OnePlus 8 Pro may have just leaked because Robert Downey Jr was holding it

OnePlus 7T Pro
(Image credit: Future)

The OnePlus 8 Pro has seen several leaks in the lead up to its likely launch in mid-April, but this one takes the cake: a photo popped up allegedly revealing the phone in the hands of actor Robert Downey, Jr.

Downey, Jr, of course, portrayed Tony Stark/Iron Man in the Avengers films - but he’s also done promotional work for OnePlus before. Shortly after the release of Avengers: Endgame, the actor appeared on Weibo last May showing off a OnePlus 7 Pro, per The Verge.

Assuming this latest leaked photo is real, it shows what we’re guessing to be a OnePlus 8 Pro given the potential depth sensors located left of the rear camera strip, which supports previous leaks and rumors. Here's the photo:

Or it could...not be real

The photo comes courtesy of the instagram account robertdowney.ig, a self-described RDJ fanpage. The closer you look at the image, the less cohesive it looks - suggesting it might be photoshopped.

First comes the phone: yes, it looks a lot like the OnePlus 8 Pro leaks we’ve seen before, insofar as it has the left-of-center potential depth sensors - but it certainly looks awkward in his hands there, with some odd placement (who holds their phone just right to expose the back like that?) and lighting that doesn’t match the rest of the photo. In fact, the lighting is kind of all over the place, hitting Downey, Jr. differently than the other figure.

That other figure, by the way, appears to be Sam Jones, noted photographer and director who had Downey, Jr. on his long-form interview show Off Camera in an episode that aired...on July 15, 2019.

Even if the image is fake, OnePlus might still be behind it: the phonemaker is not above pulling stunts, like when it pitted snowball-firing robots against each other to show off 5G connectivity. 

Via GSM Arena

David Lumb

David is now a mobile reporter at Cnet. Formerly Mobile Editor, US for TechRadar, he covered phones, tablets, and wearables. He still thinks the iPhone 4 is the best-looking smartphone ever made. He's most interested in technology, gaming and culture – and where they overlap and change our lives. His current beat explores how our on-the-go existence is affected by new gadgets, carrier coverage expansions, and corporate strategy shifts.

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