OnePlus explained

OnePlus Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd by.
Native Name:一加科技
Type:Subsidiary
Founders:Pete Lau
Carl Pei
Area Served:Worldwide
Industry:Consumer electronics
Products:Smartphones
Earphones
Powerbanks
OxygenOS
Phone cases
Shirts
Bags
Televisions
Smart Watch
Hq Location:Tairan Building
Hq Location City:Futian District, Shenzhen, Guangdong
Num Employees:2,700+ (2019)
Parent:Guangdong Oujia Holdings Co., Ltd. (OPlus)
Hq Location Country:China
Footnotes:[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Module:
Child:yes
Order:st
Name1:OnePlus Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.
S:深圳市万普拉斯科技有限公司
T:深圳市萬普拉斯科技有限公司
P:Shēnzhèn shì Wànpǔlāsī Kējì Yǒuxiàn Gōngsī
Y:Sāmjan síh Maahnpóulāaisī Fōgeih Yáuhhahn Gūngsī
Ci:pronounced as /sɐ́mtsɐ̄n si̬ː màːnpʰǒuláːisíː fɔ́ːkèi jɐ̬uhàːn kóŋsíː/
Also Known As:OnePlus
C2:一加
L2:OnePlus
P2:Yījiā
Y2:Yātgā
J2:Jat1gaa1
Website:oneplus.com

OnePlus Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., doing business as OnePlus, is a Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.[6] It is a subsidiary of Oppo.

OnePlus was founded by Pete Lau and Carl Pei on 16 December 2013 to develop a high-end flagship smartphone running Cyanogen OS that would come to be known as the OnePlus One. OnePlus would continue to release smartphones afterwards. In 2020, OnePlus released the OnePlus Nord, its first mid-range smartphone since the OnePlus X in 2015. Pei would oversee the design and marketing of OnePlus' products until his departure from the company in October 2020, going on to found the consumer electronics manufacturer Nothing.

History

2013–2014: Founding and OnePlus One

OnePlus Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. was founded on 16 December 2013 by former Oppo vice-president Pete Lau and Carl Pei.[7] According to Chinese public records, OnePlus' only institutional Investor is Oppo Electronics.[8] Lau denied that OnePlus was a Subsidiary of Oppo and stated that Oppo Electronics and not Oppo Mobile (the phone manufacturer) is a major investor of OnePlus. Lau went on to state that they were "in talks with other investors",[9] although OnePlus has confirmed it uses Oppo's manufacturing line and shares part of the supply chain resources with Oppo.[10]

Lau founded OnePlus with the intent to design a smartphone that would balance high-end quality with a lower price than other phones in its class, believing that users would "never settle" (a slogan that would come to be used by OnePlus in its marketing material) for the lower-quality devices produced by other companies. The name "OnePlus" originates from and encapsulates this same philosophy, with "1" representing the status quo and the "+" the desire to improve upon it, as well as the ambition to share good products with the world.[11] [12] Lau also showed aspirations of being the "Muji of the tech industry", emphasizing its focus on high-quality products with simplistic, user-friendly designs. Continuing Lau's association with the platform from the Oppo N1, OnePlus entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Cyanogen Inc. to base its products' Android distribution upon a variant of the popular custom ROM CyanogenMod and use its trademarks outside of China.[13] [14] OnePlus would later develop a version of Android, known as Oxygen OS, for use in its phones.

The OnePlus One was introduced on 23 April 2014 as OnePlus' first smartphone. It differed from its competitors—largely flagship devices from larger phone manufacturers, in its usage of CyanogenOS, its openness to developers, and its price-to-performance ratio in comparison to its hardware, although criticism was levied for technical issues. In order to reduce marketing costs, OnePlus relied instead on word of mouth and initially only allowed purchases via an invite system. Throughout early 2014, OnePlus would continue to expand, hiring Chinese celebrity author Han Han to help market its products in mainland China and expanding its operations to the European Union in March of that year.[15] In December 2014, alongside the release of the OnePlus One in India exclusively through Amazon, OnePlus also announced plans to establish a presence in the country, with plans to open 25 official walk-in service centers across India.[16]

2015–2019: Continued success, expansions in Southeast Asia

In 2015, OnePlus began an effort to expand in Southeast Asia, making its products available in the region for the first time, partnering with Lazada Indonesia in January 2015.[17] In June 2016, OnePlus decided to pull out of the Indonesian market due to local regulations for imported 4G smartphones restricting sales of the OnePlus 2.[18]

Also in 2015, OnePlus unveiled the OnePlus X, the company's first foray into the budget device market.

