OnePlus is working on a "premium" TV, as the company expands from its popular flagship smartphones into an entirely different product line.
The news on an upcoming OnePlus TV comes amid the barrage of recent OnePlus 6T rumors and announcements, including the removal of the headphone jack, the integration of an in-display fingerprint scanner, and exclusivity with T-Mobile.
OnePlus TV On The Way
OnePlus CEO Pete Lau, in a blog post on the company's official online forums, revealed that the OnePlus TV is in the works.
"We want to bring the home environment to the next level of intelligent connectivity," Lau wrote in the blog post. "We believe your TV has the potential to be so much more than where you watch your favorite shows."
In an interview with Business Insider, Lau said that the current TV market still feels traditional in terms of functions and experience, with internet integration still leaving much to be desired. The OnePlus TV, apparently, will solve these issues.
Lau said that the OnePlus TV will be a "premium" device, with the appropriate specifications. It will integrate artificial intelligence features and will be capable of establishing seamless connectivity with smartphones. OnePlus has not yet decided which AI will power the OnePlus TV, but it will likely be between Google Home and Amazon Echo.
The OnePlus TV will also come with a built-in camera, which will be "essential" to the device. Lau was quick to address the privacy concerns for such a feature, claiming that OnePlus will have a solution for the issue.
Lau said that the target release date for the OnePlus TV will be sometime next year. There is still a lot of important information about the device that remains unknown, including its resolution and price tag.
Help Name The OnePlus Smart TV
The name of the new OnePlus product, however, is still not final. It is currently being referred to as the OnePlus TV, but the company has actually launched a contest to ask customers for suggestions.
To join the contest, users will need to send in their entries before Oct. 17 through the official OnePlus forums. OnePlus will then choose 10 finalists, each of which will receive OnePlus Bullets Wireless earphones, and 10 more finalists from its Chinese website.
From the combined 20 finalists, OnePlus will choose the winning name for the OnePlus TV, which will be announced on Dec. 17. If the winner was selected from the official OnePlus forums, he or she will receive the first OnePlus TV and a trip to attend the launch event of the device.
