We can finally settle down on the discussions around the naming of the next flagship killer. OnePlus has today confirmed that it plans to release its next smartphone, which will be called OnePlus 5, this very year. The release date, as well as naming of the device, was expected from the start (because of its codename being A5000) and doesn’t really comes as a massive surprise.
The Chinese smartphone maker has exclusively shared information on their next flagship device with The Verge, who reports that it is expected to release sometime in the Summer. It will succeed the company’s overly impressive OnePlus 3 and upgraded OnePlus 3T lineup, but what would exactly be different with the OnePlus 5 is still unknown. OnePlus has surely restricted from revealing the key factor of any smartphone — its specs and add-on features — any why wouldn’t they!?
Also, the company has confirmed that the smartphone is being called OnePlus 5 and shared the official reason for skipping on the number four. The rationale behind the decision is the one everyone expected, the number four is considered unlucky in China.
This is termed as tetraphobia and is because four sounds similar to the word for death in Chinese, Korean, and Japanese languages. The company hasn’t refrained from sharing their fears, which are common to the whole region from where they operate. This has, however, not stopped its Chinese counterpart Xiaomi from releasing devices with the number ‘four’ in it. The Redmi Note 4 was one of its best-selling (fastest) devices in India.
In addition, OnePlus 5 would be the fifth flagship smartphone manufactured and released by the Chinese company (it also released a budget OnePlus X smartphone a couple years ago). The company has shed light on this fact saying that the phone number didn’t come into play while deciding on the name of the device. However, it did mention that most of the OnePlus employees are fans of former NBA player Robert Horry, who adorned a number five jersey. The company has even hung two of his portraits in the Shenzhen office to justify their liking for his sportmanship.
True Story. https://t.co/1hjRY6s1HP pic.twitter.com/y7ipvbpJ4p
— OnePlus (@oneplus) May 5, 2017
