The OnePlus Z may have surprisingly powerful specs for a "budget" smartphone, at least according to information revealed by paid survey questions And that could be bad news for its mid-range competitors, including the upcoming Google Pixel 5
A user on the Indian shopping forum DesiDime (via XDA Developers) posted an image of a question that he claims is part of a PayBack survey The question asks users if they would consider buying a OnePlus phone with certain specs for Rs 24,990 These specs are well in line with what we expect from the OnePlus Z (previously thought to be called the OnePlus 8 Lite)
Android Central also reports that the OnePlus Z will launch in India on July 10, which seems to mean that a US and UK launch is not far off
The price of ₹24990 translates to $330 or £260 While this sounds incredibly cheap, OnePlus is benefiting from the Indian government in return for manufacturing the device in India Incidentally, the Google Pixel 3a sells for ₹40,000 ($529/£417) and the iPhone SE (2020) for ₹42,500 ($562/£443) Thus, price increases of at least $150/£150 are expected in the US and UK markets, if not a bit more
The specs themselves indicate triple rear cameras with 64MP, 16MP, and 2MP sensors, no doubt the main, ultra-wide, and macro cameras, respectively The front camera would be another 16MP sensor, built into the punch hole of the display (655-inch AMOLED panel) like the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro This could give it a competitive advantage over the Google Pixel 5, which is also rumored to have a triple camera
There could also be an in-display fingerprint sensor and a 90 Hz refresh rate
The CPU is a Snapdragon 765 as expected, which will be more powerful than the Snapdragon 730 that the OnePlus Z is rumored to have in the Pixel 4a, but still not as powerful as the A13 chipset in the iPhone SE The specs could also put the OnePlus Z on par with the Google Pixel 5, which is rumored to be powered by the Snapdragon 765G instead of the flagship 865 to achieve a lower price
Only one RAM/storage spec is mentioned, 6GB/128GB, which is acceptable for the price point, but other rumors point to a 12GB RAM version, which would be extra nice
The battery seems to be one of the OnePlus Z's best features according to the graphic; the 4,300 mAh battery and 30W fast charging is basically the same setup as the OnePlus 8 It's a shame it won't have wireless charging like the OnePlus 8 Pro, but but it makes sense considering the price
Overall, these specs make the OnePlus Z seem like a dangerous competitor for Apple and Google However, its price could be higher than the iPhone SE and Pixel 4a due to the many additional features
As mentioned above, the latest rumors claim that the OnePlus Z will launch in India on July 10; OnePlus tends to hold launches within a couple of weeks around the world, so expect announcements in the US and UK for July events as well
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