In May 2018, OnePlus would release the OnePlus Bullets Wireless Headphones. In September of that year, OnePlus announced that it would be producing a line of smart TVs with OnePlus TV exclusively sold in India. The initial model of the OnePlus TV line, the OnePlus TV Q1, was released in September 2019.

2020–present: Further product launches, expansion to more markets, Carl Pei's resignation

OnePlus would release a series of new products in 2020, including the OnePlus Buds and the OnePlus Nord in July, the latter being OnePlus' first budget device since the release of the OnePlus X in 2015.

On 16 October 2020, Carl Pei resigned as the marketing director of OnePlus.[19] [20]

In 2021, Oppo and OnePlus would begin to build a partnership, combining their hardware research teams in January of that year.[21] In July 2021, OnePlus merged OxygenOS, its Android-based operating system used since the OnePlus X and Oppo's ColorOS. The software of both companies continues to remain separate and serve their individual regions with OxygenOS for OnePlus phones globally and ColorOS on OnePlus and Oppo devices in China but share a common codebase, which OnePlus says should standardize its software experience and streamline the development process for future OxygenOS updates.[22] [23]

In May 2024, OnePlus expanded by establishing official operations in Bangladesh. The company also started assembling smartphones locally and announced that it would begin to sell its full range of products in the country.[24] [25] [26] [27] [28]

Products

See main article: List of OnePlus products.

Smartphones

OnePlus releases three lines of smartphones: its flagship "OnePlus" line, mid-range Ace line, which is exclusive for the Chinese market, and its budget-oriented Nord line. Both lines are equipped with an Android-based operating system known as OxygenOS or ColorOS.

As of 2024, 27 models in the OnePlus line have been produced, 8 smartphones in the Ace line, and 18 models in the Nord line have been released. Models currently in production include:

Wearables

OnePlus has released various wearables, including the OnePlus Bullets Wireless, the OnePlus Buds, the OnePlus Band, and the OnePlus Watch.

TVs

See main article: OnePlus TV. OnePlus TV remained exclusive to India in the brand's lineup of products. They have seemingly been discontinued as the Chinese maker has removed the segment (including its India-exclusive Monitors) from its official Indian website. [30]

Advertising and marketing

Invitation system

Early phones were only available through a system whereby customers had to sign up for an invitation, which OnePlus called an invite, to purchase the phone at irregular intervals. The system was claimed to be necessary for the young company to manage huge demand.[31] OnePlus ended the invitation system with the launch of OnePlus 3 on 14 June 2016.[32] Announced via an interactive VR launch event, the OnePlus 3 initially went on sale within the VR app itself. OnePlus touted the event as the world's first VR shopping experience.[33] The phone was made available for sale later that day in China, North America and the European Union on the OnePlus website, and in India on Amazon India.[34]

"Smash the Past"

On 23 April 2014, OnePlus began its "Smash the Past" campaign.[35] The promotion asked selected participants to destroy their phones on video to purchase the OnePlus One for $1 (US). Due to confusion, several videos were published by unselected users misinterpreting the promotion and destroying their phones before the promotion start date.[36] [37] OnePlus later revised the rules of its promotion by allowing consumers to donate their old phones.[38] There were 140,000 entrants in the contest with 100 winners.[38]

OnePlus Playback

OnePlus Playback is a series of music videos in collaboration with popular Indian singers, beginning in 2018.[39] [40]

Brand ambassador

In May 2019, OnePlus made a deal with Avengers actor Robert Downey Jr. to endorse the OnePlus 7 Pro. Previously, Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan endorsed OnePlus in India.[41]

Partnership with Hasselblad

On 8 March 2021, OnePlus announced a $150 million deal with Hasselblad to develop camera technology for OnePlus, which also included the new OnePlus 9 series phones that had improved color processing and computational photography developed in partnership with Hasselblad.[42] [43]

Criticism and controversies

"Ladies First" controversy

For the launch of the OnePlus One in 2014, OnePlus hosted a contest to give invites—which were hard to come by at the time—to their female forum members. Users were asked to post a photo of themselves with the OnePlus logo; images would be shared in the forum and could be "liked" by other forum members. This received major backlash for objectifying and degrading women, resulting in the contest being pulled within hours.[44]

Micromax antitrust lawsuit

On 16 December 2014, the Supreme Court of India and the Delhi High Court banned the import and sale of OnePlus One phones following a lawsuit by Micromax Informatics alleging it had exclusivity for shipping phones with Cyanogen OS software in India.[45] On 21 December 2014, the ban was lifted, and the device continued to be shipped with Cyanogen OS. The following year a customized version of Android, specially designed by OnePlus and named OxygenOS was released, allowing later OnePlus devices to be sold in India.[46] [47]

