With the impending official launch and subsequent release to the retail markets of the OnePlus Two, the glorious run of the OnePlus One as the flagship killer of 2014 may finally come to an end to allow its successor to take over the reign.
The Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus, however, seems to be going easy on the reputation of its upcoming flagship smartphone as the next flagship killer to ease the pressure of too many expectations both from consumers and competitors.
Looking back to the humble beginnings of the OnePlus One in June of last year, it practically went from zero to a flagship killer in six months, notes the GSM Arena.
What made the OnePlus One really appealing was its unbeatable price point vis-à-vis its high-end specifications and a 64GB of storage, which is a great bargain for only $349, cites the Android Authority.
The smartphone became the phone for the savvy internet users or those who knew how to seek out the best gadget that offers great worth for their money in the market. Eventually, consumers realized that the OnePlus One was not the easiest device to get their hands on because the Chinese smartphone manufacturer was too conservative in mass producing the handset. Supply was hardly enough to meet the demand, which was a positive problem for the company.
Birth pains
The OnePlus One had its share of birth pains owing to a rough start in the business. Its debut got delayed a number of times to contend with a lot of issues. Just from the name itself, the Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus Tech was a spin-off from another Chinese handset maker Oppo.
The name itself is a giveaway but much more if the OnePlus One is put side-by-side with the Oppo Find 7 and the Oppo Find 7a smartphones to show the uncanny resemblance. OnePlus One looks like a chip of the old Oppo Find 7 block with similarities far many than can be noted in the exterior.
In fact, the OnePlus One and the Oppo Find 7a have the same display size and resolution. They both have a 3GB of RAM, a five-megapixel front-facing snapper, and a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera capable of recording Ultra High Definition (UHD) and 4K videos.
As its promotions imply, the OnePlus One was positioned to make its users to never settle because the smartphone does not skimp on hardware to offer the very best that money can buy.
Apart from its affordability, the OnePlus One is a reliable smartphone that continues to perform to daily standards. Amid its share of controversy, the handset continues to succeed as a great smartphone without putting a heavy dent on the pocket.
Innovation and excellence need not be expensive
If there’s one thing that the global smartphone industry can remember about the OnePlus One, and its Chinese manufacturer truly proud of, it’s the fact that the handset was also recognized as the most exciting Android phone of 2014.
With its great economies of scale and features that can actually rival the flagship smartphones of big name handset makers, OnePlus One ushered something different in the very competitive smartphone market – innovation and excellence need not come with a high price.
When it was released to the retail markets last year, OnePlus One had excellent features and great specifications that were actually at par with the Android flagship smartphones of 2014 including the HTC One M8, the Samsung Galaxy S5, and LG G3, the Sony Xperia Z3, among others.
But unlike those major flagships, OnePlus One had a price that is quite less than the others in the competitive lot giving smartphone users an affordable option. However, upon using the smartphone and discovered that its key features also rival those of the other flagships, the word easily spread around. And the rest is history. OnePlus One made it into the big leagues right on its first foray into the market.