OnePlus Aurora shock TWIST poses Pixel 5a double threat

OnePlus is rumoured to be lining up a slew of smartphones ready to take on the mid-tier competition by honing its hardware to encapsulate essential features users demand, at a price they'll love; and it all kicked off with the OnePlus Nord.    

Taking a break from its premium flagships, like the OnePlus 8 Pro, the company is getting back to basics without compromising on quality, and it's been revealed that it has more than just the OnePlus Aurora on the bench. There's at least one other device on the way that could spell trouble for Androids like the Google Pixel 5a, and here's everything we know about it so far.

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The OnePlus Aurora, a.k.a. Billie, is a mid-range smartphone targeting the US market in place of the OnePlus Nord, which didn't get a release in North America. It's reported to house a Snapdragon 690 chipset, which supports 5G, but we've also heard it could use the Snapdragon 662 or 665, neither of which support 5G, meaning it could be competing with the iPhone 12 4G model. 

While we know that a OnePlus device set to undercut the Nord's £379/ $500 price tag will be winging its way to the US soon, a new titbit points to the possibility that rather than the Aurora – which may end up being the same price as the Nord depending on its specs – the budget handset could be one of two remaining codenames that have been unearthed; the OnePlus Lemonade or the OnePlus Clover. 

The OnePlus Lemonade has only just been discovered, and we don't know much about the device. By contrast, we know that the Clover is an entry-level smartphone that will come in at around $200 and will feature the Snapdragon 460 chip. 

We very much doubt that the Lemonade will beat the Clover on price, but from a hardware standpoint, it could lie somewhere between the Clover and Aurora, perhaps lacking 5G while offering superior specs to the entry-level model. 

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Whatever OnePlus has lined up, it's garnered a loyal fan-base and won over users with its no-nonsense tech and value for money. With the OnePlus Nord launch under its belt, it seems that it's embracing the affordable smartphone ethos and has plenty more to come. 

Given its proclivity for teasing fans, we'll be in for all sorts of hints and clues before OnePlus officially announces anything, so be ready for that.

Source: TechRadar

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