OnePlus: How midrange flagship brand is discreetly inching towards premium

With smartphone prices gradually increasing with every new generation, the midrange flagship brand OnePlus has turned into a premium brand. Here is a look at the company's journey so far

In 2014, Chinese smartphone manufacturer OnePlus debuted in the smartphone space with the launch of the OnePlus One, which was termed a flagship but had the price of a midrange device. Thanks to its top-notch specifications and brilliant build quality, the phone famously became the first midrange flagship, giving birth to a smartphone segment that had never before been explored or experimented with but had a huge potential in India’s price-conscious smartphone market.

Over the years, the company has continued to offer value-for-money products in the midrange segment, redefining the flagship smartphone segment and proving that a flagship need not be costly. However, with every consecutive launch, the company has raised the price substantially and moved closer to the premium smartphone segment. OnePlus still continues to offer value-for-money smartphones when compared with premium flagships. However, with the premium edition of its current-generation flagship priced at nearly Rs 44,000, OnePlus does not look like a midrange flagship brand any more. 

OnePlus journey so far

 

OnePlus One

Launched in 2014, the OnePlus featured a premium design and top of the line innards. However, it was the launch price of Rs 21,999, almost half of other premium smartphones' cost that changed the notion of flagship smartphones, making this the first midrange flagship. The OnePlus One redefined the flagship smartphone segment and showed that a flagship need not be costly.

OnePlus 2

Riding on the success of the OnePlus One, the company launched the OnePlus 2 in 2015. Priced at Rs 24,999, the second-generation OnePlus smartphone featured top-tier specifications, coupled with a top-notch build quality which made it a value-for-money product that was hard to beat at its price.

OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T

Launched in 2016, the OnePlus 3 was a game-changer for the company. With the OnePlus 3, the company not only plugged the shortcoming of its predecessor, but also brought a new operating system that made it a robust flagship with an all-round performance. That justified its price tag of Rs 27,999. Later that year, the company upgraded the model with a new processor, camera and improved user interface. Named the OnePlus 3T, the phone was an all-rounder. Launched at Rs 29,999, the phone had everything you expect from a premium flagship, but it had the price of a midrange. It is this smartphone that set the benchmark for the company’s future smartphones.

OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T

In 2017 the company launched the OnePlus 5, which was one of the early adopters of the dual-camera module. It was followed by the OnePlus 5T later that year, which had a modern 18:9 aspect ratio screen. Priced at Rs 32,999, both these devices were at the forefront in adopting new trends in the technology space. The OnePlus 5T only became better with a new screen format and improved operating system, even as it kept the specifications of the OnePlus 5.

OnePlus 6

Launched earlier this year, the OnePlus 6 got a glass design, enhanced camera module and a new screen format that was inspired by the iPhone X, with a notch on top. Priced at Rs 34,999, the smartphone was not a radical upgrade over the OnePlus 5T, but it had its advantages. The phone also became the first OnePlus smartphone to breach the Rs 40,000 price mark (8GB/256GB variant), paving the way for OnePlus to foray into the premium smartphone segment.