OnePlus, best known for its smartphones like the OnePlus 15, is branching off into the gaming handheld market with a device that will run Google’s Android operating system, according to a prominent leaker. If true, OnePlus could shake up the handheld landscape that is currently dominated by just a handful of players, and perhaps even incentivize other smartphone makers to join the fray.
We’re getting well ahead of ourselves, though. For one, nothing has been formally announced, and even if OnePlus does release a gaming handheld, there is no guarantee that it will carve out a significant share of the market. However, OnePlus has a knack for disrupting the landscape, as we’ve seen time and again with its smartphones that routine deliver flagship specs and features as lower-than-flagship price points.
In any event, the rumor comes by way of Digital Chat Station, a frequent and reliable leaker on Weibo. In a Google-translated post, the leaker states, “It was previously said that a mobile phone manufacturer was making an ‘Android handheld’, and it has been confirmed.”
The post is short on details in regards to the specs, though as spotted by Lowyat, a separate post on Weibo by Panda claims the upcoming handheld will feature an 8-inch display and run on a MediaTek Dimensity processor. It’s said to be a “flagship” chip, a designation that applies to the Dimensity 9500 and 9500s featuring an octa-core configuration, 19MB of CPU cache and 10MB of system cache, and 5G connectivity (among other specs).
Digital Chat Station also posted a render (shown up top), and as noticed by Videocardz, it aligns with earlier rumors of a OnePlus gaming handheld sporting console-style grips.
“This solution is different from the previous full-button + joystick interaction. Instead, it is more like a set of interaction solutions built specifically for FPS games,” Digital Chat Station says.
The leaker also states that the upcoming handheld will flex some mobile phone traits, including multi-finger touch tracking and flagship performance scheduling.
Should this device come to fruition, it will be interesting to see how it fares against established competitors in the PC handheld space, such as the fan-favorite Steam Deck and devices like the ASUS Xbox ROG Ally X. And of course OnePlus would be competing with Nintendo’s Switch 2.
