It is part of a strategy of creating a whole device ecosystem.
If you’re a loyal OnePlus fan, the last couple of launches of the business were possibly mildly disappointing. Devices such as OnePlus 7 Pro and OnePlus 8 Pro proved excellent telephones that cost significantly less than those of Samsung and Apple, but their prices were still considerably higher than those of the original OnePlus One and OnePlus 2.
You don’t mind that recent OnePlus handsets have lost sight of what made the enterprise so attractive, and fortunately, it seems that OnePlus is well aware of that. OnePlus CEO Pete Lau confirmed in a recent interview with Fast Company that OnePlus is shifting devices to once again offer seriously cheap Android handsets.
Once known for selling nice phones at hard-to-believe prices, OnePlus wants to get back to making more affordable phones while also expanding into new product categories, Lau says.
In an interview Lau does not specifically mention any new devices by name, but it is fair to say that the rumored OnePlus Z would be the first cheap telephone to bring OnePlus back into that niche. We get a glimpse into the phone roll-out and part of the interview notes that:
OnePlus isn’t revealing any of those products yet, but a glimpse of the new strategy will arrive soon with an announcement for India. Later this year, the company hopes to bring lower-priced devices to other markets, including North America and Europe.
The idea of getting a completely low cost OnePlus phone again is very exciting, but this time the company’s approach is quite different. OnePlus needed these low prices in 2014 and 2015 to attract a brand new customer base. In 2020, these lower prices are now designed to get more people in the OnePlus ecosystem and build a connected device system that works together seamlessly.
Per Pete Lau:
We indeed have come from background and roots as a hardware company, but from what we see looking forward, building an ecosystem is a forward trend.
You have an Android foundation, but it’s really looking at this seamless experience where it gets challenging, where Android won’t create a full solution. Android’s able to bring it from zero to one, but it’s the one to 10 that you really have to put a lot of work into yourself.
It is not shocking that OnePlus aims to extend its offerings beyond single smartphones. We already saw it dabble in India with wireless earbuds and its OnePlus TV, and rumors that we would soon see a company’s AirPods competitor. The phone is the key to all this, and if OnePlus will release low-price high quality apps, it would be much easier to bring more users into the OnePlus community, where it seems so crazy.
Even if you don’t mind this ecosystem, you can reap the benefits of OnePlus, with a good Android device not costing a penny shy of $1,000.
