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OnePlus teases new OnePlus 5 variant "coming soon" (Update: Gold variant likely)
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As we mentioned previously, OnePlus has launched Soft Gold variants of the OnePlus 3 and 3T, so it wouldn't be too farfetched to think that the 5 would also get the gold treatment.
Original post (8/2): The OnePlus 5 has been on sale for more than a month now, and despite receiving critical acclaim, it has made the news for all the wrong reasons since launch. Between the jelly scrolling effect and the failed 911 calls, OnePlus’ flagship phone has certainly caught some flak.
However, the latest news from OnePlus seems positive. Just a few hours ago, on its official Facebook page, the company teased that “5omething new” is coming soon. The message arrived alongside an image of the two flavors of the OnePlus 5 currently available and an uncolored outline of a third OnePlus 5 unit.
As could be expected, some users in the comments joked that it might be the unveiling of the OnePlus 5T, however, this is highly unlikely. The OnePlus 5 already features the latest and greatest Qualcomm chipset, the Snapdragon 835, boasts more than enough RAM for just about anything, and comes with a superb dual camera — any upgrade that could be made right now would be comparatively minor.
This leads us to believe that OnePlus might instead be introducing a new color option for its flagship handset. Currently, the color selection is limited: the OnePlus 5 comes in either Midnight Black or Slate Gray, two very similar colors. A lighter option could allow OnePlus to widen its potential user base to those who aren’t impressed with the exclusively dark palette that’s available right now.
While we don’t know for sure what the new color would be, we do have some clues. A month before the announcement of the OnePlus 5, the Chinese company took to Twitter to ask its followers what color they’d prefer for their next handset: black, red, gold, or a finish that OnePlus dubbed “unicorn,” which looked like a gradient between cyan and magenta.
What 5hould the color of your next phone be? ? pic.twitter.com/5FevP1VSq5
— OnePlus (@oneplus) May 22, 2017
We doubt that OnePlus would release a slightly different black than the one it already has, so that’s out of the window. The unicorn color is definitely unique, but also could prove divisive, which dramatically lowers its chances of it featuring on a smartphone (they are, after all, mass market products).
All things considered, we’d wager that OnePlus will release either a red option of its latest device, or a gold one. And considering that gold is a tried and tested OnePlus color, that seems like the most likely choice.
Which color would you like to see from OnePlus’ next device? Would you consider buying a unicorn-color handset? Let us know in the comments.