OnePlus Confirms Next OnePlus Handset Coming In December

With the OnePlus 2 flagship out of the box for barely a week, OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei says the company's next smartphone will drop in December. Pei told USA Today the company plans to unleash a new OnePlus smartphone may or may not carry high-end specs but would have wider appeal. The device is expected to carry a smaller price tag.

Pei told Bloomberg in April the second OnePlus smartphone would be aimed at users who prefer design over specifications. When he saw the prototype, he said he felt he would use it on a daily basis but was even more impressed when he saw the OnePlus 2 production handset. He said both OnePlus handsets are good, and it is not easy to make a decision on which one to use.

Pei said in the next five years he expects Apple, Samsung and OnePlus to be the top three smartphone brands. Phone Arena said the statement is odd considering the company mainly aims to sell smartphones without making major profits.

The OnePlus 2 is a high-end smartphone but lacks a near-field communication chip that can be found on budget smartphones. To temper criticism, Pei said the company decided not to include the feature since it will be at least a year before a significant number of people use it. By then OnePlus would roll out a newer handset with an NFC chip onboard.