OnePlus 5T Appears in Leaked Unboxing Video and Benchmark, CEO Hints at Higher Price Tag

While its official launch on Thursday is just days away, the OnePlus 5T has now been spotted live in a leaked unboxing video that purportedly shows you every aspect of the upcoming smartphone. OnePlus CEO Pete Lau in a separate tweet on Wednesday tipped the OnePlus 5T may be more expensive than the OnePlus 5 due to the rising cost of components. A Geekbench listing of the smartphone has also been spotted, strangely pointing to the use of the dated Android 7.1.1. Nougat build.

The five-minute leaked OnePlus 5T unboxing video showcases the retail unit of the smartphone. It also previews the box that has the new OnePlus smartphone. Additionally, the video compares the display of the OnePlus 5T with the iPhone X, Samsung Galaxy S8, and the OnePlus 5.

The video shows the bezel-less display of the OnePlus 5T alongside its back-facing fingerprint scanner. Further, the unboxing uncovers the protective cases that OnePlus would launch for its next flagship offering. An upgraded OxygenOS build has also been revealed in the video that doesn't appear to have many major changes over the existing OxygenOS build available on the OnePlus 5.

Some initial leaks suggested that the OnePlus 5T would run Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box. However, a new Geekbench listing hints the presence of Android 7.1.1 Nougat instead of the newest software experience. This is in line with what featured in a recent GFXBench listing.

The Geekbench listing, courtesy TelefoonAbonnement.nl, highlights that the OnePlus 5T results in 1959 single-core scores and 6742 multi-core scores. The listed handset has 8GB of RAM, though the new OnePlus model is expected to have a 6GB variant as well. Furthermore, the benchmark listing points to Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 SoC.

Even though the unboxing video and the fresh benchmark listing are enough to let us assume a premium price tag of the OnePlus 5T, CEO Pete Lau suggested a competitive price strategy through the recent tweet. "Cost of smartphone components is rising, but phones are also getting better. OnePlus users will appreciate what's coming," the tweet reads. This can of course be seen to mean the OnePlus 5T will be more expensive than its predecessor, with the CEO softening the blow ahead of launch.

OnePlus 5T price

Previously, it was rumoured that the OnePlus 5T would debut with an identical price of the OnePlus 5. That indicated a starting price of Rs. 32,999 for the 6GB OnePlus 5T model in India. However, as we mentioned, Lau's may tweet scrap the previous presumption and point to a price higher than the OnePlus 5. The historical record of the pricing OnePlus models evidently shows the change and supports the tweet of the executive.

Earlier this year, the OnePlus 5 was launched with a price starts at Rs. 32,999, while the OnePlus 3T was debuted back in December at Rs. 29,999. The difference of Rs. 3,000 helped the Chinese company retain the sales of the latter despite the availability of the former.

OnePlus is hosting the launch of the OnePlus 5T in New York City on November 16. Moreover, the smartphone will be available in India starting November 21.