China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030 
Anthropic's Mythos AI Model Sparks Emergency Cybersecurity Meeting With Top U.S. Bank CEOs 
TSMC Posts Record Q1 2026 Profits Driven by Surging AI Chip Demand 
MATCH Act Targets ASML and Chinese Chipmakers in New U.S. Export Crackdown 
Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Posts Strong Q3 Earnings, Announces AI-Driven Job Cuts 
Microsoft's $10 Billion Japan Investment: AI Infrastructure and Data Sovereignty Push 
Anthropic Fights Pentagon Blacklisting in Dual Federal Court Battles 
Meta Is Building an AI Version of Mark Zuckerberg to Interact With Employees 
SanDisk Joins Nasdaq-100, Replacing Atlassian on April 20 
OpenAI Executive Shake-Up Ahead of Anticipated 2026 IPO 
Lumentum Holdings Rides AI Wave With Order Book Filled Through 2028 
SpaceX Eyes Historic IPO at $1.75 Trillion Valuation 
San Francisco Suspect Arrested After Molotov Cocktail Attack on OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's Home 
Australia's Social Media Ban for Under-16s Sparks Global Movement 
NASA's Artemis II Mission: First Crewed Lunar Journey Since Apollo 
AI Deradicalization Tools: How Chatbots Could Help Combat Violent Extremism Online 
OnePlus is reportedly applying a major change in the upcoming launch of the OnePlus 9 series. The lineup is expected to grow with a total of three devices with the addition of a rumored “Lite” model.
OnePlus 9 series is getting a ‘Lite’ model
Android fans should look forward to three new devices to be unveiled once the OnePlus 9 series is announced next year. Android Central reports that a “OnePlus 9 Lite” will be added to the lineup along with the staple base model OnePlus 9 and the OnePlus 9 Pro. If this is accurate, 2021 will be the first year that the smartphone make introduces a Lite option to its flagship series.
The new entry reportedly has one defining feature that sets it apart from the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro. The Lite model is rumored to be powered by the Snapdragon 865, which was originally launched in early December 2019. Other devices in the lineup would be equipped with the newly announced Snapdragon 888 as expected.
Snapdragon 888 is promised to perform 25% better than its predecessor and clocked at 2.84GHz CPU speed. The newer chipset also comes with a built-in Snapdragon X60 modem, which resolves one of the critics in the Snapdragon 865. There was no mention if the OnePlus 9 Lite will be released with 5G support.
Despite Snapdragon 865 being more than a year old now, it is still a much better option than having an SoC intended for mid-range devices. It also makes sense to have this chipset on the OnePlus 9 Lite so it could still fall under the premium category while allowing OnePlus to market it at a lower price point. The same report speculates it could cost around $600.
Expanding the flagship OnePlus smartphone series is also not entirely surprising. Over the last year, the company has made efforts in offering its fans more options. One notable development is the launch of the mid-range OnePlus Nord in some territories earlier this year.
OnePlus 9 release date eyed in Q1 2021
As for the announcement of the OnePlus 9, tech fans will have to wait a few more months. However, there have been reports that its launch could be happening in March 2021, which is about a month earlier than the OnePlus 8 last year.
