Going gold seems to be the latest trend among handsets these days and the popular OnePlus 3 has just jumped on the bandwagon but, hoping to outshine its competition with a different shade: a "soft gold" color that is more muted than an array of gold or even rose gold-colored handsets. Could this stir a new trend?

Dubbing the color variation as an exquisite texture remindful of "holding fine, silky-soft sand," the company noted in a blog post on official OnePlus website that the new color design option was influenced by traditional tones appearing in Japanese art.

While gold has traditionally been sought-after in China, the color is considered too jazy by some, associated with the country's social climbers. Taking this into consideration, OnePlus seem to have decided to tone down the gold color of its handset to this newly-discovered hue called "soft gold," which is more subtle as compared to a slew of gold-colored handsets available in the market, Mashable reported.

The new version of the handset hit the store shelves in the United States on Tuesday, July 26 and is slated to arrive in Canada, Hong Kong and Europe on August 1. No details were offered by the company regarding the handset's availability in India though.

This "soft gold" version of the OnePlus 3 verges on the already prominent graphite-colored model. Citing the popularity of gold mobile handsets in China, this design adaptation from OnePlus was anticipated, nevertheless it's still a fresh addition to the lineup.

The OnePlus 3 has emerged as the most compelling iPhone challenger coming from China, not too far from South Korea's Samsung in terms of offering a champion Android device coupled with leading design aesthetics.

The color options will only be available in limited quantities, according to the company's announcement.

Check Out The Launch Information Below:

Canada: August 1, 6:00 am Canada Eastern time
Hong Kong: August 1, 6:00 pm Hong Kong time
Europe: August 1, 12:00 pm CEST
US: July 26, 12:00 pm US Eastern time