While China-based tech manufacturer OnePlus has yet to provide firmed-up details on when it will follow up the successful OnePlus 2, it is said that a new flagship will be unveiled by the company by mid-2016.

According to an earlier exclusive by CNET, OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei himself is targeting for the new OnePlus 3 to be revealed by June. Reportedly, Pei has been quoted as stating that he expects to launch the OnePlus 3 "at the end of the second quarter." This means that the new flagship will be revealed sometime soon, with June at the latest.

Meanwhile, some observers are having optimistic guesses as to when "the end of the second quarter" will be. According to Yibada, OnePlus may yet surprise fans and launch the new OnePlus 3 as early as the end of April.

The industry observer also mentioned rumored specs for the upcoming flagship. Speculations suggest that the OnePlus 3 will be another "flagship killer" smartphone, able to provide top-tier specs with just an above-average price tag. Rumored specs for the upcoming flagship include a Snapdragon 820 processor paired with at least 4 GB of RAM, and 32 GB of onboard storage expandable via microSD support. Meanwhile, it is also said that the OnePlus 3 will come out with Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow right out of the box, possibly layered with OnePlus' own Oxygen 3.0 platform.

KnowYourMobile said that based on supposed renders and "leaked" images, the OnePlus 3 will have subtle differences with past iterations when it comes to design. Allegedly, the OnePlus 3 will switch to USB Type-C port, and this will make the form factor sleeker, with the new flagship having a slimmer profile. The new iteration also sports a curvier body, with brushed metal back and what seems to be aluminum chassis. Rumors also place a fingerprint scanner at the back.