OnePlus 8 series "all in on 5G," but prices will rise

[midian182]

Something to look forward to: OnePlus has long had a reputation as the company that offers high-end phones at mid-range prices. With its upcoming OnePlus 8 series, all of the handsets will be 5G-enabled, but according to CEO and co-founder Pete Lau, that doesn’t mean starting prices of $1,000.

In an interview with CNET, Lau said that “going forward, we’re all in on 5G.” With more companies releasing 5G-enabled devices and carriers expanding their coverage, OnePlus doesn’t want to be left behind.

"I want to restate our commitment to 5G and our long term investment," he said. "We've been investing in 5G for several years and we see this as the direction going forward and one we're very much committed to."

OnePlus already has two 5G phones: the OnePlus 7 Pro and a special McLaren edition of the OnePlus 7T Pro. The 5G version of the former costs $840, so can we expect the OnePlus 8 series to abandon the company’s strategy of selling competitively priced handsets and go down the Samsung route? Not according to Lau.

We're going all in on 5G. You in? pic.twitter.com/liO2wVIsf9

— Pete Lau (@PeteLau) March 10, 2020

The CEO said that while the inclusion of 5G tech will inevitably make them more expensive, he claimed the new phones would come with a “reasonable price.” Lau added that there would be a pricier “Pro” version of the OnePlus 8 and a regular OnePlus 8 with more modest specs and lower price tag.

"We've always had a position in creating the best product possible at the best price point. The new technology does add costs so costs have risen in comparison to 4G products," said Lau.

In addition to the regular and Pro models of the OnePlus 8, a “Lite” version is also rumored to be arriving. Whether it launches in April with the other phones and also features 5G connectivity is unknown.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/84348-oneplus-8-series-all-5g-but-prices-rise.html

 

[Mr Majestyk]

Cough BS cough. 5G is a sad joke and will remain so for at least another 2 years. They are only all in on 5G because the SD865 can't be bought without the separate 5G modem. Higher prices for an unusable feature for most people.

 

[Burty117]

Yeah I don't plan on replacing my 4G 7 Pro for at least another couple of years, I'll wait for the Snapdragon chipsets with the 5G modem built-in.

I would say Pricing would go down but lets be realistic here, the pricing will just stay the same at best.

 

[Hexic]

Yet another great brand who will most likely go down the same path as every other phone manufacturer...

 

[gigantor21]

Cough BS cough. 5G is a sad joke and will remain so for at least another 2 years. They are only all in on 5G because the SD865 can't be bought without the separate 5G modem. Higher prices for an unusable feature for most people.

I'm just waiting for them to integrate the modem in the main SoC without compromises. The modem being separate feels like a weird half measure that proves 5G is not ready for prime time.

 

[Burty117]

I'm just waiting for them to integrate the modem in the main SoC without compromises. The modem being separate feels like a weird half measure that proves 5G is not ready for prime time.

Agreed, eats precious space on the PCB and uses more power, I'm happy to wait for this tech to mature. Unlike my crap BT connection at home, I'm not exactly struggling with my 4G connection.

 

[Lounds]

Hardly any mobile network carrier does 5G yet. So it's a feature that won't even be mainstream until 3-4 years time. Pointless.

 

[Mr Majestyk]

I'm just waiting for them to integrate the modem in the main SoC without compromises. The modem being separate feels like a weird half measure that proves 5G is not ready for prime time.

Well we already know it won’t be before 2022 at least for flagships, because the SD875 will also has separate modem, the X60 will replace this years X55.

Pathetically Qualcomm were the ones that said 6-7 years ago that only integrated modem makes sense when they showed off their new 4G modem integrated into the SoC. This is what happens when we have a monopoly. Huawei’s new Kirin 1000 will have integrated 5G modem, but it’s DoA thanks to Agent Orange.

 

[MMWWMM]

Yes, push the 5G forward. But remember to keep the 100 GB data caps, that this tech chew trough by a day

 

[bandit8623]

Yet another great brand who will most likely go down the same path as every other phone manufacturer...

already fail. I have the oneplus 6 and since the android 10 update bluetooth for my car has been broken. sent in logs and bug tests nothing now for 3 months... factory resets too. only thing that works is to go back to unpatched android 9...

 

[Burty117]

already fail. I have the oneplus 6 and since the android 10 update bluetooth for my car has been broken. sent in logs and bug tests nothing now for 3 months... factory resets too. only thing that works is to go back to unpatched android 9...

Have you ever thought that maybe it's your car? My mum had exactly this issue with her 2014 Ford Fiesta. Ended up updating the firmware on the car and it's been perfect since.

 

[bandit8623]

Have you ever thought that maybe it's your car? My mum had exactly this issue with her 2014 Ford Fiesta. Ended up updating the firmware on the car and it's been perfect since.

Works fine with Android 9. Its 2012. Works fine with girlfriends apple x as well.