Will the OnePlus 4 release date happen at all or at the very least delayed as rumors continue to swirl that instead of building the next flagship killer in 2017, the device maker will roll out an iteration of the OnePlus 3 that will be called OnePlus 3T or a turbo version of the latest model?
In a report, Phone Radar said that the follow up to the OnePlus 3 will not be necessarily the OnePlus 4. Instead, OnePlus might release a boosted version of the former that in recent rumors have been labeled as either the OnePlus 3S or OnePlus 3 Plus. Essentially, what will be unpacked soon is a turbo-charged version of OnePlus' 2016 flagship killer.
And Phone Radar is convinced that the handset will unbox as the OnePlus 3T. It is likely too that work on the device has been wrapped up as a leaked device hit Weibo, China's most popular microblogging site, that points to a newly certified OnePlus handset bearing the model number A3010.
The same post appears to indicate that unboxing is scheduled to happen real soon. And the "OnePlus 3T that will be launched in the next few weeks will also feature the same or improved Optic AMOLED display which was first seen on OnePlus 3," Phone Radar reported.
The OnePlus 3T boasting of AMOLED display is in line with the recent announcement by company CEO Carl Pei that "OnePlus will be staying with Optic AMOLED displays for the foreseeable future." Despite OnePlus' admissions that AMOLED is currently in short supply, favoring it over LCD seems the right direction as the former offers more efficient use of battery power and improved display contrast.
And to live up to its name as the turbo incarnation of the OnePlus 3, the immediate sequel will be fired up by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 821 SoC or the upgraded version of the Snapdragon 820. Specifically, SD 821 will clock at top speed of 2.4GHz compared to the 820's 2.15GHz.
There was no mention in the report on RAM provision but the OnePlus 3 came out in editions with 6GB RAM that likely the 3T will replicate. But the likelihood of OnePlus 3T with 8GB RAM is not totally being ruled out.
As rumors persist that the OnePlus 3T release date will push back or cancel the issuance of the OnePlus 4, fans of the flagship killer are unlikely to be disappointed as the 3T is expected to impress with the same premium build and high-end specs but with affordable price tag. Android 7 Nougat, layered by Oxygen OS, will run the show.