OnePlus president shocks U.S. consumers with bad news about its 5G phone

The first 5G phone from OnePlus is expected to be on display at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) trade show, which starts in Barcelona this coming Monday. Today, more details about the phone were published by USA Today. According to the report, the phone will be powered by the Snapdragon 855 Mobile Platform and will include the Snapdragon X50 5G modem. At the trade show, OnePlus will be showing off how the new phone handles gaming by having it run the game "Ace Combat 7."

OnePlus founder and CEO Pete Lau allowed the newspaper to examine an image of a prototype of the device, which has yet to be named. Lau, speaking through a translator, said that the phone will launch in the second quarter of 2019 via U.K. carrier EE and Finnish carrier Elisa. The executive says that while the phone will not be offered in the states, it will bring 5G devices to the U.S. in the future. "The U.S. is our most important market, so a long term 5G focus is critically important," said the executive.

The OnePlus 5G phone won't be much different that the unannounced OnePlus 7 that is also expected to be released in the first half of this year. A photo allegedly showing the device leaked earlier this week. Lau says that there won't be much difference between the 4G and 5G phone, and that the company doesn't expect to market the 5G handset any differently. He did say that there will be a "significant" difference in price between the 4G One Plus 7 and the the new 5G model, but he added that he hopes to keep the cost of its 5G device under $1,000. Pricing the handset above $1,000 will make it too expensive said the company's president. 5G is expected to offer download data speeds up to 20 times faster than 4G. This should allow for the creation of new services, capabilities and businesses.

Lau said that OnePlus is very happy with the partnership it has with T-Mobile, as the latter was the first U.S. carrier to carry a OnePlus phone. That model, the OnePlus 6T, is the manufacturer's current model. While the executive wouldn't reveal how many units of the phone were moved by T-Mobile, he did say that he looks forward to doing more business with the carrier later this year.

The company has come a long way since it launched the OnePlus One back in 2014. According to a recently issued report by IDC, OnePlus is now the fifth most popular seller of premium handsets in the U.S. During the first couple of years, those interested in a OnePlus handset had to have an invitation from the company in order to buy one. That was done to make sure that the company didn't waste its precious cash building too many phones; in other words, the invites helped the company balance supply of its phones with the demand. It now has a reputation for turning out well spec'd handsets at a much cheaper price than its rivals.