OnePlus 7 previewed? 3 cameras, Snapdragon 855, 10X optical zoom

Delhi: Details about the next OnePlus phone aka OnePlus 7 are scarce. But with the kind of technology that is on display at the Mobile World Congress, including through a OnePlus prototype phone, we are starting to get a picture of OnePlus 7

The MWC 2019 has so far given us a glimpse of what tech nerds could expect in 2019 with regards to the smartphone market. While Huawei's foldable Mate X stole the limelight, Oppo's demonstration showed us something that could actually benefit the masses. No, we aren't talking about the company's folding smartphone. Instead we are talking of the 10X zoom technology that Oppo debuted just before the MWC kicked off officially. The idea of a smartphone able to zoom ten times without adopting a bulky form factor is widely appealing to shutterbugs.

But why are we talking about something that Oppo showed in an article that is about the OnePlus 7? That is because there is a history of Oppo technologies ending up in the latest OnePlus phones. On the other hand, OnePlus also showcased its 5G prototype device at the event. While the phone was kept inside a thick casing, there were a few things that could be derived from the prototype:

1. The next OnePlus device will get rid of the notch and go for a true fullscreen display. Some websites report that the quality of the display that OnePlus had on the prototype was very high. It was as good as the display on phones like the Galaxy S10, reported Anandtech. Superb viewing angles, and likely 2K resolution that will be higher than the 1080P displays we have got in the OnePlus phones so far. In other words, the OnePlus 7 could be the first OnePlus phone with 2K display. It is also safe to say that this display will use OLED screen because that is what OnePlus phones use.

2. The prototype showed a taller 21:9 display with uniform bezels on top and bottom.

3. The next OnePlus device will definitely be sporting the Snapdragon 855 chipset and the Snapdragon X50 5G modem because that is how it is going to support 5G.

If you have been following these two brands -- Oppo and OnePlus -- for a while, then you must be familiar with the idea that OnePlus shares a lot of components from its flagship devices with that of Oppo's. Right from the design of the smartphone to the cameras, both the brands share a lot in common. For example, the Oppo R11 served as the blueprint for the OnePlus 5 launched in 2017. The recently unveiled Oppo R17 Pro seems to be a clone of the OnePlus 6T, especially with the waterdrop notch and rear panel design. OnePlus also borrows most technologies from Oppo for its OnePlus flagships.

For the next OnePlus flagship, which is expected to be called the OnePlus 7, it is expected that the company will offer some ambitious technologies in the camera department. And there are very good reasons for that.

-- OnePlus will have to offer a triple camera setup, given that Samsung has gone for such a setup even for its upcoming budget devices.

-- Sister company Oppo already offers triple camera setups on its flagship offerings. We have seen the R17 Pro offer a unique triple camera system.

-- OnePlus would try to differentiate its offering from the others with a new camera technology that would give it an advantage over other. This is due to the flagship pricing that the OnePlus 7 is expected to demand (The OnePlus 6T McLaren edition already demands Rs 50,999). The high-end camera technology will also help the company justify the higher price tag.

-- To compete with Samsung's Galaxy S10 series, OnePlus will want to offer a groundbreaking camera technology, which Oppo posses in the form of the 10x zoom technology.

-- Oppo's 10x zoom technology will offer ten times more zooming capabilities than all the other smartphone cameras existing in the market. What's impressive is that despite all the complex lens arrangement, Oppo is able to pack it inside a slim body. The prototype device shown at MWC 2019 was similar in form factor to an existing Oppo or OnePlus device.

-- Oppo also announced during the demonstration that they would be able to bring the 10x zoom technology to the market only by the second quarter of 2019. OnePlus also launches its first flagship of the year in the second quarter of every year. Therefore, Oppo could have a more flamboyant platform for debuting its unique camera technology.

-- OnePlus has been focusing on enhancing the camera experience since the OnePlus 5T. The addition of a dedicated secondary camera for enhanced low-light performance has seen the company rank up amongst the best in the DxOMark tables. Therefore, with the 10x zoom, OnePlus could fare even better and could come across as the choice for shutterbugs. We also expect the company to offer a 48-megapixel Sony IMX586 sensor that can truly deliver some impressive photos with the help of pixel binning.

To sum it up, there's a very high chance that OnePlus could rely on Oppo's 10x zoom technology to offer something that its primary rivals won't posses. Now, it remains to be seen what the leaks for the OnePlus 7 will tell us in the upcoming weeks. OnePlus is expected to launch in May 2019