship of 2020 will be called the 8, and may come with a Pro variant on top of that. A new and comprehensive leak allegedly associated with this putative series has appeared on SlashLeaks, suggesting that the OEM is aiming to appeal to fans of flagship specs with few compromises with the phone in question. This involves a complete volte-face on the company's long-held aversion to including wireless charging and an IP rating.

According to this apparent spec-sheet, which is in Chinese but has also been apparently translated into English, the "OnePlus 8" will have IP53 ingress-protection for the first time in the company's history.

Furthermore, it will have the next-gen LPDDR5 memory that Xiaomi also aims to bring to some 2020 devices, with UFS 3.0 speeds. Wireless charging may be bolstered by the already impressive 5 volt/6 amp Warp Charge 30T standard in this device.

The putative OnePlus 8's 4000mAh battery will also charge via USB type C with 3.1 speeds for data. It may also be destined for dual speakers with "Dolby panoramic sound", and an "ultra-thin optical in-display fingerprint sensor", which could be carried over from the 7T Pro 5G Edition, or another earlier predecessor.

The leak also asserts that this phone will be Snapdragon 865-powered, as might be expected, and will also integrate a 5G modem to boot.  Its leak also suggests the inclusion of an IR blaster or "remote control" as it is characterized, which may hint at something to do with the brand's expansion into the smart TV world.

The "OnePlus 8" is also now rumored to have a 6.44-inch display. It will apparently stick with the FHD+/90Hz spec from the 7. This phone will also apparently remain at the triple-camera stage, which is where this leak starts to fall apart in terms of detail. It asserts a 60+12+16MP setup (along with a 32MP Samsung selfie camera), the main sensor of which is to be the Sony IMX686 - which, as we know from the pre-existing Redmi K30, is in fact 64MP. 

Furthermore, this leak has no other hugely verifiable characteristics, and its English-language translation could indeed be packed with pasted-on details (or misguided Google Lens extrapolations). Its most incredible detail, however, is the pricing found at the bottom of this sheet.

It suggests that the "8" will come in SKUs of 8GB RAM with 128GB of fixed storage, 8/256GB and 12/256GB (although this is hard to make out for sure around the SlashLeaks logo) - which go for 3299, 3599 and 3999 yuan (~US$472, $515 and $572) respectively.

Should this truly be the case, it seems OnePlus' aim in releasing 8-series phones in these configurations is to risk the ire of existing 7- and 7T-series owners out there. However, time will tell for this highly preliminary and suspect leak.