OnePlus USB-C cable incident

Throughout 2015, OnePlus received criticism for its manufacturing of its USB-C cables. After several weeks of customer complaints on OnePlus forums and on Reddit, Google engineer Benson Leung showed that the USB-C cable and USB-C to Micro-USB adapter offered by OnePlus at that time did not conform to the USB specification. OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei later admitted that the cable and adapter did not conform to the USB specification, and offered refunds (although not for cables bundled with the OnePlus 2 phone).[48] [49] [50]

Customer support

OnePlus' customer support has been the subject of criticism. In 2017, the company increased the number of customer service staff and set up customer service and repair centers in Asia, Europe, and the United States, greatly improving turnaround times for repairs and other issues.[51]

App performance throttling

In July 2021, the company was accused of and then admitted to throttling app performance. The throttling was uncovered by an investigation done by AnandTech, discovering that the OnePlus 9 significantly diminished the performance of Chrome in an effort to "improve battery life".[52] [53]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Xiang . Tracey . 13 January 2014 . Smartphone Startup OnePlus Aims at Developed Markets . 2 May 2014 . TechNode.
  2. Web site: 30 January 2018 . OnePlus publishes 2017 annual report: revenues and sales on the rise . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190509173757/https://www.gsmarena.com/oneplus_publishes_2017_annual_report_revenues_and_sales_on_the_rise-news-29388.php . 9 May 2019 . 16 June 2018 . GSMArena.
  3. cheek
  4. Web site: 19 January 2020 . Who is BBK, the world's second-largest phone manufacturer? . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20191230183159/https://www.androidauthority.com/bbk-third-biggest-phone-manufacturer-808839/ . 30 December 2019 . 16 July 2020 . Android Authority.
  5. Web site: OPPO/OnePlus - Initial Public Offering (IPO) . 2024-08-13 . OnePlus Community . en.
  6. Web site: Privacy Policy . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190526122902/https://www.oneplus.com/global/legal/privacy-policy . 26 May 2019 . 2019-10-10 . OnePlus . Postal address: F18, Block C, Tairan Building, Tairan 8th Road, Chegongmiao, Futian District, Shenzhen, China, Zip Code: 518040. // Address in Chinese : "快递地址：中国深圳市福田区车公庙泰然八路泰然大厦C座18楼，邮编: 518040" ("Express address: Floor 18, Block C, Tairan Building, Tairan 8th Road, Chegongmiao, Futian District, Shenzhen, China, Zip code: 518040")
  7. Web site: 10 July 2015 . OnePlus: setting its sights on changing the world with affordable smartphones . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210624022652/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jul/10/oneplus-affordable-smartphones-two-carl-pei . 24 June 2021 . 13 July 2015 . The Guardian.
  8. Web site: F. . Alan . 26 April 2014 . Is OnePlus a wholly owned subsidiary of Oppo? Chinese document suggests that the answer is yes . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190509162343/https://www.phonearena.com/news/Is-OnePlus-a-wholly-owned-subsidiary-of-Oppo-Chinese-document-suggests-that-the-answer-is-yes_id55560 . 9 May 2019 . 6 December 2014 . Phone Arena.
  9. Web site: 28 April 2014 . OnePlus Responds To OPPO Controversy . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20140524033157/http://www.gizchina.com/2014/04/28/oneplus-responds-oppo-controversy/ . 24 May 2014 . 19 May 2014 . Gizchina.com.
  10. Web site: Byford . Sam . 15 June 2018 . The OnePlus 6 is more than just a rebranded Oppo . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20191222233546/https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2018/6/15/17467348/oneplus-6-vs-oppo-r15-pro-vivo-bbk . 22 December 2019 . 21 December 2019 . The Verge.
  11. Web site: Zheng . Mingyu . What We Stand For - the story of OnePlus. . OnePlus Community . 15 June 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240615042329/https://community.oneplus.com/thread/124 . 15 June 2024 . 23 January 2014.
  12. Web site: Sharanda . Michael . A story behind identity and visual design of OnePlus smartphone brand. . Behance . 15 June 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240226215708/https://www.behance.net/gallery/61054153/Logo-Identity-for-OnePlus-Android-Smartphone-brand . 26 February 2024 . 19 January 2018.
  13. Web site: OnePlus to Delhi High Court: Micromax's Cyanogen OS Is Different . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150203184338/http://gadgets.ndtv.com/mobiles/news/oneplus-to-delhi-high-court-micromaxs-cyanogen-os-is-different-638555 . 3 February 2015 . 3 February 2015 . NDTV Gadgets. 23 December 2014 .
