OnePlus lit up a fiery trail with its first flagship. The OnePlus One was cheap, beautiful, powerful, it works. He was at once a true self-proclaimed “flagship assassin.” But this pace is proving difficult to maintain: the OnePlus 2 was great, but it lacked the magic. Does the OnePlus 3 see a new fall from grace? I do not think so. I think he has an ace up his sleeve.
Push me. / NextPit
I have already thrown my admiration for OnePlus very recently. I think it is an exciting smartphone maker, dedicated to design and innovation, and I am always looking forward to a new OnePlus device.
When the OnePlus One was announced and released, it was an Android fan’s dream – a cooler phone than a new Nexus. It was practically impossible to bring it down. From the hardware to the design, it stood out, and it did so for half the price of a Galaxy S5. The geek factor was accelerated by something that was intended to gauge demand and attract it as well: the OnePlus invitation system.
A rare surprise: OnePlus has a strong legacy to fulfill. / ANDROIDPIT
Now the invitation system has come under fire. Lots of people hate it. And it is easy to see why. You like a phone and you want to buy it. But wait, you can’t. You need to know someone who knows someone. It’s frustrating, but it also creates a strange illicit appeal. The invite system was far from perfect, and at times it might seem that OnePlus was punishing loyal fans by making things so difficult.
In fact, OnePlus has always removed the invite system on its new phones after a while. With the OnePlus one, it took a year, but with the OnePlus X, it only took three months for the device to free itself from the invites.
It took OnePlus only three months to remove the invite system on OnePlus X. / ANDROIDPIT
The OnePlus 3’s trump card is likely this: an uninvited launch.
The rapidly reduced wait time, coupled with OnePlus’ growth in size and stature since its debut in 2014, means they have the means and methods to keep up with demand. Co-founder Carl Pei has already hinted at this in an interview with CNET, astutely saying that the company plans to offer “a better buying process.”
Most important, perhaps, is that OnePlus has a very, very good reason for doing so: it gives the OnePlus 3 something to scream about.
While the OnePlus One was a game changer somewhat, the OnePlus 2 was unable to adequately replace the ad bubble that OnePlus had exhaled so much hot air into prior to the device’s launch.
It is not frustrating at all. / ANDROIDPIT
The company is great at generating publicity, its invitation system is one of the ways it does this, but this may now be detrimental to the success of its next flagship.
The OnePlus 3 will be a great phone I’m sure, but it won’t be the jaw-dropping surprise that the OnePlus One was, and the OnePlus 2 already hinted that the hype train was running out of steam. So I think OnePlus will build a great phone and do away with the invite system. Now it is unnecessary. It’s time for you to go. Don’t you think?
