We already know that OnePlus is planning to launch a 5G smartphone this year, but before it does, the company is giving us a glimpse at a prototype model.
A OnePlus 5G prototype phone is being shown at MWC. As spotted by The Verge, the device is in a plastic case that's hiding its design and is also in a plastic cube, meaning no one can actually touch it. OnePlus says that this is an entirely new device, though, adding that it can reach a maximum speed of 500Mbps.
The prototype phone was connected to a 5G base station using a mmWave connection. It was playing a live stream of Ace Combat 7 from cross-platform cloud gaming service Shadow, and users were able to play the game using an Xbox One controller connected to the phone over Bluetooth.
OnePlus has spilled a couple of details about its upcoming 5G phone, saying that it'll come with a Snapdragon 855 processor and that it'll cost $200 to $300 more than the typical OnePlus device. OnePlus has also said that it will launch a 5G phone with EE in Europe in 2019, and Finnish carrier Elisa recently said that it will launch a 5G phone from OnePlus in Q2 2019.
In other OnePlus 5G news, the company today announced a "5G Apps of Tomorrow" contest. Participants can fill in an application with a video submission explaining their App of Tomorrow and how 5G will help take it to the next level. OnePlus will choose 20 finalists and each will get a OnePlus device. The OnePlus community will then vote on the top 5 winners, and they'll each get a prize package that includes a trip to OnePlus HQ in China, a visit with OnePlus CEO Pete Lau, access to 5G testing labs, support from OnePlus and EE, a 5G OnePlus device, and a 5G connection from EE in the U.K. Each winner will also get €50,000 to support their development.
To learn more about the 5G Apps of Tomorrow contest, you can visit OnePlus's site here. Applications will be taken until March 26th.