OnePlus is famous for always releasing smartphones that were positioned as “flagship killer”. I have always disliked this phrase, but it is precisely this that characterizes the company's approach as bitingly as possible. Not even a model, but an approach with its high ambitions and a clear desire to show its advantage. First of all, this advantage is reflected in the price. OnePlus smartphones are equipped similarly to the main flagships, but are cheaper. Even now that they have become more expensive than in the first generations, they still cost a little less. Now, judging by the leaks, the company has decided to revive the smartphone model that they had in the early years. If everything is correct, it should become very inexpensive.
the new company logo should promise a big change. A budget model?
What is OnePlus X
In the early years of the company, OnePlus did its best to gain public interest. Representatives of the company said that the flagship should not be expensive, that it can be released for significantly less money. In many ways, the cost of the smartphone was understated and the company worked at a loss in order to conquer the market in the future. Of course, there was some reduction in the cost of production and delivery, but the price of the device was still underestimated.
The users liked it, and they also actively participated in the process of finalizing the gadget and its software. This is how the OnePlus community was formed. Not so long ago, I even talked about how the company changed its logo as a sign of respect for this community. The story is beautiful, but the real changes are very small.
During the first generations of OnePlus, in parallel with them, there was a model that did not claim to be among the flagships, but was very interesting. It was called OnePlus X and was released in 2015. It did not receive such wide distribution, as it did not cost much less than the first and second generation of the flagship OnePlus. At the same time, the characteristics of the device were good, but not outstanding. At $ 249, it wasn't that bad, but most users simply weren't interested.
Gradually, the idea of this smartphone faded into the background and the company focused on the release of one single model. Later, the “T” line appeared, and then an additional version with the prefix Pro. It is somewhat reminiscent of history Apple. But this is not surprising, because we all understand who the OnePlus smartphones were supposed to be the killer. Now it's time for the average smartphone again. After all, even Apple does not taxied only on flagships.
When will OnePlus X or OnePlus Z come out?
OnePlus's budget lineup should be out this year. At least, according to the information received from Max Weinbach. However, apparently, the new line will not have the name that was five years ago. In this situation, things can be much easier. Why bother users with extra letters and numbers? It is much easier to give him the usual version of the smartphone, the version with the “Pro” prefix and … the Lite version.
This is what OnePlus X looked like in 2015.
So the buyer will not have any unnecessary questions. He will understand that there are three smartphones with a check hierarchy in the lineup. Personally, I very much approve of this approach. It seems to me much more logical than to fence endless “Pro”, “Plus”, “Ultra” and so on to the name of the model. It's just that not all manufacturers want to associate with the word “Lite”. Even Huawei, which last week rolled out its new Huawei P40 (in three versions), and showed its Lite model a little in advance. Most likely, this is how she decided not to spoil the authority of the flagship model.
If this is indeed the case and the leak is not lying, we received further confirmation that there will be three smartphones in this year's lineup for the first time. What they will be, now is not worth discussing in detail. Moreover, we have already written about this.
There is only one thing to add. According to the author of the leak, the model may not be called OnePlus Lite, but One Plus Z. It does not seem logical to me, but the company will decide for itself how to proceed.
OnePlus 8 or Samsung Galaxy S20
If the presentation is not canceled and rescheduled due to the latest events, soon we will be able to see the very new OnePlus 8. In this case, the choice will be a little more difficult than last year, the year before last, and so on.
The fact is that OnePlus smartphones are becoming more expensive every year and their price is gradually approaching the price of other flagships on the market. This year it will be about $ 800 for the top version. In Europe and Russia, this price can go up to $ 1000. At the same time, due to the fact that there is almost no air service now, it will be very difficult to bring a gray smartphone and gray dealers will not be able to bring down the price.
This is what the OnePlus 8 Pro will look like.
As a result, we get a situation in which OnePlus will cost the same as flagships from Samsung. In this situation, people will already think about whether to buy it. Of course, this smartphone has certain advantages that I really like. But when choosing between Samsung and OnePlus, I would rather prefer the first option. Even though Samsung is not very close to me either.
OnePlus 8 colors
In addition to the leak regarding the budget OnePlus release, there was news about the colors in which the new family will be released.
If you believe that the renders shown by journalists are really leaks, one can only rejoice for the company. Despite the fact that I stick to strict colors when choosing a smartphone, I really love when manufacturers experiment. This is why I have always respected Huawei and Honor for their gradients.
OnePlus colors have always seemed boring to me. This year, it looks like they'll fix it and release 'Interstellar Glow'. According to the leaked renders, it will shimmer between orange, purple and reds. This will be somewhat reminiscent of the “Aura Glow” color that Samsung has used in the Galaxy Note 10.
Also, apparently, the smartphone will get green. This is quite logical, given current trends. In any case, it won't be long to wait. The presentation should take place in mid-April. Well, time will tell what it will bring us. We'll find out soon!