OnePlus 4 release date and specs, news: flagship to be called OnePlus 5 instead?

There is a new rumor going around that the China-based tech company, OnePlus, will skip the OnePlus 4 moniker and will call its next flagship OnePlus 5 instead.

There is not much to go around this rumor, but it is said that there are various reasons that the company ends up ditching the OnePlus 4 moniker.

For starters, OnePlus recently released an upgraded variant of its OnePlus 3, which is called the OnePlus 3T. Some would believe the latter is technically the OnePlus 4 already.

The handset, which was released less than six months after the OnePlus 3 launch, features an improved camera, 128GB memory, a larger battery under the same build and design.

It is also being pointed out that in China, the number 4 is considered an unlucky number and OnePlus might not take the chance for some bad luck and just skip to 5.

Android Headlines points out that this is actually what Vivo, which is under BBK Electronics just like OnePlus, actually went from Vivo V3 to Vivo V5.

Interestingly, OnePlus CEO Carl Pei was asked during a Reddit AMA session about the possibility of skipping OnePlus 4 and using OnePlus 5 instead. He said, "Not a bad idea actually, maybe."

Meanwhile, the same rumor also suggests that the OnePlus 4 (or OnePlus 5) will use ceramics for the build and that the supplier of the material for the Xiaomi Mi MIX will take care of the supply for the OnePlus flagship.

The OnePlus 4 will be the second device to use such. The first one is the OnePlus X, which came out with a ceramic-made variant. It is also not surprising for the company to use the material on its flagship.

After all, the use of ceramic is believed to be the next big thing in the mobile scene as it will make devices that use it more durable and efficient altogether.

As for the release date, the OnePlus 4 is expected to be released by June next year.