According to a recent report, "I Ice Universe," a leaker from China with a mixed reputation, reportedly posted OnePlus 4's release date and hardware details on Weibo. If the leak has any credibility to it, the phone is expected to release sometime between June and July in 2017. The leaked information also added that the upcoming handset will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 830 chip.
The publication added that there is no way of identifying the integrity of this information so it should be taken with a grain of salt.
But if the past is any indication, OnePlus 3 was released in June 2016 so it is not out of order for the industry experts to expect the next launch around the same time.
As far as the hardware leak is concerned, it is important to note that most smartphones that are due for 2017 launch are speculated to run on Snapdragon 830. So it is safe to assume that OnePlus 4 will also be equipped by this next generation chip by Qualcomm. However, the Qualcomm is yet to announce the anticipated chip, it is also expected that the sophisticated processor will appear in smartphones pegged for 2017 release, reports reveal.
According to other reports, it is speculated that Snapdragon 830 is already in the making and that it will be produced by Korean tech giant, Samsung's, chip-making department. Some tech experts also reveal that the new processor will be made on an efficient 10nm manufacturing method that will improve the smartphone's overall battery performance as well as power efficiency.
So far, OnePlus has not revealed anything about the design of their future handsets so it is not known what the upcoming handset will eventually look like. But the company's co-founder, Carl Pei, recently teased that the handset will retain their headphone jack, unlike Apple who made a daring move of removing it from their iPhone 7.
