March is chock full of releases from Chinese OEMs such as Oppo, Vivo, Nubia, Black Shark, and the likes. However, OnePlus isn't going to be on that list, contrary to what was stated by earlier leaks. A source familiar with the matter told Techradar that the OnePlus 8's release date is expected to be sometime mid-April.

OnePlus 8 will be the first phone after OnePlus One to be released in April

OnePlus typically unveils its first flagship of a year in May or June. For the last two years, the release date has been set for May, and June for two years before that. Furthermore, the T-branded devices usually make their way around October of November. There is only a five or six-months gap between releases. This can be quite frustrating for users who bought the non-T variant, as they could simply have waited a bit longer to get a better phone.

An April release for the OnePlus 8 series makes perfect sense, as the company will reportedly release three separate devices this time around. This will be the first time OnePlus release a Lite variant of their flagship, and no, the OnePlus X does not count as one. OnePlus 8 Lite is also rumored to be the world's first smartphone to run MediaTek's Dimensity 1000 SoC. The OnePlus 8 Pro, on the other hand, mimics the Galaxy S20 series with a 120Hz screen and the likes.

OnePlus is yet to acknowledge anything for the OnePlus 8's release date officially, not even a venue for the launch. One rumor emerged earlier, stating that the OnePlus would forego a physical launch instead of a digital-only one amid the Coronavirus epidemic. The company has gone on record saying that it will go ahead with the physical launch as scheduled. This could, however, change once again, given the rapid spread of the virus into new regions, including the United States.