OnePlus 7 Pro will fix this one disappointing feature
Users were so annoyed with OnePlus, some took to Reddit to petition.
The vibration engine on the OnePlus 7 Pro.
The OnePlus 7 Pro, set to be officially announced Tuesday, will come packed with features meant to wrest buyers away from iPhones and Samsung Galaxy phones. But there's also one small change that's aimed at the brand's most loyal following: an update to the way that the OnePlus 7 Pro will vibrate when you get a notification.
The phone will have a far more pronounced buzz, which should be handy for everything from notifications to typing, the company confirmed to CNET.
The upgrade shores up one of the main complaints about OnePlus phones, which generally win critical and consumer praise for their combination of affordability and high-end components. OnePlus owners for years have vocally criticized the brand's vibration engine online, with some complaining it's too weak -- leading to missed notifications -- and others finding the vibrations when using the phone to be too inconsistent.
One Reddit user last year created a thread on the site to petition the company to "please put a good vibration motor on upcoming devices," receiving 481 upvotes and 149 comments. OnePlus, it seems, has listened.
"We are constantly listening to feedback from the community on what features and characteristics they would like to see implemented on OnePlus phones. Their feedback helps us focus on certain features," OnePlus founder and CEO Pete Lau said in an email interview.
The OnePlus 7 is rumored to have a pop-up camera for taking selfies.
"Our goal with the OnePlus 7 Pro was to create the best phone possible in not just the premium tier, but the ultrapremium tier. We really aimed to making the haptic experience excellent," Lau said.
To help fix the weak vibration issue, OnePlus made its new motor larger, claiming that the new engine is 200% more powerful than the prior one.
"Our team had to rethink the internal design of the OnePlus 7 Pro, to fit inside the body without increasing the thickness of the device, which could lead to a less ergonomic feel," Lau said. "At the same time, we had to ensure that the haptic motor was in the right position so that the haptics would be strong, yet even across the device."
Lau noted that users will be able to control the vibration settings on the new phone, offering "light," "medium" and "strong" intensity options for both calls and other notifications, respectively, while also allowing users the option to change the vibration patterns of the motor to one of six different settings.
He adds that users will also be able to "tune the vibration" in the keyboard when typing.
The updates to the engine are just the latest news to come out ahead of the phone's official unveiling next week. T-Mobile on Thursday announced that it will be the exclusive carrier for the device in the US, with OnePlus taking an ad out in The New York Times to show off a schematic of the rear of the phone. Rumors for the phone have suggested it will have three rear cameras and a full screen, notch-less display, both of which may have been confirmed with the ad and the accompanying tweet that touted "no bezel. no notch."
One thing the 7 Pro won't be, however, is IP-certified as water resistant. In a post on the company's forum, co-founder Carl Pei wrote that while the phone will be able to withstand some exposure to water, including being dropped in a bucket, the phone won't have a rating because "the certification doesn't help us communicate our focus on your real experience."
This story was originally published May 9.