OnePlus to expand its product portfolio in 2019 with the OnePlus TV
While we’re all eagerly awaiting the launch of the OnePlus 6T, the company has announced that its next big bet isn’t even a smartphone. Pete Lau, co-founder of OnePlus, has revealed that the company has started development on the OnePlus TV.
The concept behind the OnePlus TV is to deliver a product with seamless integration between your smartphone and the TV, allowing you to display photos, showing your calendar details, arranging transportation and more without having to fiddle with multiple apps.
“At present, we feel the current market of TVs is still feeling quite traditional in their functionality and experience. And they haven’t really well-integrated the internet into the experience, and making the experience match with what would be expected in today’s connected society,”
Lau also mentioned that the OnePlus TV will have an integrated AI assistant, similar to Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant. Google and Amazon’s assistants rely mostly on verbal communications, OnePlus is planning ot add a sophisticated visual element so that users can see the details that the assistant pulls up for them. The OnePlus TV will also be equipped with a camera which should allow for video calls as well.
OnePlus is hoping to launch the OnePlus TV in 2019, but Lau didn’t elaborate on an exact launch date. “We want to be clear and make it well known that this decision has been made and we are going to make this product,” Lau said.
While OnePlus has managed to carve out a nice slice of the smartphone market with its budget-friendly flagship smartphones, stepping into the TV space is a much harder proposition. Unlike the smartphone market, there are quite a few budget brands which offer high-quality TVs at very affordable prices. The OnePlus TV simply wouldn’t have the same value proposition within the TV space as the OnePlus 6 does in the smartphone space.
That being said, we’re honestly excited to see how the OnePlus TV will turn out and how its seamless integration without smartphones will differ from the current crop of smart TVs currently on the market.
How much would you be willing to pay for the OnePlus TV if it offers a premium connected experience that no other TV manufacturer is able to offer?