OnePlus, the smartphone brand that started life selling devices only through an online store, has announced several deals with major UK carriers and retailers. This means the firm’s next phone, the OnePlus 6T, will be more widely available than any OnePlus phone before it. The device launches on October 30.
OnePlus started life out as an online-only smartphone brand, and has since gone on to launch a string of desirable devices, which has impressed the press and buyers alike. This has led to a major new announcement. For the OnePlus 6T, its next big smartphone launch, OnePlus devices will be sold in more carriers and retail stores in the U. K..
Network operators EE and Vodafone will both sell the OnePlus 6T, alongside Carphone Warehouse, and larger high street retailer John Lewis. Mobile device distributer DataSelect will also sell the OnePlus 6T. It’s not the first time a OnePlus phone will be available outside of OnePlus’s own online store, and the new partners in fact join the O2 network, which already sells the OnePlus 6, and has sold previous OnePlus phones too.
There are two major reasons why this is big news. The first is more attention for OnePlus. Buying phones online isn’t something most people do, and by physically having its phones alongside those from Apple, Samsung, Huawei, and others in a retail store means more attention. OnePlus makes compelling smartphones, and the more people who’re introduced to them, the more people will consider buying them.
The second reason is online sales can feel like a risk, even if there is a comprehensive returns program, because you can’t touch, hold, and try the phone out ahead of handing over your money. With three networks and two major high street names all stocking the OnePlus 6T, the trepidatious have plenty of opportunity to try the device out for size. Removing these barriers is a major step forward for OnePlus.
OnePlus has a strong reputation in the U. K. already, and according to the company itself, has been named as one of the top four premium smartphone brands. The OnePlus 6 sold a million devices in 22 days, and the company no doubt hopes to improve on those numbers with the OnePlus 6T, which will be announced on October 30 at an event in New York. It’s the second OnePlus phone of 2018, and is expected to provide performance improvements, with some smart new features including an in-display fingerprint sensor.
Read all the rumors about the OnePlus 6T here, and look forward to our in-depth coverage of the new device from October 30 onwards.
