OnePlus One became last year’s most exciting Android phone and for good reasons. Given its superb features and specifications and its affordable price, it became a sensation and a big hit.
Using an aggressive but otherwise non-disruptive campaign, OnePlus One obviously succeeded in giving a new perspective to smartphone buyers that they should always get their money’s worth for their hard-earned cash.
OnePlus is now preparing to roll out into the retail markets the latest iteration to the OnePlus One, the OnePlus Two, and the OnePlus One Lite by the second half of the year.
While it may be good for the Chinese smartphone maker to follow its proven campaign that made the OnePlus One very successful last year, it seems that it would raise its strategy a notch higher by being even more aggressive compared to last year.
First telecom partnership
The Phone Arena has got wind of reports that OnePlus is now seriously looking at a more holistic marketing approach to be able for its upcoming flagship smartphone and all other future devices to penetrate retail markets via the mainstream channel.
This was bolstered by recent developments when OnePlus announced on April 22 its first telecom partnership with Maxis of Malaysia. Maxis is the second largest telco carrier in the country.
That being said, the deal shall make the OnePlus One and other upcoming devices from the Chinese smartphone maker including the OnePlus Two and the OnePlus One Lite to become available on all Maxis retail locations all over Malaysia.
Naturally, since it is being retailed by a telco carrier company, it shall have the usual price increment though its stand-alone unit would be sold pretty much at the same retail price in the global market.
The partnership could be the start of a bigger strategy for OnePlus to do the same in various markets in the world but that has yet to be confirmed.
Making the phones widely available
It’s a good strategy on the part of OnePlus to make its smartphones more widely available through carrier companies. Although the move would entail additional costs to the Chinese smartphone maker, there is a possibility that OnePlus would eventually lose out if and when the other Chinese players start doing the same.
Xiaomi for instance, which is arguably the third largest smartphone maker in the world, would really give OnePlus a clear beating if it eventually decides to adopt the same strategy since it is from its smartphone lines that OnePlus drew inspiration to develop its first smartphone last year.
But since OnePlus is certainly much smaller compared to Xiaomi, it would be more costly on the part of the latter to take on the same strategy for the time being so OnePlus can really take advantage of the situation and make hay while the sun shines. Eventually, OnePlus Two and OnePlus One Lite could be the biggest beneficiaries of the strategy.