Could it be that the rumored flagship killer OnePlus 4 release will not push through as the device maker will instead work on the slightly bumped OnePlus 3S to replace the OnePlus 3? And rumors have it that the glorious AMOLED display will not be part of the deal.
Reports came out that OnePlus chief Carl Pei has pulled the plug on the OnePlus 3 production but not to build the OnePlus 4. Instead, the company will manufacture a mere iteration of its current flagship that will be marketed as the OnePlus 3S.
And speculations are rife that OnePlus will switch from AMOLED to LCD display due to supply shortage affecting the former. It was alleged too that from the Snapdragon 820 processing chip that powered the OP3, OnePlus will jump to SD 821 to fire up the OnePlus 3S.
Pei, however, dismissed the reports and rumors, according to 9to5Google. Taking on to Twitter, the OnePlus chief declared that AMOLED will remain part of the company's flagship package:
OnePlus will be staying with Optic AMOLED displays for the foreseeable future.
— Carl Pei (@getpeid) October 13, 2016
In a related report, Android Authority said that Pei has admitted that there will be delays in shipping out the OnePlus 3 and the company blamed the insufficient supplies of AMOLED display. Apparently, the material is currently in high demand among smartphone makers that suppliers are not keeping up.
But Android Authority is not convinced that Pei will downgrade the current OnePlus flagship to LCD. The same report also said that it's unthinkable that in reaction to the supply shortage, OnePlus will make the OnePlus 3S with LCD and a slightly enhanced SD 821 out of the blue.
It could be that there will be delays in the upcoming deliveries of the OnePlus 3 but it makes more sense that in building the new version Pei's focus will be on the next big thing - the OnePlus 4. "If OnePlus is thinking successor, it should be the OnePlus 4, not something to take out a mid-stride OP3," the report said.
This early, rumors are circulating that the OnePlus 4 will indeed be the flagship killer to watch for. A redesign of the already luxurious and premium OnePlus look and build is expected with the likelihood of Pei matching the two-model approach now seen with Apple's iPhone, Samsung's Galaxy S and lately Google's Pixel handsets.
If true, the OnePlus 4 on release date will likely unbox in regular and phablet editions with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 830 and up to 8GB RAM serving as the main engine for the flagship killer combo.