Contrary to previous rumors, the minor iterative "T" upgrade for this year's OnePlus 5 smartphone will not happen. Instead, OnePlus is expected to launch a completely fresh flagship version, the OnePlus 6. It is likely that the OnePlus 6 will be unveiled by the handset maker early 2018, boasting a powerful lineup of hardware specs.

According to the latest rumors, OnePlus will be dropping their OnePlus 5T plans. It was first believed that the company will repeat the same iterative update of OnePlus 3, in which they released an improved OnePlus 3T version.

It is suggested that there are no aspects of the current OnePlus 5 handset that can be further upgraded. For one, there are no reports that the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 will have its successor soon. If the OnePlus 5 will receive an iterative upgrade, it should have a chipset more powerful than the Snapdragon 835 that it is currently using.

Qualcomm was said to launch the Snapdragon 836 to replace the Snapdragon 835 as the top-tier mobile processor. However, it appears that the chipset maker will no longer release the said Snapdragon version, thus leaving no other options for OnePlus 5T but to be cancelled.

Furthermore, the OnePlus 5 already features a dual camera setup, and there are no other ways for a OnePlus 5T at this point to top the former's camera features. To recall, the OnePlus 3T is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 chipset, an upgrade from OnePlus 3's Snapdragon 820. The OnePlus 3T also had an improvement on the selfie shooter, and coupled with the chipset upgrade, the OnePlus 3T came out with a more expensive price.

For now, it is getting more likely that OnePlus will proceed with the launch of OnePlus 6. According to Inquirer, the OnePlus 6 may appear in the early months of 2018, possibly at the next Mobile World Congress (MWC). It is rumored that the OnePlus 6 will sport an all-screen display with reduced bezels at the top and bottom. The smartphone's display will be massive, measuring up to 6 inches in width and featuring a 2,880x1,440 QHD+ resolution.

With the OnePlus 6 having an all-screen front design, the fingerprint sensor will be moved to the back of the handset. In terms of the processor, the next flagship device will receive the Snapdragon 845, which is expected to come next after the Snapdragon 835.