The OnePlus Z 5G launch date may have finally been revealed
Leaked in all its factory CAD-based glory months before the 5G-enabled OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro were unveiled, the company's first mid-range handset in almost five years was essentially confirmed a couple of weeks ago.
Initially expected to be called OnePlus 8 Lite and pack a MediaTek Dimensity 1000 processor, this affordable bad boy was reportedly delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic and is now widely rumored to embrace the same Snapdragon 765G SoC as Google's upcoming Pixel 5 or the existing LG Velvet and Motorola Edge.
While a recent benchmarking visit lent further weight to the last-minute chipset replacement speculation, also revealing the absolutely bonkers memory count of a 5G-capable phone tipped to start at a very reasonable price of around $400, the "when" of the OnePlus Z equation remained up in the air. That appears to change today, as the folks over at Android Central claim to have heard a date from a "reliable source within the company."
If said source is correct and if nothing changes in the next month, the OnePlus Z 5G should see daylight on July 10 in India. This fits with a vaguer launch timeline revealed by a generally trustworthy leaker back in April, but once again, you might want to keep your skeptical hat on for at least a little while longer.
Clearly, the coronavirus pandemic has badly impacted OnePlus 8 Pro production, so the company could be forced to push back the OnePlus Z 5G announcement... again until supply shortages are resolved.
It's also worth pointing out that today's report mentions nothing about a prospective global launch date, which means OnePlus could limit the initial availability of its long overdue sophomore mid-range smartphone effort to one of its best markets in the world.
That's little more than a guess, mind you, so you probably shouldn't panic just yet if you live on the Western Hemisphere and you're interested in purchasing an affordable 5G handset with a flat 6.4-inch or so display supporting 90Hz refresh rate technology, as well as a triple rear-facing camera system possibly consisting of a 48MP primary shooter, 16MP ultra-wide-angle sensor, and 2MP macro lens, a 4,000mAh battery with blazing fast charging technology, and at least 8 gigs of memory paired with 128 gigs of internal storage space.
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