OnePlus 3 release date, price, rumours and specs

SINCE IT FIRST arrived on the scene back in 2015, OnePlus has made quite the name for itself thanks to its invite-only product launches and affordably-price smartphones.

With that in mind, it's no surprise that speculation points to OnePlus gearing up to launch the OnePlus 3. We've rounded up everything we know about the handset so far.

Release dateThe time is almost right for OnePlus to reveal a new handset. Ignoring the mid-tier OnePlus X, the Chinese phone maker has released its smartphones in yearly cycles. The original OnePlus One was made available on 23 April 2014, while the follow-up OnePlus 2 debuted on 28 July 2015.

Pei has previously mentioned the second quarter of 2016 as a release date, so if that timetable sticks we're looking at a June release.

PriceThe OnePlus 2 currently retails at £249, and we can't see OnePlus bucking that trend with its next-gen model.

RumoursA mysterious new device has been spotted on popular benchmarking apps GeekBench and GFXBench. The device is thought to be the OnePlus 3, and goes by the name 'OnePlus Rain Rain A3000'.

GeekBench claimed that the new handset will have a whopping 6GB of RAM which, if true, would be a first for the UK, with the Galaxy Note 6 set to follow. Several manufacturers in China, including Vivo, LeEco and Vernee, are already experimenting with larger, more powerful specs.

However, this boost in RAM may have been contradicted by GFXBench, which lists a 'Rain A3000' with 4GB RAM. To add further mystery these listings could be for two different handsets, but whatever the outcome OnePlus has form when it comes to outclassing its rivals.

GFXBench also points to the new device running a Snapdragon 820, which is the chipset of choice for the likes of LG, HTC and Samsung (US) this year. The OnePlus 2 was equipped with the previous-generation 810, so this advance would make sense.

Elsewhere we're told to expect a 5in screen capable of 1080p resolution (1920x1,080 pixels), which is fair, if not incendiary. Bear in mind that the OnePlus X ran the same, so we'd hesitate to believe that OnePlus wouldn't at least try to up the pixel count.

If the listing is to be believed it looks like there will be the small, incremental improvements to the camera that appeared on the OnePlus 2: a 16MP rear camera with the ability to capture 4K video, and 8MP front-facing sensor (compared with 13MP/5MP respectively).

The leaks specify 64GB of storage. It'd be surprising if this wasn't the case, as it would be less than the OnePlus 2. Samsung brought expandable storage back to the Galaxy S7/S7 Edge (after lagging behind practically everyone else), so it would be unwise of OnePlus to shun it once more.

The proliferation of contactless payments means that OnePlus may add NFC capabilities to the OnePlus 3.

In terms of design, OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei told CNET that we should expect the OnePlus 3 to debut a "new design". He wants the forthcoming phone to conjure that same special feeling as the original OnePlus One. The OnePlus 2 had a solid build and, while the mixture of metal and plastic was functional, we hope the forthcoming handset is an all-metal affair.

Leaks have been thin on the ground when it comes to pictures of the mysterious device. A render from last December (posted by Mobile Dad, above) is the best we have, but it's only an artist's impression. µ
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