Pete Lau Confirms ‘Fast Smoooth’ OnePlus 7 With Innovative Display, 5G Variant
There is quite a bit of hype surrounding the OnePlus 7 family that is now right around the corner, and OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has added to it by talking up the display technology on the higher end variant of the two models that will be released. According to Lau, the OnePlus 7 Pro will not only be fast, but exceptionally smooth.
It is easy to confuse those two things, but they are not the same. The OnePlus 7 Pro will be fast because, barring a curve ball, it is likely to wield a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor. It's also rumored to have 10GB of RAM (up from 6GB on the regular OnePlus 6). But as Lau notes in a teaser posted to Twitter, "Smooth is more challenging than fast—a true test of hardware and software."
Excited to share the next product from OnePlus will unleash a new era of Fast and Smooth. Especially Smooth! Smooth is more challenging than Fast - a true test of hardware and software.
— Pete Lau (@petelau2007) April 17, 2019
The new product is just beautiful - I can't wait for you to see it! 😬✨ pic.twitter.com/yPU9sEbeIv
What he alludes to is a higher refresh rate than the 60Hz that is found on most smartphones. While he was unwilling to get into specifics, Lau told The Verge that the display on the OnePlus 7 Pro costs three times as much as the displays on previous models.
"The first time I saw it myself, I was stunned," Lau said. He added that the display on the OnePlus 7 Pro will be "super smooth and very crisp."
There have been rumors of OnePlus going with a screen that has a 90Hz refresh rate, and that seems plausible, given the recent hype. If that comes to pass, the OnePlus 7 Pro will match the refresh rate of ASUS's ROG Phone. The ROG Phone was purpose built for gaming (it's an excellent all-around Android phone as well), the same of which is true of Razer's first and second generation smartphones, both of which boast a 120Hz refresh rate.
Lau also confirmed that the faster display will only be on the OnePlus 7 Pro, and not the regular OnePlus 7, along with 5G connectivity on the higher end model. These are high end features for sure, but also expensive ones, and those costs will obviously be passed on to the consumer. In fact, the regular OnePlus 7 will be more expensive than the OnePlus 6T, while the Pro model will encroach on pricing territory occupied by phones like Samsung's Galaxy S10 and Apple's iPhone XS.
This is interesting, because OnePlus has built a following by championing flagship features at lower prices than the competition. Will buyers be receptive of another jump in price, and potentially a big one for the OnePlus 7 Pro? Lau and company are betting they will.
