OnePlus to showcase 5G smartphone prototype at MWC
What's the story
OnePlus has announced that it would showcase its 5G prototype smartphone at the upcoming Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
The company will have a presence at Qualcomm's booth where attendees will get a chance to connect with the next-generation wireless technology and experience 5G gaming on a OnePlus prototype smartphone - perhaps the one that leaked recently.
Here's everything we know.
Experience 5G
What OnePlus said about its Mobile World Congress exhibit
"OnePlus, at Qualcomm's booth (Hall 3 Stand 3E10), invites all to connect and communicate with our community over a 5G network. Attendees will also be able to experience the capabilities of 5G gaming on a OnePlus 5G prototype."
Moreover, the company will also offer a "limited-edition Qualcomm x OnePlus pin badge" that will be available to all attendees at the OnePlus stand.
Twitter Post
Recently, reputed tipster leaked the design of OnePlus' 5G smartphone
EXCLUSIVE! Here's your first look at an upcoming OnePlus Device I don't know much about. This image shows the device in prototype/designing stage and it is not final but this is probably how the device may end up looking. That's Pete (CEO of OP) in the img and the device itself. pic.twitter.com/Yau9EsgSDy
— Ishan Agarwal (@ishanagarwal24) December 19, 2018
5G chipset
OnePlus's 5G phone will be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 855
Earlier, OnePlus had announced that its upcoming 5G-ready smartphone would be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 along with the Qualcomm X50 modem to enable 5G connectivity.
Interestingly, the company has already partnered with EE network to launch this 5G-ready flagship in the UK by May this year.
Moreover, reports suggest the phone will cost $200-300 more than usual OnePlus flagships.
Competition
The 5G Race
The 5G race is getting intense. Xiaomi has already teased its 5G-compatible Mi Mix 3 flagship while Samsung is gearing to launch its Galaxy S10 5G variant by early 2019.
Further, Huawei, OPPO and Vivo are also expected to launch their 5G-ready smartphones by next year.
However, we will see a 5G-compatible iPhone sometime in 2020 as it's relying on Intel for 5G modems.