With Upcoming OnePlus 8 Series, OnePlus Ushers In The 5G Revolution In India

If you thought 5G was a long way off from coming to fruition in India, think again. Global smartphone giant OnePlus has just dropped the biggest change the 5G world has seen in India. The announcement is in line with the company’s forward-thinking strategy that pairs well with its tagline of Never Settle. The smartphone brand that first added premium features at an affordable price point and became the darling of Indian smartphone lovers is all set to wow consumers once again by ushering in a new revolution.

While many smartphone brands have been toying with the idea of binging 5G-enabled smartphones, OnePlus has confirmed that the entire OnePlus 8 series will be 5G enabled. The confirmation comes straight from CEO Pete Lau. “OnePlus has achieved many firsts with 5G, including one of the first smartphone manufacturers to have 5G support across a full product line up. With our commitment to R&D in our 5G labs, I’m confident that we will bring a faster and smoother user experience with 5G,” Lau said.

Many smartphone brands have ramped up production of 5G enabled phones but it requires focus and dedication to be the first out of the gates. OnePlus has proved two things once again – the importance it gives to the Indian market and its ability to ramp up production of a forward-looking device, one equipped with 5G capabilities.

OnePlus has ramped up its facilities to support its growing ambitions ever since it first decided to go all in on 5G in 2016. It’s 5G labs located in Shenzhen and Taipei are focused on achieving better user experiences of 5G technology on OnePlus' devices. OnePlus is also conducting 5G testing efforts at its R&D center in Hyderabad, which was established last year. It has also committed a whopping $30 million to scale up and upgrade its 5G capabilities.

The scope of OnePlus 5G labs includes research and development in areas like radio frequency (RF) circuits, antennas and multi-media (camera, audio, and display). The labs also conduct software research for communication protocol, throughput optimisation, performance, power, stability and user scenario testing. They can also support regulation certification and operator access pre-testing, helping to push the 5G adoption forward.

This is important because the government will soon lay out the roadmap to bid for 5G airwaves. Creating a favourable environment that helps all the other stakeholders such as telecom operators and the government is vital to ensure its smooth deployment.

OnePlus’ decision to go all in on 5G will also force other smartphone brands to follow suit, thereby building enough momentum for 5G technology to be deployed at a much quicker pace than what would have been envisaged. By simply taking the first step, OnePlus has shown how its risk-taking ability can bring about a revolution.

The 5G revolution has the ability to transform India’s network ability manifold and add to its software prowess tremendously. With blazing fast downloads and more connected devices, the Internet penetration and all the benefits that come with it are slated to go up manifold as well.

All we can do at the moment is wait for the OnePlus 8 series to launch as soon as possible and wait for the 5G revolution to take off with it.

What exactly are these capabilities? Well, download speeds will become blazing fast, making current 4G connections look sluggish in comparison.

The writer is an independent Journalist.