Joining the top players hoping to launch a 5G smartphone in 2019, Chinese handset maker OnePlus has said that its first such commercial device, which could release in the first half of next year, would be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset.

OnePlus will release a commercial 5G smartphone with carrier network EE in UK in 2019, the company's CEO Pete Lau said on Wednesday at the Qualcomm Snapdragon Technology Summit 2018 in Hawaii, US.

"OnePlus only makes flagship smartphones, and we believe that the Snapdragon 855 is the best and only choice. We are thrilled by its powerful performance and 5G capabilities," Pete Lau said at the event.

Lau told CNET that OnePlus is expecting to launch the 5G phone by the end of May this year.

Since its establishment five years ago, OnePlus has only made flagship smartphones powered by the Snapdragon 8 Series mobile platforms.

The company recently launched its latest flagship device - the OnePlus 6T, powered by the Snapdragon 845.

"We are proud to work with OnePlus to continue to bring breakthrough mobile experiences to consumers," said Alex Katouzian, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Mobile, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

"Snapdragon 855 is designed to deliver multi-gigabit 5G, industry leading AI and immersive extended reality (XR) ushering in a new decade of wireless experiences to come," Katouzian said.

Samsung, which has already showcased its 5G device, is also planning to launch the device in the first half of 2019.