OnePlus 3T release date, specs, news: Step-up version rumored to come with 16 MP Sony IMX398 camera?

Featured in the image is the OnePlus3One Plus official website

Speculations suggest that OnePlus will launch a step-up version for its current OnePlus 3 flagship, with overall improved features like a new camera setup.

Reports out of China indicate that the so-called OnePlus 3T will sport a new camera setup. Supposedly, a post on the China-based social media site Weibo announced that the OnePlus 3 upgrade will feature a main camera with Sony IMX398 sensor. Should this turn out to be true, then it will definitely be an upgrade over the current-generation OnePlus 3's shooter, which features an IMX298 sensor. Meanwhile, other image capture features are expected to be improved too, like new 16-MP optics with f/1.7 aperture, dual-core autofocus, and OIS.

For comparison, the supposed new optics for the OnePlus 3T is the same setup featured by another China-based tech maker, Oppo. The company has announced this feature for the R9s and the R9s Plus.

Meanwhile, it is also said that the OnePlus 3T will be an over-all improvement over the current flagship. Supposed specs and features for the step-up variant include a new Snapdragon 821 processor and 6 GB of RAM. It is also expected for the OnePlus 3T to come out with Android Nougat 7.0 right out of the box rather than the tech maker's own Oxygen OS. It is likely, however, that OnePlus will retain the same AMOLED display for the new version.

However, with an overall improvement, it is also said that OnePlus may veer slightly towards a higher price tag. This is interesting to note, as the tech maker is known to provide "flagship killer" iterations, with its lineup having flagship specs but are offered at much more competitive prices. The OnePlus 3, although having the same, then-current Snapdragon 820 chipset and 4 GB of RAM as other big-name flagships, was priced at only $399 at launch.

For the OnePlus 3T, speculations suggest a price tag around $480.