The OnePlus 8T has only just arrived and it joins a number of other interesting options in the new "affordable flagship" niche being carved out by high-profile competitors like Apple, Google and Samsung.
However, the smartphone development cycle never stops and Android Central reports that an insider source has informed them that the OnePlus 9's release is being planned for March of next year, a month ahead last year's OnePlus 8 reveal which was, in turn, a month earlier than its previous flagship launches (via TechRadar).
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OnePlus would hardly be the only company to shift its release schedule around; we saw Apple push the release of the iPhone 12 into October from its typical September launch, while recent rumors point to Samsung moving up the Galaxy S21 to a January release.
Beyond a mid-March reveal, the source didn't have anything else to reveal regarding the future OnePlus flagship, although it's reasonable to assume that it will adopt the new 5nm Snapdragon 875 chipset we expect from Qualcomm in December. The same 65W Warp charging found in the OnePlus 8T is also sure to make it over and, having spent a couple of days with it now, the speed is simply astounding.
It's possible that Samsung's rumored move is at least one motivating factor for OnePlus as it doesn't want to allow Samsung too much time in the market alone with flagships using the new 5nm Snapdragon 875.
We'll be on the lookout for more leaks regarding the OnePlus 9 in the coming months, but we are also looking forward to hearing about the affordable OnePlus Nord for North America that OnePlus said was "coming soon" during the OnePlus 8T launch event.
