OnePlus’ next flagship series, the OnePlus 9, is expected to go official in the first quarter of 2021. Reportedly, the series will come with three smartphones. A Lite variant will be joining the usual OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro.
According to a report, the OnePlus 9 Lite will be powered by the Snapdragon 865 chipset instead of the Snapdragon 888. Since Snapdragon 865 is the top tier mobile platform from 2020, it will not be much of a compromise.
After Carl Pei’s departure from OnePlus, the company seems to be making amends to the way it operates. It recently launched two mid-range smartphones and an entry-level smartphone. Now, like other smartphone OEMs, the company is adding a Lite variant to its flagship series. Of course, this will increase the company’s consumer base, but it deviates from its original plan to develop flagship-grade smartphones at a lower price.
Nevertheless, it is interesting how OnePlus decided to use the older flagship SoC for a “Lite” model. Although we are unsure how much of an effect this will have on the smartphone’s pricing, an unconfirmed source recently revealed that the OnePlus 9 Lite would cost $600 while the 9 and 9 Pro will retail at $800 and $950, respectively.
In terms of specifications, the upcoming Lite model is expected to share a lot of features with the 8T, including the higher refresh rate AMOLED panel, and faster-charging speeds.
