The OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro might arrive later than expected

The OnePlus 8 series is scheduled for Q2 2020

Tipster Max J. claims the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro are scheduled for the second quarter of 2020, meaning an official introduction will take place at some point between early April and late June. The exact date wasn’t provided but the schedule does coincide with the company’s usual announcement timeline – the OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro debuted in mid-May. 

Despite this, today’s news comes as quite a surprise when the early OnePlus 8 leaks that have been seen recently are considered. The 2019 OnePlus 7 series first appeared in early January, although it wasn’t until March and April that the respective designs of each device were prematurely revealed. With the OnePlus 8 duo, these leaks have happened five months earlier than usual.

Naturally, none of this ever meant OnePlus was going to introduce its next-generation phones five months ahead of schedule at an event in December. However, it did lead many to believe an earlier announcement at MWC 2020 in late February or one at a standalone event in March was on the cards. This strategy, after all, would have allowed OnePlus to compete more directly with the Galaxy S11 and Huawei P40 Pro which are both expected to hit shelves in March. It would have also increased the length of time between the release of regular flagships and their eventual T-branded variants.

OnePlus 8 (Pro) features, specs, and availability

To refresh your memory a little, the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro look set to feature 6.5-inch and 6.67-inch curved edge, Fluid AMOLED displays respectively. But unlike the OnePlus 7T Pro which adopted a bezel-less design made possible by a pop-out camera system, these upcoming phones reportedly feature a new punch-hole display that’s quite similar to the one used on Samsung’s Galaxy S10.

The new panels are coupled with a vertical camera setup that sits on the rear and presumably houses the main camera, a telephoto zoom shooter, and an ultra-wide-angle alternative. To help better differentiate the OnePlus 8 Pro from the standard model and ultimately justify its higher price tag, the flagship will also feature a Time-of-Flight sensor and a laser autofocus system.

Powering the 2020 devices should be Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865, which won’t go official until early December, alongside a minimum of 8GB of RAM and 128GB of non-expandable internal storage. If OnePlus is feeling generous, however, it could up this to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage inside the Pro-branded device. From a software point of view, customers should expect Android 10 paired with the latest version of Oxygen OS. Other features may include 30W fast charging coupled with larger batteries, wireless charging support, 5G support, and in-display fingerprint scanners. Don’t, however, expected to find a 3.5mm headphone jack on either smartphone.

In regards to availability, the premium OnePlus 8 Pro will probably follow in the footsteps of the OnePlus 7 Pro, OnePlus 7T, and OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren by being sold through T-Mobile, which should have merged with Sprint by then. Early rumors suggest the phone may also be sold through Verizon. It's unclear at this stage if any of the major carriers have plans to carry the cheaper OnePlus 8 model.