OnePlus to release 5G enabled handset early next year with new design and branding

Back in June, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau told PC Mag that the company was already talking with U.S. carriers about releasing a 5G enabled phone in 2019. At the time, it appeared that the OnePlus 7 could be that device. However, the latest news out of OnePlus is that its first handset to support 5G will kick off a whole new line of phones for the company. In other words, the OnePlus 7 will not be the manufacturer's first 5G model.

OnePlus spoke with the Spanish version of CNET (translated), which revealed all of this new information about the company's first 5G handset. Since the OnePlus 7 will not offer next-generation data speeds, we can expect the company to introduce a whole new smartphone line sometime early next year. Considering that a 5G phone would be quite expensive, it makes sense for OnePlus to continue with its successful value pricing for the OnePlus 7 and possibly a OnePlus 7T in 2019. In the meantime, the more expensive OnePlus produced 5G handset would have a new name and a new design.

Since OnePlus has spilled the beans about its first 5G phone, stating that it will be unveiled at the beginning of 2019, we could see it introduced at the 2019 Mobile World Congress (MWC) trade fair to be held in Barcelona from February 25th through February 28th.