The OnePlus Z could pack some surprisingly strong specs for a 'budget' phone, at least according to the information revealed by a paid survey question. And that could be bad news for the midrange competition, including the upcoming Google Pixel 5.
A user on Indian shopping forum DesiDime (via XDA Developers) posted an image of a question they claimed was part of a PayBack survey. The question asks the user if they'd consider buying a OnePlus phone for 24990 rupees with certain specs. Those specs map onto what we're expecting for the OnePlus Z (previously thought to be called the OnePlus 8 Lite) very well.
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In addition, Android Central has reported that the OnePlus Z will launch in India on July 10, likely meaning a release in the US and UK won't be too far off either.
The given price of ₹24990 converts to $330 or £260. This sounds unbelievably cheap, but OnePlus gets a big discount off of its products in India, a benefit from the Indian government in return for manufacturing devices in the country. For comparison, the Google Pixel 3a sells for ₹40,000 ($529/£417), while the iPhone SE (2020) goes for ₹42,500 ($562/£443). Therefore we'd expect at least a $150/£150 increase for the US and UK market, if not a little more.
The specs themselves show a triple rear camera with 64MP, 16MP and 2MP sensors, which we'd bet are for main, ultrawide and macro cameras, respectively. The front camera will be another 16MP sensor, and will be built into a punch-hole in the display (a 6.55-inch AMOLED panel) like the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro. That could help it better compete with the Google Pixel 5, which is also rumored to sport a triple-camera array.
There may also be an in-display fingerprint sensor and a 90Hz refresh rate, both of which would be quite luxurious for a supposedly budget phone.
The CPU is the one we anticipated - a Snapdragon 765, which will make the OnePlus Z more powerful than the Snapdragon 730 that's rumored to be in the Pixel 4a, but still not as beefy as the A13 chipset inside the iPhone SE. This spec could also put the OnePlus Z on par with the Google Pixel 5, which has been rumored to sport a Snapdragon 765G rather than the flagship 865 in order to come in at a lower rpice.
There's only one mentioned RAM/storage spec of 6GB/128GB, which is acceptable for the price range, although other rumors have pointed to a 12GB RAM version which would be exceptionally good.
The battery sounds like one of the OnePlus Z's best features according to the graphic. With a 4,300 mAh battery and 30W fast charging, it's basically the same set-up you get in the OnePlus 8. While it's a pity the OnePlus z won't get wireless charging like the OnePlus 8 Pro, it makes sense given the price.
Overall, these specs make the OnePlus Z sound like dangerous competition for Apple and Google. However, adding so many features onto the phone may make it notably more expensive than the iPhone SE or Pixel 4a, which could put off some potential customers.
As mentioned above, the latest rumor claims the OnePlus Z will get an Indian launch on July 10. OnePlus tends to do its launches around the world within a couple of weeks of each other, so anticipate the announcement of a July event for the US and UK, too.
