OnePlus 5 news as co-founder drops this cryptic hint about new smartphone
ONEPLUS 5 release date looks set to be announced soon and its co-founder, Carl Pei, has fuelled speculation about the headphone port, and whether or not it will make the cut on the Chinese company's next smartphone, OnePlus 5.
OnePlus 5 prototype has been LEAKED
OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei has fuelled speculation the Chinese startup's next smartphone – OnePlus 5 – will ditch the headphone port.
The flagship OnePlus 5 was tipped to follow in the footsteps of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus and drop the industry standard 3.5mm port.
The outspoken CEO has confronted the rumours head-on on Twitter, replying to a number of concerned fans.
Carl Pei was asked by one of his social media followers to talk "about where the headphone jack went".
The OnePlus boss replied with the quip – "Why did the headphone jack cross the road?"
OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei has tweeted a cryptic message about the latest OnePlus rumour
The OnePlus boss has addressed fans' concerns with a cryptic hint
Many have taken this to mean that, while the headphone port could be repositioned in the next OnePlus smartphone, it is unlikely to dropped completely.
This chimes with some of the purported OnePlus 5 leaks that have surfaced online in recent weeks.
A number of these leaked photographs reveal that there is no 3.5mm headphone port on the bottom of the phone, leaving only a USB Type-C.
However, it's easy to read the tweet by Carl Pei as confirmation that the headphone port will simply be flipped to the top of the OnePlus 5.
OnePlus 5 leaks reveal that the headphone port has ben dropped from the bottom of the phone
By the same token, an increasing number of manufacturers are turning their back on this legacy port.
Apple dropped the headphone port from its flagship iPhone range last year, alongside rival Android manufacturers including Motorola and HTC.
There are a number of advantages to moving away from the 3.5mm port.
First, the traditional 3.5mm port is an analog connector, which means it can transfer sound – but that's about it.
By comparison, USB Type-C is able to deliver preprocessed sound – allowing the phone to deliver noise cancellation or virtual surround sound, even on regular headphones.
Unlike the industry-standard 3.5mm port, USB Type-C can control how much power it sends.
That means a battery-saving mode on the smartphone could disable power to the microphone on your headphones to help eke out a few more minutes battery life.
It can also be used to charge headphones while they are in use.
Of course, there are also drawbacks to using USB Type-C port to handle audio output.
Photos of the OnePlus 5 in a case also surfaced on social media this month
You will no longer be able to charge your smartphone and listen to music via a wired connection at the same time – without a special dongle.
That could make plane journey a bit of a hassle.
Alongside its new USB-C headphones, the OnePlus 5 is also rumoured to include a 5.5inch 2K display, a top-of-the-range 2.3GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, and 8GB of RAM.
The latest flagship phone from OnePlus will boast a 4,000 mAh battery. For comparison, Samsung Galaxy S8 has a 3,000 mAh battery cell, and the Galaxy S8+ 3,500 mAh.
There's also 64GB of in-built storage, which can be expanded via microSD.
OnePlus 5 will have a 5.5inch multi-touch display with a 2560x1440 resolution – a step-up from the Chinese company's current flagship device, OnePlus 3T, which has a 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution.