If you think OnePlus smartphones have gotten expensive there’s good news: The company is preparing to introduce a “more affordable” product line.
“I know this is something many of you have been wanting for a long time,” the company’s CEO Pete Lau wrote in a blog post on Tuesday.
The announcement is pretty ironic, given that OnePlus arrived on the scene six years ago touting Android smartphones that started at around $300. Since then, the company’s flagship products have ballooned in prices. The recently-launched OnePlus 8 goes for $699 while the OnePlus 8 Pro costs $899 and up.
In his blog post, Lau said the company’s goal has always been to “deliver the best experience for flagship smartphone users,” hence the prices have gone up. “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,” he added.
The bad news is that OnePlus is first focusing on bringing the lower-priced product to markets in Europe and India. “But don’t worry, we’re also looking to bring more affordable smartphones to North America in the near future as well,” said Lau, without offering a specific timeline.
In a separate post on Instagram, OnePlus is teasing the product will be announced next month. The company’s co-founder Carl Pei has also posted tweets suggesting the upcoming phone will return to OnePlus’s roots and be priced closer to $299.
Leaks regarding the phone suggest OnePlus is cooking up a device with a 6.55-inch screen that has a 90Hz refresh rate. The phone is also rumored to use a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 processor and feature a quad camera setup in the back.
If all true, then the phone will probably be an attractive product to consumers on a budget. But it'll need to compete against the new iPhone SE, which Apple launched in April and starts at $399.
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