'OnePlus 3' release date, specs rumors: New handset to come out before Christmas

OnePlus 2 OnePlus/Facebook

The new OnePlus 2 has not been on the shelves that long, and yet, China-based OnePlus is reported to be already considering another smartphone rollout before the year ends. According to an interview with news site USA Today, OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei is thinking of releasing a second phone before 2015 ends, preferably during the holidays.

Pei said, "There's going to be a second phone this year, before the end of the year. Hopefully for Christmas." 

Pei declined to provide any details, adding that there are no concrete plans yet on which direction to take – if it will be an updated version of the current flagship, or a new smartphone lineup.

"It may or may not be (higher spec'd than the OnePlus 2). When I saw the prototype for that phone I was like 'holy s--- that's going to be my daily driver' but then when the OnePlus 2 production version came out it's also super nice, so its really hard to decide now what to use," he said. 

Companies nowadays tend to release an upgraded version of their previous flagship. Apple, for instance, has already released updated versions of the previous iPhone 5, the 5s and 5c handsets. In addition, it is also rumored that Samsung and Apple will come out with an S6 edge Plus an iPhone 6s next month.  

Should Pei and OnePlus decide to come out with a step-up version of the OnePlus 2, it will have to top the already-formidable specs of the company's recently released flagship. The OnePlus 2 is powered by a 64-bit Snapdragon 810 with 4 GB of RAM, a 5.5-inch full HD display, and the company's own Lollipop-inspired platform, Oxygen OS.  

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