OnePlus 5G smartphone to be showcased at MWC 2019 later this month

OnePlus will demonstrate a prototype 5G smartphone at the upcoming mobile tech show in Barcelona.

Here’s what to expect from OnePlus 5G phone (HT Photo)

OnePlus on Tuesday confirmed it will showcase a 5G smartphone at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona later this month. The smartphone, however, will be a prototype running on Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 855 processor.

OnePlus claims it had begun researching 5G technology way back in 2016. One year later it began working on a smartphone with 5G support. Its OnePlus 5G Project Team has also been working with Qualcomm to conduct 5G trials on its phone.

OnePlus will first launch its first 5G smartphone in European markets. It has already entered into a partnership with UK's biggest mobile network, EE. The local carrier plans to roll out 5G in as many as 19 cities of the UK by end of this year.

Marc Allera, CEO of BT Consumer & EE, said: "EE and OnePlus have a shared vision: to give our customers the best-connected experience possible. We're working together on cutting edge technology to deliver that, and we're leading the world on the journey to 5G. Adding 5G to the UK's number one 4G network will increase reliability, increase speeds, and keep our customers connected where they need it most. We have the ambition to connect our customers to 4G, 5G or Wi-Fi 100% of the time."

"Our strong relationship with mobile industry leaders like Qualcomm Technologies and EE makes us believe that we could bring the best 5G device to the world. OnePlus' core strength is having a tech community with more than 5.5 million users from 196 countries around the world. Our mission to tackle 5G head on was decided together with our community members. No other company out there is better suited to take on 5G than OnePlus," says Pete Lau.

OnePlus, however, did not disclose whether its prototype will be a variant of its OnePlus 6T smartphone or a brand new OnePlus 7. Note that the prototypes are often showcased as proof of technology rather commercial launch.

As far as OnePlus' 5G plans go, CEO Pete Lau last month hinted at introducing a separate lineup of 5G devices. He also said that the new 5G OnePlus phones will cost roughly $200-300 more than its current flagship products.

That said, Qualcomm holds the key for democratising 5G smartphones. The chipset giant late last year introduced Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor with Snapdragon X50 5G modem.