  14. Web site: Dent, Steve . 7 January 2014 . Cyanogen will partner with OnePlus on its debut phone, the 'OnePlus One' . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20140213031332/http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/07/cyanogen-partners-with-oneplus-one/ . 13 February 2014 . 14 February 2014 . Engadget.
  15. Web site: Oppo unveils Chinese actress Mini Yang M as brand ambassador . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20170410043442/http://gsminsider.com/2015/04/oppo-unveils-chinese-actress-mini-yang-m-as-brand-ambassador/ . 10 April 2017 . 17 April 2015 . GSM INSIDER.
  16. Web site: OnePlus One launched in India for $355 on Amazon . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150203195318/http://www.gsmarena.com/oneplus_one_launched_in_india_for_rs_21999_355_on_amazon-news-10362.php . 3 February 2015 . 3 February 2015 . GSMArena.
  17. Web site: OnePlus Launches in Indonesia through Exclusive Lazada Partnership – OnePlus Blog . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150125180506/https://oneplus.net/blog/2015/01/oneplus-launches-in-indonesia-through-exclusive-lazada-partnership/ . 25 January 2015 . 20 March 2015.
  18. Web site: Chinese phone maker OnePlus quits Indonesia – Techinasia.com . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20171201040844/https://www.techinasia.com/oneplus-quits-indonesia-blames-regulation . 1 December 2017 . 29 November 2017 . techinasia.com . en-US.
  19. Web site: Thank you. - OnePlus Community . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201019102833/https://forums.oneplus.com/threads/thank-you.1323440/ . 19 October 2020 . 18 October 2020.
  20. Web site: OnePlus brand builder Carl Pei has left the smartphone company - the Verge . 16 October 2020 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201019075618/https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/16/21519785/oneplus-carl-pei-departure . 19 October 2020 . 18 October 2020.
  21. Web site: 21 January 2021 . OnePlus and OPPO have reportedly merged hardware R&D teams . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210125173103/https://www.xda-developers.com/oneplus-and-oppo-merged-hardware-rd-teams/ . 25 January 2021 . 26 January 2021 . xda-developers.
  22. Web site: 2 July 2021 . OnePlus is merging OxygenOS with Oppo's ColorOS . 1 December 2022.
  23. Web site: 2 July 2021 . Update to the OxygenOS Codebase and Software Maintenance Schedule . 1 December 2022.
  24. Web site: 2024-05-08 . OnePlus set to begin its official journey in Bangladesh . 2024-05-15 . The Business Standard . en.
  25. Web site: ডেস্ক . ডিজিবাংলাটেক . 2024-05-14 . OnePlus officially started its journey with a 5G phone Made in Bangladesh . 2024-05-15 . Digi Bangla . en-US.
  26. Web site: Tech & Startup Desk . 2024-05-15 . OnePlus officially launched in Bangladesh . 2024-05-15 . The Daily Star . en.
  27. Web site: OnePlus officially enters the Bangladeshi market with a new locally made smartphone . 2024-05-15 . unb.com.bd.
  28. Web site: OnePlus officially enters Bangladesh market .
  29. Web site: 2024-01-30 . OnePlus 12R Open sale starts on 6th Feb 2024 . 2024-01-30 . en-US.
  30. https://www.oneplus.in/
  31. Web site: Orf . Darren . OnePlus Is Finally Ditching Its Annoying Invite System . June 2016 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180922024731/https://gizmodo.com/oneplus-is-finally-ditching-its-annoying-invite-system-1779820957 . 22 September 2018 . 21 September 2018.
  32. OnePlus goes invite free . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20160623022147/http://www.wired.com/2016/06/oneplus-grows-goes-invite-free-next-phone . 23 June 2016 . 25 June 2016 . Wired.
  33. Web site: Free loop VR headset . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20160629105043/http://fortune.com/2016/05/23/free-loop-vr-headset/ . 29 June 2016 . 25 June 2016 . Fortune.
  34. Web site: 14 June 2016 . The OnePlus 3 is now on sale from the OnePlus website . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180621042937/https://www.androidcentral.com/oneplus-3-now-sale-oneplus-website . 21 June 2018 . 20 June 2018 . Android Central.
  35. Web site: Phone Smash . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140427151842/http://oneplus.net/smash . 27 April 2014 . 27 April 2014 . OnePlus.
  36. Web site: OnePlus One 'Smash the Past" contest sees hopefuls smashing their phones prematurely . 24 April 2014 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20140426094600/http://phandroid.com/2014/04/24/oneplus-one-smash-the-past-contest-premature-smashings/ . 26 April 2014 . 27 April 2014.
