OnePlus to launch a first mid-range model in 2020

The co-founder of OnePlus Carl Pei at the presentation of the OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro in the spring of 2019. Image: Manjunath Kiran/AFP via AFP Relaxnews

Well-known to phone buffs, in 2020, OnePlus aims to win over a wider public with a mid-range model at a price that cannot be beaten, reports the website 91mobiles.

The new model could be dubbed the OnePlus 8 Lite, in reference to the brand’s forthcoming flagship phone, the OnePlus 8, which is due out in 2020.

According to rumors published by the website 91mobiles, the mid-range device will be equipped with a borderless 6.5-inch display without a notch (but with a “punch-hole” camera). On the back there will be a dual-camera set-up and perhaps even a 3D time-of-flight camera.

The launch of a cheaper version of the next smartphone by the Chinese manufacturer, which is renowned for producing high-end and high-quality devices at heavily discounted prices, could be motivated by a desire to reach a wider public, and in particular in the international market, at a time when other Chinese brands like Xiaomi, Oppo and Realme are exporting more and more outside Asia.

The major phone makers, led by the likes of Samsung and Huawei, are used to offering several versions of their flagship models.

The OnePlus 8 (which will probably be accompanied by a OnePlus 8 pro) is expected to launch in the first half of 2020. IB/RGA

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