The OnePlus 8T has only been official for little over a week but attention is now switching to the next in the company's flagship line: the OnePlus 9.

A report states that the flagship phone will be launched sooner than expected. While the manufacturer usually announces and then releases its premium handset each April, it will switch the unveiling of the OnePlus 9 to March 2021.

This is so OnePlus can directly compete with other Android smartphone makers, such as Samsung and Xiaomi.

Android Central claims that its "insider source" revealed a "mid-March" launch event. However, there is no specific release date as yet.

Funny enough, while the move is allegedly planned to put the company up against Samsung, the Korean firm was also recently reported as moving its next flagship phone launch forward. It was said that the Samsung Galaxy S21 will be revealed in January or early February at the latest.

It just goes to show that, no matter how many times you compromise to take on your rivals, your rivals are more than capable of moving the bar again.

We'll bring you more on the OnePlus 9 over the coming months, but you can read all about the latest OnePlus handset right here - OnePlus 8T review: Fully charged.