The OnePlus Z coming in July

The OnePlus Z – the expected “lite” version of the 8-series – did not join its siblings during the April 14 event. Now leakster Max J is hinting that the phone will be revealed in July instead.

As with many things these days, the delay of the Z was blamed on the COVID-19 outbreak. Unofficially anyway, OnePlus never confirmed that it is working on a “lite” model. This was set to be the first OnePlus phone not to use a Snapdragon chipset, allegedly opting for a MediaTek Dimensity 1000L instead. That would still enable 5G connectivity, of course.

Interestingly, the outline of the device (shared by Max) shows the selfie camera in the center instead of top left like on the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro. And this appears to be a punch hole rather than a notch like previous generations.

This lines up with renders we saw of the OnePlus Z way back in December last year. They also show that the back will differ from the OnePlus 8 by moving the triple camera to the corner. An AMOLED display is likely, but the refresh rate is up in the air.

OnePlus Z renders from last year

The OnePlus Z will be the company’s first attempt at a mid-ranger since the – dare we speak its name? – the OnePlus X. And given the increased prices of the 8-series, now seems like a great time to take another swing at an affordable phone.