OnePlus Z Said to Launch Next Month: Everything We Know So Far

OnePlus Z is reportedly set to debut on July 10. With this new model OnePlus is apparently looking to go back to its roots and launch an aggressively priced phone with impressive specifications. While early OnePlus devices were affordably priced, the latest OnePlus 8 series is priced north of Rs. 40,000 and gives competition to premium smartphone brands like Apple and Samsung. With the rumoured mid-range OnePlus Z, the company looks to offer some competition to brands like Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo as well. CEO Pete Lau has also confirmed that OnePlus plans to launch an affordable variant in India soon. While there is no confirmation from the company's end regarding the name of this device, rumoured choices are that the phone will be called the OnePlus Z or the OnePlus 8 Lite.

The OnePlus Z has surfaced in a slew of leaks in the past, and we compile all of them to offer a comprehensive look at what is known about this ‘affordable smartphone' so far.

OnePlus Z price in India, launch date (expected)

A recent report suggests that the OnePlus Z aka OnePlus 8 Lite will be priced in India starting at Rs. 24,990. The phone may be launched in two variants – 6GB RAM and 128GB storage, and another 8GB RAM model as well. The price of the 8GB RAM option is not known. It has also been leaked that the OnePlus Z will be launched in India on July 10. OnePlus has already announced a July 2 launch event wherein it plans to launch two new OnePlus TV models, and as per this leak, a separate smartphone launch event will be held just over a week after that. The event should be held online, given the current COVID crisis and OnePlus should offer digital streaming details closer to launch.

OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has confirmed that the company plans to launch an affordable smartphone in India soon, but he hasn't detailed the name of the device or an exact launch time frame. However, this new affordable model has been leaked in the past as well to launch in July.

OnePlus Z design (expected)

While the OnePlus Z aka OnePlus 8 Lite has not seen a render leak as of yet, a live image was spotted online in April. The device is reported to feature a flat display. The live image shows that the phone will pack an in-display fingerprint sensor that further indicates the presence of an OLED screen on the phone. Additionally, the phone is seen to be sporting a hole-punch design with the camera cut out placed at the top-centre. OnePlus had last used the hole-punch display design with the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro phones. The volume rocker can be seen on the left side, while the power button resides on the right side of the phone. The rear panel of the OnePlus Z hasn't leaked as of yet, but it is speculated to offer a triple camera setup at the back. Colour options for the rumoured OnePlus Z phone are not known at the moment.

OnePlus Z specifications (expected)

The OnePlus Z should run on the latest version of OxygenOS based on Android 10. Given that it will launch in the Indian market, the phone should support dual-SIM slots as well. The OnePlus Z aka OnePlus 8 Lite is reported to feature a 6.55-inch Super AMOLED flat display with 90Hz refresh rate and a selfie camera cut out in the centre The phone is tipped to be powered by the Snapdragon 765 SoC paired with up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. A 12GB RAM option has also been spotted on Geekbench earlier.

A report also says the OnePlus Z has three cameras on the back - a primary 64-megapixel sensor, a 16-megapixel sensor and a 2-megapixel sensor. Up front, a 16-megapixel selfie camera resides inside the hole-punch cut out. The phone may be backed by a 4,300mAh battery with support for 30W fast charging.

OnePlus 8 vs Mi 10 5G: Which Is the Best 'Value Flagship' Phone in India? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.