The OnePlus Z is rumored to be a return to cheap phones for a company where products have been creeping up in price over the last few years. While the OnePlus 3T launched at $439 in 2016, this year’s OnePlus 8 started at $699 and the OnePlus 8 Pro at $899. That’s an increase of over 59% in just four short years.
But a lower price doesn’t mean the OnePlus Z is going to be underpowered by any means, and a new rumor suggests it’s going to outgun its cheap phone rival the Google Pixel 4a (as well as the Apple iPhone SE 2020) in one important metric: cameras.
The OnePlus Z camera revelation stems from this tweet from leaker Max J:
If it’s not immediately clear, it’s the word “soon”, only with four camera lenses replacing the ‘O’s and an uppercase N at the end.
What does this have to do with the OnePlus Z? Well, one persistent rumor is that the handset will actually be launched as the OnePlus Nord, and that uppercase N certainly suggests so. As for Max J’s pedigree, he’s been a particularly fruitful source of OnePlus leaks, so it’s unlikely this refers to anything else.
So, four cameras on the OnePlus Z/Nord? Not only does that go against previous leaks which pointed to a triple-camera array, but it’s also notably one more camera than the OnePlus 8 and the same number as the OnePlus 8T. That would certainly be a bold move from the Chinese company, as it might leave many people wondering why they should pay more for the 8.
But of course quality is more important than quantity, and we’d rather have three great cameras than four average ones any day of the week. It’s not like cheap phones haven’t managed to push four lenses in before – both the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8T and Motorola Moto G8 Power include as many, and they sell for $200 and $250 respectively. The OnePlus Z, meanwhile, is expected to cost between $499 and $649.
However many cameras it ends up with, the OnePlus Z or OnePlus Nord is expected to launch in July, with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor and 5G connectivity. Watch this space.
