OnePlus launched its flagship smartphone, OnePlus 3, in June and it took the world by storm. Now, reports suggest that the company is planning to release an upgraded version of the phone, code named OnePlus 3T, by the end of the year
OnePlus 3 has been enjoying a successful run in the market and, with Google stopping the production of its Nexus smartphone series and Samsung pulling the plug on its defective Note 7 phones, it is among the flagship phones expected to fill the supply gap.
The newer version is likely to have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor which will be an upgrade over the Snapdragon 820 in OnePlus 3. The Snapdragon 821 chip is already being used in most new flagships such as Google Pixel and Pixel XL, and even in some of the new mid-range phones such as the Lenovo Z2 Plus. OnePlus 3 already boasts of a 6 GB RAM, so the upgraded version should be significant performance-wise.
Another advancement that OnePlus 3T is likely to have, is the new Sony sensor for the camera. OnePlus 3 has a 16 MP rear camera and an 8 MP front camera. The newer rear sensor is rumored to have a resolution of 22 MP, with greater image processing capabilities in low light. Photography was one area where there was plenty of scope for improvement in OnePlus3, even though the phone has many improved features compared to its predecessor, OnePlus 2.
While there has been no official announcement from the Chinese smartphone company as yet, there were some purportedly leaked OnePlus 3T designs on the messaging platform Weibo. Also, senior tech reporter Evan Blass tweeted that the new version would cost $80 more than OnePlus 3.
Priced at ₹27,999, OnePlus 3 is selling well in India, in large measure due to the popularity of the amazing Dash charging technology. Even if OnePlus 3T ends up costing ₹35,000-37,000, it will be a great budget option, given that its specs are similar to that of the Google Pixel or the Samsung Galaxy S7. However, that would also depend on the nature of improvements in the phone's software.
There have been many leaks about the Android Nougat 7.1 update for the OnePlus 3. Chances are high that OnePlus 3T will be launched with Android Nougat as the default software version.
Meanwhile, One Plus recently opened its online store, OnePlusstore.in for the Indian market, where it plans to sell accessories for now. It is expected that, like other Chinese manufacturers, OnePlus will sell smartphones on the newly launched platform.