OnePlus will do a Samsung and unveil a full 5G lineup for its upcoming launch

OnePlus aims to offer a complete lineup of 5G smartphones during its upcoming launch event, according to founder and CEO Pete Lau. OnePlus would be the second such OEM this year after Samsung to make the entire lineup 5G compatible. Although the company has been testing 5G since 2016, in 2018, co-founder Carl Pei revealed plans of becoming one of the first smartphone OEMs to offer 5G handsets with the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G. 

Pete Lau said,

This is a milestone both for OnePlus and our users. We’re proud to be among the first smartphone manufacturers to have full 5G line up for our next launch. OnePlus has achieved many firsts with 5G, and this time’s no exception.”

We expect OnePlus to launch three phones this year including the OnePlus 8 Pro, OnePlus 8, and a possible OnePlus Lite. The OnePlus 8 Pro will be the flagship device to watch out for, and it is touted to feature the Snapdragon 865 SoC, a 6.5-inch Quad HD+ 120 Hz display, a quad-camera setup with 60+16+13 MP sensors and a 3D ToF sensor, 8/12 GB RAM, 128/256 GB storage, a 4,500 mAh battery with 50W fast-charging, and a possible IP68 water-resistance, and wireless charging, among others. 

While the specs are definitely great, they seem to suggest OnePlus's increasing drift away from its USP of being an affordable flagship killer. There have been fears that this year's OnePlus 8 Pro may touch the US$1,000 mark given the higher costs of 5G implementation. The OnePlus 7 Pro 5G, for example, costs US$840.

However, in an interview to CNET, Lau assuages such concerns and assures that won't be the case. While the OnePlus 8 Pro will be a premium smartphone, there will be other models that will continue to have more "accessible" prices. 

Of interest here is the purported OnePlus 8 Lite that is expected to be powered by the 5G-capable MediaTek Dimensity 1000 SoC and will keep the price below US$500. It is not exactly clear whether the OnePlus 8 Lite will launch alongside the flagship variants or will have an event of its own. While Lau claims the entire lineup this year will feature 5G, we do not know if the OnePlus 8 Lite would stick to 4G to keep the costs down. 

OnePlus is expected to launch its new lineup sometime mid-April.