OnePlus 17 Could Ditch the Traditional Screen for a Wider Design

OnePlus may be planning a major design change for its next flagship. A new leak suggests the OnePlus 17 will join a growing group of high-performance phones with wider screens in 2027. The change could make gaming more enjoyable, but it would also give the phone a very different look from today's OnePlus models.

The information comes from Chinese tipster Smart Pikachu. In a post on Weibo, he mentioned the OnePlus 17 among five high-performance wide-screen phones expected next year. OnePlus has not confirmed the news, and no official specifications are available yet.

Most Android flagships use tall screens. This shape works well for scrolling, watching videos, and using apps with one hand. However, a wider display could offer more room when playing games, especially in titles where a broader field of view can help.

The idea is not new, but more brands seem interested in it. Huawei has already introduced the Pura X View, while Vivo is also rumored to be working on a compact wide-screen flagship for 2027.

There is an important difference, though. These phones use a wide, regular body rather than a folding design. They aim to offer a different screen shape without the extra parts and moving sections found in foldable phones.

The leak follows an earlier post from Digital Chat Station. The tipster suggested that OnePlus could skip a direct successor to the OnePlus 15T and launch a wide-screen phone instead.

The latest post goes a step further by naming the OnePlus 17. This makes the next flagship part of the wider-screen trend, although we still do not know how wide its display will be.

For comparison, the OnePlus 16 has a 6.78-inch OLED screen with a tall design. It also offers a refresh rate of up to 185Hz in supported games. The phone runs on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 and packs a 9,000mAh battery. Its price in China starts at 5,999 yuan (around $897).

A wider screen could give players a broader view in games. It may also make some apps feel more natural, especially when using the phone in landscape mode.

However, there are trade-offs. A wider body may be harder to hold with one hand, and some apps may not make full use of the extra space. OnePlus will need to get the size and screen shape right.

I like the idea of OnePlus trying something different. Most flagship phones look almost the same from the front, so a wider design could give the OnePlus 17 a clear identity.

Still, I would not call this a gaming phone just yet. We need to see the screen size, aspect ratio, and how games will use the extra space. For now, the wider design is the only detail this leak really confirms.