OnePlus's First 5G Smartphone Tipped For Q2 2019 Launch
Chinese smartphone makers like Huawei, OnePlus, and Xiaomi are growing rapidly amid a declining smartphone market for the big players like Samsung and Apple. Much of the reason is that Chinese devices have similar hardware and features, for much less money. A perfect example is the Xiaomi Mi 9 smartphone that debuted this week for under $450. OnePlus has new devices coming that are expected to be unveiled at MWC 2019 next week.
As we build up to the show, a new report has surfaced that claims OnePlus will launch a 5G smartphone in Q2 2019, but the report claims that the device won't come to the US. According to USA Today, the prototype 5G OnePlus smartphone is set to be shown off at MWC 2019 next week. Word is that the device will launch first on EE in the UK and on Finnish Carrier Elisa in Q2.
What is known about the device is that it will use the Snapdragon 855 processor and Qualcomm's Snapdragon X50 5G modem. Those two bits of hardware are expected to turn up in just about every many flagship devices this year. Many smartphone makers see 5G as their first big opportunity to get smartphone users, who are holding onto old devices for longer than ever, to upgrade their device. The problem right now is that 5G networks aren't widely available.
When 5G networks are rolled out, users will be able to surf the internet faster, stream video in higher quality without buffering, and play online mobile games with less latency. OnePlus is planning devices for the U.S. market that do support 5G technology. As for the 5G prototype device that will be shown at MWC 2019, OnePlus does reportedly have a 4G LTE version of that device in the works, which could be the rumored OnePlus 7.
