OnePlus teases mystery machine launch on 3 March – but it’s not a phone

Whether it’s trying to stay in the headlines ahead of the OnePlus 8 release date or is simply diversifying its portfolio (or both), OnePlus is teasing yet another “product” this week.

Although rather than being a new phone or “commercial product”, it appears to be the inner workings of a component such as a camera or similar.

In a tweet on 18 February, the Chinese brand tweeted that it was “working on a special project (not a phone/commercial product!)” and asked its followers to reply to the tweet if they were happy to give feedback. It then promised to DM a small number of people who replied with some photos.

Then, 10 days later, on 28 February it quoted the original Tweet with the following:

This tweet simply said “Making progress” followed by the side-eye emoji and featured 13-second teaser video that shows the inner workings of an unknown machine designed in OnePlus’ red and black branding.

This video ends with the date 03.03.2020 being shown on the final frame.

A day later, this teaser video was followed by a series of photos that appear to reveal more about the mystery machine with the tag: “This is cool”. 

 Fans have been replying to these tweets trying to guess what it is, with the majority suggesting it’s a camera.

Rather than a standalone camera, though – given the fact the brand said the launch wasn’t a phone or a commercial product – it’s more likely to be a component that will be used for a future handset.

During the unveiling of its Concept One handset at CES 2020, OnePlus showcased a “disappearing” triple rear camera that can be hidden behind a layer of colour-changing “electrochromic” glass.

We also know the OnePlus 8 is due a camera upgrade to include a “Macro Lens” that’s rumoured to introduce the ability to take macro shots (obviously).

Either way, we won’t have long to wait if the release date is 3 March (as per the teaser video) and we’ll update this article when we know more.