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The emergence of affordable devices such as the OnePlus 6T has caused a shift in the smartphone market, so much so that it has caused companies like Google to consider launching budget devices, such as the rumored Pixel 3 Lite. The trend in the pricing of premium smartphones has seen prices exceed over $1000 putting them out of reach of some customers. With OnePlus offering devices with flagship specifications at a fraction of the cost, it has seen the popularity of the company catapult it to the fifth largest smartphone OEM in the U.S.
Analyst firm IDC reports that OnePlus shipped enough devices in Q4 of 2018 to break into the top five for the market share of smartphones costing more than $500. Much of that success is attributed to the popular OnePlus 6T, which although the most expensive OnePlus in the five years since the original launched, offers premium features such as an in-display fingerprint sensor and full-screen display.
“It’s been over five years since we launched our first phone in the U.S., initially as an online-only offering. We’re proud of how far we’ve come and even more excited about the future ahead” – OnePlus CEO Pete Lau.
OnePlus also snagged a partnership with T-Mobile to move away from online-only sales into the world of carrier support in 2018. The company also included support for Verizon’s network which helped widen the customer base of OnePlus and increase its profile of the OnePlus 6 and OnePlus 6T amongst potential customers.
The company aims to build on the success it saw in 2018 with the launch of a 5G device in 2019. The challenge for OnePlus will be to keep the ever increasing cost of smartphones in the “affordable” bracket.
Via: Digital Trends
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