A bigger, higher resolution display?

Smartphone manufacturer OnePlus isn't making any announcements at MWC 2019 in Barcelona, Spain, but it did have a presence in the form of a 5G prototype handset.

In a recent interview with USA Today, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau revealed some details about the firm's first 5G phone – which could be called the OnePlus 7 – including the fact it'll run a Snapdragon 855 chipset and X50 modem – the latter of which is key to providing 5G connectivity.

Lau also confirmed that OnePlus would be making a 4G LTE variant of the same device (mainly for the US market), with minimal differences between the two.

We went to check out the prototype 5G device, housed in a sizable case to protect its identity, to see what it could tell us about the OnePlus 7.


We grabbed some footage of the prototype device in action, check it out below:

Big screen and no notch?

While the case the OnePlus 5G phone is it doesn't show any of the handset's body, one thing is clear: the screen here is tall.

It looks to be a 21:9 aspect ratio display, which we've just seen on the new Sony Xperia 1, which makes it a great display for movie watching.

We wanted to make sure though, so we've measured the display and can confirm the screen we saw is indeed 21:9, as you can see in the image below.

There also doesn't appear to be a notch, which means we could get an uninterrupted view, although we were unable to tell if the device will have bezels above and below the display.

The OnePlus 6 and 6T have reduced bezel size with just a slender chin below the display, and we hope OnePlus can continue this design with the OnePlus 7.

However, if it does continue with a no-notch and slender bezel approach it raises the question as to where the front-facing camera will be housed.

Perhaps it may have a mechanically raising snapper like the Find X from sister company Oppo, or perhaps the screen will slide down to reveal a camera, similar to the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3. Or maybe it'll come up with a whole new way to solve the problem. We'll have to wait and see.

Time to move on from Full HD


Every OnePlus handset to date has featured a Full HD resolution, and while this has been good enough for a number of years there's increasing demand for higher resolution displays on our phones.

However, there could be some good news for OnePlus fans. We played Ace Combat 7 on the prototype device (using a wireless Xbox controller, and we weren't allowed to take the phone out from behind the glass) and on closer inspection of the display the quality looked impressive.

We held up our Galaxy S10 Plus alongside (with QHD+ resolution enabled) and there wasn't a noticeable difference in quality between the two – although we weren't able to do a full side-by-side comparison.

Another highlight for us was the smoothness of the gameplay, as we flew through the air, firing missiles at targets. There's a chance OnePlus may have upped the refresh rate of the screen here as well.

It's also worth noting that the game only had 20MB of data installed on the handset, with the rest of the content streamed over 5G, with no lag or latency issues experienced during our time with it.

All of this, of course, could well change before we see the launch of the OnePlus 7, but considering the lengths the firm has gone to in protecting the design of the device, it suggests it's a near-final build.



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Where did the notch go?

The OnePlus 7 definitely makes the cut for one of our most anticipated phones of 2019, but aside from a potential sighting in the hand of OnePlus CEO Pete Lau we haven't yet seen any leaks of what the flagship handset might look like... until now.

First posted on Slash Leaks – which has a better-than-average record at getting leaked images ahead of time – the image that purportedly shows the OnePlus 7 gives us a look at the top of what appears to be a new phone prototype in its packaging. We've got some ultra-slim bezels here, and no notch at all on the front of the phone on the left: is this the OnePlus 7?

There also seems to be space up at the top of the casing of the phone, potentially for a slide-out front-facing camera. Unless OnePlus has managed to embed the camera and the forward-facing sensors under the display, this is pretty much the only other option for the phone on the left.

OnePlus 7 leak


We don't have a whole lot else to report about the OnePlus 7 at the moment, but if it follows the release schedule of the OnePlus 6, then we can expect to see it sometime in May. A OnePlus 7T handset could then potentially follow later in the year.

OnePlus has already confirmed that the phone is going to carry the flagship Snapdragon 855 processor from Qualcomm, which should mean plenty of power under the hood without too much of a hit on battery life. The phone should come with plenty of rams included too, if OnePlus remains true to form.

What's still up in the air is whether the phone is going to include any 5G technology. OnePlus definitely has a 5G phone on the way for this year, but it might not be the OnePlus 7. We might even see a 5G and a non-5G version of the OnePlus 7 go on sale.



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2019 is the year OnePlus adopts 5G

We haven't even seen the OnePlus 6T yet, but we're already hearing official news about next year's phones from the company.

OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei was on stage at a Qualcomm event where the company introduced its new Snapdragon 645 mid-range chipset and dropped a hint about an upcoming phone from OnePlus.

Pei confirmed the company has been experimenting with 5G technology and will be ready to introduce a phone ready for 5G connectivity by the end of 2019.

If OnePlus keeps up the naming of its flagship phones, that means we'll see the first 5G OnePlus device in either the 7 or the 7T.

Futureproofed

That may make OnePlus one of the first to market with a device that's prepared for 5G, but it depends what other manufacturers do in the coming months.

We don't currently know when we'll see the first 5G-ready devices, but Samsung, LG, Huawei and Honor have already confirmed plans to make phones that are ready for 5G.

It's also worth remembering we're likely a way off from 5G being available on networks and carriers around the world. This is more about future-proofing devices so they'll be capable of using 5G when it's available.



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But don't expect it for a while