We know the OnePlus 8 will be out soon, because OnePlus CEO Pete Lau both confirmed that on Twitter, over the weekend, and noted the launch had been pushed back three times already.

What we didn’t expect was a new smartphone series, but I think I know why.

OnePlus 8: Latest bits and bobs

New OnePlus phones are pretty hotly anticipated and OnePlus is pretty good at dripping out information in advance. 

• We already know the new flagship will be powered by a Qualcomm 5G chip, have a 120Hz refresh rate on the Samsung-supplied display, and improve Android animations to match that display.
• The new OnePlus devices now look like they’ll launch next month sometime, with rumors hinting at April 15th, but an official date hasn't been confirmed by the company.

Leaks do the rest of the work for us, and over the weekend a few new surprises popped up:

• The first was a set of new colours. Leaked OnePlus 8 renders via Winfuture.de hit the internet this weekend; the site claiming they are official marketing renders.
• Those colors include “Interstellar Glow,” “Glacial Green,” and standard black: “Onyx Black.” 
• Interstellar Glow has a nice look, going for a color shift from purple to yellow.
• Aside from those colors, we can see the notch in the OnePlus 7/7T phones is gone, replaced by a punch-hole front-facing camera in the upper left corner. 
• And there’s a triple rear camera setup, and the previously revealed revamp of the company’s logo.
• Adding to the camera news was that the OnePlus 8 Pro will apparently borrow from the stablemate Oppo Find X2 Pro and its cameras. The leak suggests the new Pro will include the same 48MP main camera and 48MP ultra-wide sensor, which means it will use the Sony IMX689 sensor and IMX586 ultra-wide camera sensors respectively.
• The equates to class-leading main and ultra-wide cameras, on paper.
• That tells me two things: a 5G phone with top the line cameras is going to be expensive and over $1000.
• Even Xiaomi, known for value, had to price its new Mi 10 Pro with 5G at €999 or $1105.

Which brings us to the OnePlus Z:

• A persistent rumor has been that OnePlus will offer another mid-range device into the new 8 series, and that was billed as the OnePlus 8 Lite.
• But over the weekend noted tipster Max Weinbach suggested he’d been told the name OnePlus Z had matched the details of the OnePlus 8 Lite, and that OnePlus was launching a new series on the back of the old OnePlus X.
• In case you weren’t across OnePlus back in 2015, the OnePlus X was $250 and packed a lot of value into a 5-inch device, even if it didn’t have all the shiny features and bells and whistles.
• The X remained a favorite for many, and a OnePlus Z would instantly be interesting given that history.
• Early reports are that it’d be closer to $500 at launch, and use a MediaTek 5G-enabled Dimensity 1000 chipset instead of Qualcomm’s more expensive flagship chipset.
• Traditionally MediaTek has been seen by enthusiasts as something for value and budget devices only, but that may change with OnePlus getting on board.
• And as I was saying, this might be OnePlus’ way of appeasing fans who want OnePlus to stick to its “flagship killer” roots, which meant performance and speed without the cost.