CEO on purported leaked image of OnePlus 7: Looks photoshopped

Pete Lau comments on picture showing handset with a pop-up selfie camera

OnePlus

Karen Chiu

Published: 6:26pm, 5 Mar 2019

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This article originally appeared on ABACUS

Is OnePlus’ next flagship going to have a pop-up selfie camera? Pictures circulating online suggest so -- but comments from OnePlus CEO Pete Lau cast doubts.

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One of the first images came from Weibo, spotted by Slashleaks. It shows a front camera module that emerges from the top of the handset, just like the Vivo Nex’s retractable selfie lens. Adding fuel to the rumor, OnePlus devices often share design elements with sister brands Vivo and Oppo. All three belong to the same parent company, BBK Electronics.

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Some people believe this is the OnePlus 7. (Picture: Slashleaks via Weibo)

As Gizmodo points out, the addition seems uncharacteristic of OnePlus’ usually simple design. One Weibo user also expressed skepticism, asking Lau through the CEO’s official account: “Boss, can you respond and discredit this picture?”

Lau’s answer? “This has obvious traces of being photoshopped.”

Granted, Lau only disputed the authenticity of this particular picture; he didn’t entirely shoot down the possibility that the OnePlus 7 will have a pop-up selfie camera. Meanwhile, renders posted by OnLeaks also show a pop-up selfie camera, together with three cameras on the back. The rest looks pretty similar to the OnePlus 6T.

While it’s probably too early to confirm if OnePlus will add a pop-up selfie camera, we do know there’s one feature that likely won’t come with its next flagship: Wireless charging.

During Mobile World Congress last week, Lau told CNET he thinks the technology is “far inferior” to his company’s fast-charging standard called Warp Charge.

OnePlus hasn’t confirmed a release date for the OnePlus 7, and Lau doesn’t seem to be in a hurry. He wrote on Weibo: “Five years of phone-making experience have told me that good things are not to be rushed.”

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