Abid Hussain Barlaskar
Marketing

OnePlus to launch ‘more affordable’ smartphones in India and Europe

OnePlus’ ‘affordable’ move would be a major change in OnePlus’ strategy as the brand has primarily been playing in the ‘premium’ space. OnePlus could be looking at grabbing share from players like Xiaomi, Oppo, realme and Vivo

OnePlus’ CEO Pete Lau took to the company’s official blog to announce that the company would be launching a more affordable line of smartphones in the near future. The new product team is led by Paul Yu, OnePlus’ head of Mobile Development department who has headed many of OnePlus’ previous flagships in the past five years.

Instead of going for a global launch, the new product line will be first introduced in Europe and India. This will be followed by launches in North America.

The move would also be a major change in OnePlus’ market strategy as the brand has primarily been playing in the ‘premium’ space, launching a flagship at a time. Unlike most other smartphone brands, OnePlus’ product portfolio has been lean and has always targeted consumers at the top of the pyramid. It has been somewhat closer to Apple’s iPhone. With an affordable product line, OnePlus could be looking at grabbing share from players like Xiaomi, Oppo, realme, Vivo, among others. Lau also indicated that there has been significant demand across markets for a OnePlus phone with a pocket-friendly price tag.

“I’m very excited to announce that we are bringing the premium, flagship experience that you’ve come to expect from OnePlus to a new, more affordable smartphone product line. I know this is something many of you have been wanting for a long time,” Lau wrote.

The image accompanying the blog also carried the copy 'New Beginnings'. The brand has also started new social media pages named ‘OnePlus Lite’. The description on its Instagram handle reads ‘It’s been a while since we’ve done anything like this’. The brand has also tweaked its logo changing the colour from the original red to blue.

“Never Settle has always been at the core of OnePlus. For more than 6 years, that has meant working hard to always deliver the best experience for flagship smartphone users. However, as we’ve grown together with our community, we know that there are many people who want a really solid smartphone that meets their everyday needs, and for a more accessible price,” Lau further wrote.

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