Rumours about the next OnePlus phone release in 2017 are already flying around the web, with talk of the OnePlus 4 being skipped entirely, in favour of a OnePlus 5 handset. So what happened to the OnePlus 4? Did it ever exist, and why skip straight to the OnePlus 5?
We’re massive fans of OnePlus’ smartphones in the run up to 2017. The original OnePlus was the ultimate tease; a handset that offered premium specs for a seriously affordable price, but also a stringent invitation-only purchasing method.
This invite system has thankfully now been ditched, as OnePlus can produce enough of its mobiles to meet the rather substantial demand. And with the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T, both released in 2016, OnePlus hit a new high.
Pretty much no other manufacturer can offer the same great specs and features for such an affordable mid-range price point. In fact, we handed the OnePlus 3T our Best Phone Of The Year award because it well and truly impressed us with its all-round brilliance. What’s more, it keeps getting better thanks to OnePlus’ dedicated updates.
What will OnePlus release in 2017?
OnePlus has previously stated that it will continue to concentrate on flagship devices in 2017, after tentatively releasing some more budget models like the OnePlus X in previous years. Therefore you can expect one or two new premium OnePlus phones to be launched this year.
Logic dictates that the next handset will be the OnePlus 4, following on from the OnePlus 3T released at the end of 2016. However, several rumours circulating online point to the next release actually being the OnePlus 5 instead. With the number of leaks now flying around, it seems likely that this is indeed the case.
What happened to the OnePlus 4?
The OnePlus 4 may never have actually existed in the first place. In China, the number four is considered unlucky, because it is very similar to the word for ‘death’. Not a great omen, for sure. And while that might be considered quite a superstitious reason for skipping a generation, we’ve seen it before. In fact, OnePlus’ parent company skipped straight from the Vivo V3 smartphone to the Vivo V5 for just that reason.
So, it looks like the next handset we’ll see from OnePlus in 2017 is the OnePlus 5. This could well be followed later in the year by the improved OnePlus 5T, if we get a similar release schedule to 2016.
Check out our complete guide to the OnePlus 5 for more info, including possible launch and UK release dates, as well as leaked specs.
Leave a Reply