  37. Web site: Smith . Chris . 25 April 2014 . Warning: You really shouldn't smash your phone for a OnePlus One just yet . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150203182038/http://bgr.com/2014/04/25/oneplus-one-smash-contest/ . 3 February 2015 . 9 August 2017 . BGR.
  38. Web site: OnePlus revises their 'smash' contest to allow winners to donate perfectly good phones to charity instead . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20190418010226/https://www.androidcentral.com/oneplus-revises-their-smash-contest-allow-winners-donate-perfectly-good-phones-charity-instead . 18 April 2019 . 2 May 2014 . Android Central.
  39. Web site: 2019-08-12 . Naezy launches his new single 'Rukta Nah' on OnePlus Playback . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200926183415/https://www.mediainfoline.com/music/naezy-launches-new-single-rukta-nah-oneplus-playback . 26 September 2020 . 2021-01-16 . Media Infoline . en-US.
  40. Web site: July 31, 2018 . OnePlus Playback Teaser S01 . . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210624022812/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YY1REc6Q474 . 24 June 2021.
  41. Web site: Schoon . Ben . 2019-05-16 . OnePlus makes a deal with 'Avengers' Robert Downey Jr. to endorse OnePlus 7 Pro . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200430160340/https://9to5google.com/2019/05/16/oneplus-robert-downey-jr-deal/ . 30 April 2020 . 2020-04-27 . . en-US.
  42. Web site: Porter . Jon . 2021-03-23 . OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro announced with Hasselblad-branded cameras . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210325200917/https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/23/22340406/oneplus-9-phone-price-release-date-availability . 25 March 2021 . 2021-03-23 . The Verge . en.
  43. Web site: Heater . Brian . 2021-03-08 . OnePlus recruits Hasselblad for 3-year smartphone imaging deal . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210316000946/https://techcrunch.com/2021/03/07/oneplus-recruits-hasselblad-for-three-year-smartphone-imaging-deal/ . 16 March 2021 . 2021-03-23 . . en.
  44. Web site: OnePlus asks women to participate in degrading contest to get a smartphone . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20140813003502/http://www.theverge.com/2014/8/12/5994877/oneplus-holding-sexist-ladies-first-contest-for-smartphone-invites . 13 August 2014 . 13 August 2014 . Verge. 12 August 2014 .
  45. Web site: Delhi HC bans import & sales of OnePlus One smartphone in India . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20141218100100/http://www.androidos.in/2014/12/delhi-hc-bans-import-sales-oneplus-one-smartphone-india/ . 18 December 2014 . 18 December 2014 . AndroidOS.in. 17 December 2014 .
  46. News: Vikas SN . 8 May 2015 . Micromax & OnePlus resolve legal dispute; OnePlus handsets will get Cyanogen updates . Economic Times . live . 24 June 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200330141952/https://tech.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/mobile/micromax-oneplus-resolve-court-case-cyanogen/47202487 . 30 March 2020.
  47. Web site: Cyanogen to continue support for OnePlus One in India . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20170821174542/https://blog.oneplus.net/india/2015/05/08/business-update/ . 21 August 2017 . 21 August 2017.
  48. News: OnePlus Offers Explanation, Refunds In Type-C 'Cablegate' . live . 29 November 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151208110720/http://www.androidheadlines.com/2015/11/oneplus-offers-explanation-refunds-type-c-cablegate.html . 8 December 2015.
  49. Web site: OnePlus admits that it's selling dodgy USB Type-C cables and adapters . 27 November 2015 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20151129133229/http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/11/oneplus-admits-that-its-selling-dodgy-usb-type-c-cables-and-adapters/ . 29 November 2015 . 29 November 2015.
  50. Web site: In response to the Type-C cable discussions . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170324190113/https://forums.oneplus.net/threads/in-response-to-the-type-c-cable-discussions.412344/ . 24 March 2017 . 29 November 2015.
  51. Web site: Savov . Vlad . 6 June 2017 . OnePlus touts improvements to customer care in anticipation of OnePlus 5 . live . https://archive.today/20170607001711/https://www.theverge.com/2017/6/6/15745054/oneplus-5-customer-support-teaser . 7 June 2017 . 7 June 2017 . The Verge . en.
  52. Web site: Frumusanu. Andrei. Examining OnePlus' Performance Behaviour: Optimization or Misrepresentation?. 2021-07-10. www.anandtech.com.
  53. Web site: Amadeo. Ron. 2021-07-07. OnePlus admits to throttling 300 popular apps with recent update. 2021-07-10. Ars Technica. en-us.

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