Last year, OnePlus launched the OnePlus Nord and set out to make cheaper phones. Rumors promise that more Nords are on the way, but another new inexpensive device is on the way.

This will launch alongside the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro and will feature the Snapdragon 865 chipset. This will replace the flagship Snapdragon 888, which is expected to be included in the other two models and in future Android phones like the Samsung Galaxy S21.

The news comes from an Android Central source who claims that the launch of the two phones typical of OnePlus will now include a third. However, being inexpensive phones, some things have to be sacrificed to save money, hence the Snapdragon 865.

OnePlus is not only known for pursuing flagships, but also for manufacturing budget to mid-range devices. Although the company has put a lot of effort into this, the choice of the Snapdragon 865 does not make the OnePlus 9 Lite a budget device.

The Snapdragon 865 is still a very powerful chip, even though it was used in many flagship phones in the 2020s and was replaced by the Snapdragon 888. As such, the OnePlus 9 Lite will likely be a slightly cheaper version of the OnePlus 9, offering many features with a few corners cut, including one less camera lens and RAM. We've seen that situation with the $699 Samsung Galaxy S20 FE, the premium mid-range model of the Galaxy S20, so we wouldn't be surprised if OnePlus attempts it with the 9 Lite. [Not only is the Galaxy S20 FE in the lead, but also the Google Pixel 5 and iPhone 12, all priced at $699; the $749 OnePlus 8T can be seen as a contender in this area, but its higher price puts it at a disadvantage. Therefore, OnePlus has room with its "Lite" handsets to offer premium mid-range phones that undercut rivals from Samsung, Google, and Apple.

It will also be interesting to see how OnePlus differentiates the 9 Lite from the previous model. However, by using a slightly older chip, the company could save on development costs for the handset.

Not much else is known about the OnePlus 9 Lite, but the rest of the specs are expected to be fairly similar to the standard OnePlus 9. The OnePlus 9 is also expected to come in one variant with an FHD+ 6.55" with a 120Hz refresh rate, a 4,500 mAh battery, three rear cameras, at least 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.

The OnePlus 9 Lite may share many of these specs, but may use a smaller display, have less memory, and one less rear camera.

The OnePlus 9 series is said to launch in mid-March 2021, so expect more information about the OnePlus 9 Lite in the coming weeks leading up to 2021.