It seems like every time OnePlus has launched a phone, there has been something that has been a hindrance to the community. Whether it’s the old invite system or not living up to the hype that they marketed so hard. While the OnePlus 2 was a good phone, it didn’t live up to it’s own hype, let alone as a successor to the still-relevant OnePlus One. That is why the launch of the OnePlus 3 was so important, and I think OnePlus nailed it.
No excess hype for the OnePlus 3
One of the biggest mistakes with the OnePlus 2 was how much it was hyped prior to its launch. One post at a time, OnePlus would tout one of the 2’s biggest features, slowly building hype until the “world’s first” VR launch. While the phone seemed good on paper, it really stumbled due to the invite system, lack of NFC, and the whole “2016 Flagship Killer” moniker.
This is where OnePlus did it right with the 3. There wasn’t any unnecessary hype coming into the launch. We all knew what the device looked like and the specs via multiple leaks. My favorite part about the OnePlus 3 launch is that OnePlus has completely dropped the “Flagship Killer” slogan, as it was getting stale, especially since the 2 is supposed to be the “2016 Flagship Killer”. It would have been redundant for the 3 to be called the “2017 Flagship Killer”.
No more invite system
I have been fortunate enough to receive invites, so it wasn’t an issue for me, but I knew some that it took forever for them to get invites. When the OnePlus One first came out, I wanted to recommend it to friends, but we couldn’t get our hands on any invites. Thankfully the OnePlus community is great and would always give away their invites. I had a few friends get invites that way, but it still took time.
Now that the OnePlus 3 is 100% invite free and available for everyone, I have already recommended it to multiple friends since the launch. The first question every time was “do I need an invite?” This not only benefits OnePlus, but totally benefits the consumers and loyal fans.
Keeping the price low
One of the most important parts of a OnePlus device, even if they deny it, is the low price-point. It is something that always has me interested, and this time is no exception. The fact that OnePlus is able to launch a phone with specs that not only match, but exceed flagships in 2016 is quite impressive.
The 3 comes with the same processor as the HTC 10, LG G5, and Samsung Galaxy S7/S7 edge, 6 GB of RAM compared to 4 GB of RAM on the mentioned devices, and a solid build. The only downside to some is the 1080p screen, but I look at that as a positive. It will boost the performance and the device should run buttery smooth, not having to push all those extra pixels.
Lastly, the website didn’t fail; devices were in stock
Coming into today’s launch, my one worry was how would the website hold up, especially when it came to ordering the device. I look back to previous Nexus launches that haven’t gone well, but OnePlus completely nailed this one. I was able to add a device to my cart and check out with no problem whatsoever.
Not only did the website not fail, but OnePlus was ready for the rush and had enough units for the barrage of orders. Currently at the time of this article, the availability is 8 business days, but that is admirable considering the device has been up for order all day. Some companies like HTC hold sales, but don’t ship the device for another month. OnePlus was completely prepared and that made the launch process go even smoother.
Granted I haven’t received my device yet, but this launch gave me a lot of hope for OnePlus. The fact that the company was able to pull off their first major device launch with no invites, without any hitches, is very impressive. I’ll reserve my full judgement until my review of the OnePlus 3, but I think OnePlus has finally made it big time. They have grown up as a company, learned from their mistakes, and have matured into a company that can actually challenge the Big 3.
