The OnePlus 8 could become the first phone to get a celebrity endorsement before it’s even been announced, as today has seen a double-whammy of OnePlus news. First came the (apparently) mistakenly posted images that show world-famous actor Robert Downey Jr. holding what looks a lot like the OnePlus 8 Pro — then, we got confirmation the new phone range’s launch date is likely to be Wednesday, April 15.
The release date news comes from noted leaker Max J., who mocked up a simple banner image proclaiming “15th April.” While he didn’t confirm this was the leaked announcement date, the style of the image echoes past event announcements, so it’s pretty clear what he was shooting for. Not to mention, the date itself is broadly in lone with rumors from last week OnePlus would aim for an early April reveal.
The second piece of news is just as exciting, even though it doesn’t reveal anything new about the new phone. Originally posted on photographer Sam Jones’s Instagram account, it shows the Avengers actor holding a device that looks an awful lot like the rumored OnePlus 8 Pro. Only the rear side of the device can be seen, but a centrally placed camera module is obvious, along with a series of sensors running parallel to the left of the module.
The images were taken down from the Instagram account quickly, leading many to assume they had been mistakenly uploaded. However, the images had already been seized by a number of people, including a Robert Downey Jr. fan account. The hot money is on these being from an upcoming advertisement for the new phone, and having been uploaded accidentally — but there’s a lot to be said about this being an intentional leak by OnePlus itself.
A OnePlus prototype phone was shown in one of OnePlus’ own videos in January, most likely as an Easter egg of sorts. There’s no evidence that OnePlus is behind the release of this image — yet — but it certainly doesn’t hurt the hype surrounding the new phone to show RDJ holding it before a reveal.
If these leaks are correct, we’ll be seeing the OnePlus 8 range soon. Echoing other manufacturers, rumors say OnePlus will introduce three new models this year — a midrange OnePlus 8 Lite, a OnePlus 8, and a higher-powered OnePlus 8 Pro. We may even see OnePlus include wireless charging in the OnePlus 8 Pro, something it has previously insisted wasn’t necessary with the speed of its wired charging. Whatever happens, we’ll be sure to keep you up-to-date on the latest as it happens.
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