A month after the launch of the OnePlus 5T, it is now being reported that OnePlus is set to launch the OnePlus 6 as its next flagship as early as March next year, complete with an under-display fingerprint sensor. Notably, the Shenzhen-based company has been offering one of the fastest fingerprint sensors on its flagships since the launch of the OnePlus 2 back in July 2015 and recently developed its Face Unlock feature to counter Apple's Face ID.
OnePlus is preparing the launch of the OnePlus 6 for sometime in the middle of March, while its availability will begin by the end of the month, reports GizmoChina, citing a source familiar with the development. The new smartphone is said to be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chip, which was unveiled earlier this month. It is worth noting that OnePlus' homegrown competitor Xiaomi already announced its Mi 7 as the first Snapdragon 845 device.
Apart from revealing the processor, the GizmoChina source, who is claimed to have a past record of unearthing upcoming developments, stated that OnePlus 6 would have an underglass fingerprint sensor - often called under-display fingerprint sensor. OnePlus shifted the position of the fingerprint sensor from front to back with the arrival of the OnePlus 5T to give enough room to its thin-bezel display. However, since it is more comfortable for users to have a front-facing fingerprint sensor, the company is now reportedly considering the advanced under-display fingerprint technology.
Qualcomm and Synaptics are already working on their native variants of under-display fingerprint technology by closely with some smartphone manufacturers. Synaptics even highlighted that 70 million units of in-display sensors will be available in the market in 2018. Moreover, Vivo recently demonstrated the Synaptics sensor that would be a part of its models in the coming future, and that it will reportedly be the first OEM with the technology. It makes sense for OnePlus to deploy the under-display fingerprint sensor on its next flagship as the company shares the same parent company of Vivo, which is BBK Electronics.
Some early instances of under-display fingerprint technology are likely to be showcased at Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2018 in Las Vegas next month. However, the next OnePlus flagship would be among the first range of smartphones using the new development for mass availability.
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