OnePlus started off its journey in 2013 and in a short span of fewer than six years, the Chinese smartphone company has reached new heights of success. By constantly challenging itself and carefully listening to its users, OnePlus has managed to bring advanced mobile technologies in its smartphones. The company's motto to "Never Settle" remains unchanged even today.
Fast forward a few years and OnePlus started working on 5G – the pioneering future technology for both hardware and software sectors. The company began its work on 5G in 2016 and partnered with the leading mobile chipset maker, Qualcomm, in 2017 to bolster its work on 5G device development. The partnership between the two companies grew stronger and the results in the 5G development are solid proofs.
In a matter of two years since OnePlus started its research on 5G, the world's first 5G tweet was sent out from a prototype device connected to a 5G Non-standalone Network, via an LTE b7 + 5G NR n78 air interface. OnePlus CEO Pete Lau sent out the tweet in question, which read: "Say Hello to 5G."
In the months that followed, OnePlus made the biggest headlines when it showcased its 5G smartphone prototype at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2019. The smartphone was well wrapped in a protective case to maintain the confidentiality of its OnePlus 5G smartphone coming later this year.
Powered by Snapdragon 855 chipset, which comes with Snapdragon X50 5G modem capable of delivering 2Gbps peak download speed on 5G network, OnePlus 5G smartphone further strengthened the relationship with Qualcomm. OnePlus smartphones have always run Qualcomm's flagship 800-series chipsets and the trend will continue in 2019 with OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 5G smartphone both drawing power from Snapdragon 855 to provide unmatched imaging, gaming and intelligence.
"We have been loyal to Qualcomm's 800-series Snapdragon chipsets since the release of our very first flagship device. This strong partnership with Qualcomm makes us believe that we could bring the best 5G device to the world," Lau said.
The journey of OnePlus and Qualcomm on 5G infrastructure has only begun after all these striding efforts. During a recent panel discussion joined by Lau, Qualcomm President Cristiano R. Amon and EE CEO Marc Allera, the "5G Apps of Tomorrow" was officially announced paving way for the future.
Through "5G Apps of Tomorrow," OnePlus is challenging developers from around the world to design apps that would benefit users. In addition to offering complete support, OnePlus also has a huge reward for the winners, who will walk away with a total of €250,000 in cash.
Lau had said that 5G smartphones will undergo three stages of development, 5G 1.0, 5G 2.0 and 5G 3.0. The next 3-5 years will be dedicated to the first phase of 5G development, followed by the second phase of 5G in the next five years and then comes 5G 3.0 after 10 years. The next decade is crucial for 5G development, during which the world will witness one of the biggest transformations in the mobile network.
Finally, OnePlus and Qualcomm have also joined hands to begin 5G trials in India soon. These are certainly exciting times live in as the world of communication undergoes a major transformation.
