Alleged OnePlus 7 Leak Points To Notch-Less Display And Slider Design

When Apple unveiled its first iPhone X in 2017, iPhone (and Android) fans around the world let out a collective gasp as they witnessed the next stage of smartphone design: the infamous "notch." From the get-go, notched designs seemed forced, especially when countless Android manufacturers jumped on the bandwagon seemingly instantaneously, as if major display manufacturers were behind the design trend.

Today, Android smartphone vendors seem to have improved their notch smarts, with OnePlus being one of the best examples of how to make a good notch that doesn't stand out. On the OnePlus 6, the notched OP generation began with a modest footprint (and respectable "notch control"), while the OnePlus 6T follow-up whittled away as much of the notch as possible, leaving only the camera inside of a teardrop.

If new leaks prove true, then the next OnePlus flagship is going to shake things up again. As you can see in the shot below, the alleged One Plus 7 on the left has no notch at all, and that void doesn't revert us to the bezel of old - it's just simply gone.

Unfortunately, this is the only view of the alleged OnePlus 7 that exists, so like usual, almost everything of importance is going to be left to speculation. With the notch completely removed, it does seem plausible that the phone will have a slide-out camera, a design which is not seen often. That's probably for a reason, and that reason is likely durability.

It's difficult to tell from just this one photo, but the glare on this alleged OnePlus 7 makes the screen look curved, which would be a great option for those who happen to like the design. This next phone would also likely include Qualcomm's upcoming Snapdragon 855 SoC, which as we found out last month should deliver a big increase to CPU and GPU performance (and not to mention efficiency).

On the topic of Snapdragon, it's not clear at this point if the OnePlus 7 would sport new 5G tech, but if previous rumor also proves correct, it won't. Instead, a dedicated model separate from the mainline numbering system would be released. What we are confident of is that such 5G phones will carry a premium, which is painful, but not surprising given the new technology.