The end of an era?
Why you can trust Pocket-lint (Pocket-lint) — OnePlus shot to fame offering the flagship killer. Through a combination of invitation hype and a tight knit community, OnePlus managed to do something that other companies had failed to do — gain fans and gain traction in a competitive smartphone marketplace. The secret — aside from the hype building — was that OnePlus devices felt like they were made by fans, for fans. Add that to the fact that OnePlus devices were much more affordable than other Android phones and it was a winning combination, certainly from a brand perception point of view. The biggest criticisms that OnePlus has really faced have come along more recently. In 2019, with the launch of the OnePlus 7 Pro, there was a feeling that the prices had drifted to levels that were close to those established rivals, like Samsung, although the 5G tax (it was one of the first 5G devices) certainly played its part. OnePlus move to more affordable devices was marked by the announcement of the Nord; sitting on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 765 hardware, it was well received, good value for money, but seemed to uphold the principles on which OnePlus first came into favour — you get a lot for your money.
