The OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro are now official and would be the first phones of 2020 by the company. But there are some rumors about a mid-range smartphone OnePlus Z for a few weeks now. So is the new phone predecessor of the company's 2015's mid-range Oneplus X? Earlier the leaks showed us a mid-range OnePlus phone without any name. Later on, it took the name OnePlus 8 lite. But it is renamed as OnePlus Z by the leakers. XDA-developers.com's Max Weinbach came up with the news first. According to him, the company is referring to the upcoming phone as OnePlus Z. The rumor was also supported by one more technology writer so we can rely on the news so far.

The phone was initially planned to be unveiled along with the OnePlus 8 series at the product announcement page, but the management decided to postpone the launch due to the coronavirus situation. It is estimated by the technology enthusiasts that the phone will be launched by the end of June or by mid-July at max. Another reputed leaker on Twitter hints at the launch in July.

The leaked images by OnLeaks and 91mobiles on Twitter show a phone with a punch-hole display, a possible glass rear panel, and what could be an alert slider like other OnePlus smartphones. These rendered images don't seem to show a headphone port, which might be a big disappointment. We have seen premium smartphone ditch the port in recent years, but mid-range devices tend to stay away from this trend so far. The OnePlus 8 series phone tends to keep the cutout on the left side rather than in the center. There will be a dual-camera series rather than the latest triple or quad-camera system trend.

Despite being the mid-range smartphone, the OnePlus Z has some impressive hardware specs. As per leaks, it might be using a MediaTek processor and a 90Hz screen. For security, it includes an in-display fingerprint sensor, 8GB RAM, 128GB to 256GB of storage, a 4,000mAh battery, and 30W charging. The camera system includes a 48MP primary camera lens. The phone would retail for around $500 but we might see some price difference according to the regions they are being launched.