McLaren Partners with OnePlus to Deliver 'Something Special'

Legendary sports car manufacturer McLaren Automotive (in conjunction with McLaren Racing) and premium smartphone maker OnePlus announced their plan to collaborate on ‘something special.' The launch of the first stage of this McLaren-OnePlus technology partnership is scheduled for December 11. The event will be held at the McLaren Technology Centre in the UK and is titled ‘Salute to Speed,' a nod towards the companies' overlapping values to provide their respective products with impressive speed, power, and innovation.

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Beyond that, there are no real leads as to what the brands could be releasing but based on partnerships between comparable companies over the past couple years, some educated guesses can be made. Lamborghini has developed its own-brand smartphones over the years, of course, all with high-end price tags that have actually become less shocking as premium brands amp up their top-end offering.

In October, Huawei announced its own sportscar-inspired smartphone: The Porsche Design Huawei Mate 20 RS, which is gradually rolling out to various markets, having hit China first on November 17 and Singapore next on Saturday.

Given these trends, it is likely that McLaren and OnePlus are collaborating on a deluxe smartphone inspired by McLaren's racing team, at least for the first stage. But whereas McLaren has a reputation of developing luxe products for those with a fat wallet, OnePlus is known for providing premium devices at a cost far more affordable than the competition. Though this device -- if it even is a device -- is likely to be more spendy than previous models, it may still be less than competitor flagships.