OnePlus announces a new phone launch event, and it's going to be heavily "metal"

July is set to be a very busy month when it comes to phone launches. Unless you've been hiding under a rock the last few weeks, you probably already know that Samsung is set to hold its next Galaxy Unpacked event on 10 July, where the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 are expected to be revealed.

Nothing will also unveil its latest phone – the budget CMF Phone 1 on 8 July (next Monday).

Now another Android manufacturer has revealed some big plans for the month. OnePlus has officially announced it will be holding an event on 16 July in another European capital. With Samsung taking over Paris, OnePlus is soaking up the sun in Milan, Italy for its "Summer Launch Event". 

A metal teaser card was sent to select press to announce the global launch event, which is expected to see a new Nord smartphone with 5G, and wait for it, a metal build.

The teaser card, which MySmartPrice very kindly pictured with a kitten for us on its X account, has a slightly cryptic message: "Some say it's impossible in the 5G era to make a smartphone with the strength, sophistication, and enduring quality of metal. We say, Never Settle."

The announcement follows a separate teaser on OnePlus Europe's official Instagram that revealed a collaboration with heavy metal band and former Eurovision winners, Lordi.

The post had an image of a phone and Mr Lordi, with "Made of Metal, Coming This Summer" below. The caption meanwhile, said "Get ready for the most metal collaboration of all time @LordiOfficial #MadeOfMetal".

The official name of the Nord smartphone hasn't been revealed yet, but rumours suggest it will be the OnePlus Nord 4 and if it does offer a metal unibody design, it will be the first time since the OnePlus 5T for the company.

Full metal bodies are also something smartphone manufacturers haven't offered for a while, with many opting for glass on the rear instead.

Other previous rumours have suggested the Nord 4 will come with a 6.74-inch OLED screen, Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 chipset and a 50-megapixel primary sensor, coupled with an 8-megapixel ultra-wide sensor. There's also reported to be a 5,500mAh battery under the hood. 

For now, the OnePlus Nord 4 details aren't official, but it seems like a pretty solid bet that we are about to see a metal Nord phone on 16 July so watch this space.