The OnePlus Three needs to be a phone which doesn't settle
Update: OnePlus didn't announce its third flagship phone on May 18 like some had expected, but the company did reveal a new render that may picture the OnePlus 3. Don't get too excited though - there's some speculation that it may be a fake created by the company to put us off the scent of the real phone.
The OnePlus 2 is a great phone, with a beautiful screen and a brilliantly low price, but there are plenty of things that could have been done better – or just done, full stop.
OnePlus underwent a lot of criticism for losing NFC and it's hoped that will be sorted on the OnePlus Three.
Lots of rumors and leaks are starting to come through for the OnePlus 3, suggesting we may see the phone very soon. Here's all the juicy details we know so far about one of the most exciting phones of 2016.
Cut to the chase
What is it? The next affordable flagship from OnePlus
When is it out? Probably mid-2016, maybe even the end of May
What will it cost? Likely around £239/US$329
OnePlus 3 release date
OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei previously revealed the OnePlus 3 is likely to launch near the end of Q2 2016, which means we should have it by late June.
Nothing is for certain yet though. Although Pei has claimed it will be here by the end of Q2 2016, OnePlus has missed deadlines before.
What isn't certain is how readily available the phone will be once it has launched. The OnePlus One, OnePlus 2 and OnePlus X all launched under an invite system and we'd expect the same to happen for the OnePlus 3 considering the company is still relatively small.
OnePlus 3 design
The design on the OnePlus One and OnePlus 2 was largely similar, but OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei has confirmed that the OnePlus 3 will sport a new design.
The most recent leaked image is a high-quality render of the phone, which looks more like the HTC 10 than anything OnePlus has previously made, with a slim, slightly curved metal body in a silver color and antenna bands at the top and bottom.
The same render was supplied to Engadget China directly from a OnePlus PR rep, but it's a weird situation though as the site has speculated it may be a fake even though it comes from an official source.
Chinese manufacturer Vivo often employs a similar tactic to stir up some excitement for a launch, and leaks out false renders to ensure none of the real details are given away before the actual launch.
We believe this may be the case here as well, especially as the render suggests OnePlus is dropping laser auto-focus and two-tone flash from the rear camera.
That render does largely line up with other recent leaked shots though, which all show a plain back likely made of metal and an antenna band running along the top. The lack of logo and less polished appearance suggests this might have been an earlier prototype, but it's broadly similar to the render above.
The same source leaked shots purportedly showing the front of the OnePlus 3 and these also line up with the render, showing a (likely 5.0 or 5.5-inch AMOLED) screen, slim bezels and a home button that probably houses a fingerprint scanner.
It's looking likely this will be the design of the OnePlus 3, but alternatively, the OnePlus X, a cheaper phone the company launched last year, may be inspiration for the new design if earlier leaked renders turn out to be true. The images of the phone even suggest the design will come with a glass back like the OnePlus X.
But this time there's a mirrored front screen, which is a strange step for OnePlus.
The leaked renders are also missing a fingerprint scanner, suggesting these may not be real. If OnePlus drops the fingerprint scanner we'd expect it to come up with an iris scanner or something similarly impressive to go in its place.
OnePlus 3 specs
Various OnePlus 3 benchmarks point to the possible specs of the phone. Recently two different ones have appeared, pointing to either 4GB or a massive 6GB of RAM. Another rumor seems to offer an explanation - there will be two different versions.
A source has claimed there will be a 4GB RAM version with 32GB of storage while a 6GB of RAM version will cost a little more with 64GB of memory onboard.
If this turns out to be true, that will mean an end to the 16GB OnePlus model. The source who claimed this said the 32GB version will cost a similar amount to what the 16GB OnePlus 2 did though, so you shouldn't expect a big jump in price.
The benchmarks also suggest the OnePlus 3 will have a Snapdragon 820 processor, a 5-inch 1080p screen, 64GB of storage, Android Marshmallow, a 16MP rear camera and an 8MP front-facing one.
That same benchmark also suggests there will be NFC support on the OnePlus 3. That's a big deal for OnePlus customers who missed the technology on the OnePlus 2.
Upon the launch of the OnePlus 2, OnePlus confirmed to techradar it decided to ditch the feature as it "saw most of [its] users weren't using NFC" on the OnePlus One. But things have changed since 2014 and a lot of people will now be using the technology for mobile payments.
One source claims the phone will only launch with 32GB of storage. That seems strange considering the company now only sells the 64GB OnePlus 2 in the UK.
On battery, a source claims the OnePlus 3 will come with a 3500mAh cell rather than the 3300mAh one used on the OnePlus 2. But more recently we've heard it might just have a 3000mAh juice pack. An import listing also shows the phone will include Oppo's VOOC fast-charging technology for the very first time.
That means the OnePlus 3 may be able to charge from empty to full battery in just 15 minutes.
OnePlus 3 price
The big selling point for OnePlus is the price. The OnePlus 2 cost £239 or US$329 (about AU$460) so we'd expect a similar price point for the OnePlus 3.
One source even claimed it could be even cheaper at around US$310 (about £210, AU$409). We'll have to wait until the official announcement to know for sure though.
OnePlus 3 competition
OnePlus launched the OnePlus 2 as the "2016 flagship killer" even though it came mid-way through 2015. It held its own against some of the best phones you can buy, but the spec now looks a little dated compared to the brand new flagship handsets.
But then there's both the OnePlus X and the OnePlus 2 as well. Even though both of these phones are older, they'll be cheaper than the OnePlus 3 when it launches and the biggest benefit is they are readily available while the OnePlus Three is likely going to be invite only. At least for a bit.
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