Back when smartphone brands like Samsung and Apple were ruling the market, a new Chinese brand called OnePlus took a daring step by launching a smartphone of its own. The first smartphone from the OnePlus mobiles price list launched back in 2014. The motto of the company was to design flagship level smartphones that came with affordable price tags. After seeing the journey of OnePlus smartphones, it is safe to say that company has managed to live up to its words. True to their tagline, ‘Never Settle’, OnePlus successfully managed to offer smartphones with high-end features and price tags that were easy on the pockets.
From OnePlus One to OnePlus 6T, the journey of OnePlus smartphones has been an amazing one so far. Currently, OnePlus holds 37 percent premium market share in India. Let’s take a trip down the memory lane to see the advancements of how OnePlus smartphones evolved and became popular year by year.
You can also take a look at this infographic that shows the journey of OnePlus smartphones from 2014 till date.
(Click on the image to view in full screen)
OnePlus One – Beginning of a new era
The first smartphone by the company called the OnePlus One made its debut in April 2014. The one thing that caught everyone’s attention was the ‘invite only’ concept. This concept meant that only pre-registered with an invite could purchase this phone. Additionally, another highlight of this smartphone was the 64GB internal storage capacity. While other smartphones during that time were only offering 32GB storage, OnePlus One came with 64GB storage.
On the design end, OnePlus One looked different from all the other smartphones from the Android mobiles price list. The rear panel of the smartphone came with a one of a kind sandstone finish. Other features on the smartphone included:
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor
- 13-megapixel rear camera
- 4K video recording
- Photography in ‘burst mode’
The smartphone was priced at Rs 21,999 – making it an instant success in the smartphone market.
OnePlus 2 – The Second Edition
Exactly a year later in July 2015, OnePlus introduced its second smartphone from the series called the OnePlus 2. Even though this smartphone came a year later, it retained quite a few features from the previous model. Features like the Sandstone finish and storage capacity were the same. However, we did get to see new features. Some of the new features we got to see on this smartphone were:
- Alert Slider: This slider was housed on the left side of the smartphone. It was designed to allow users to switch between normal, silent and do not disturb mode.
- Fingerprint Scanner: A fingerprint scanner was incorporated in the home button. This feature allowed users to unlock the phone just by placing their finger on the home button.
- USB Type-C port: Unlike most of the smartphones, OnePlus 2 introduced the USB Type-C charger which was different from the regular USB Type 2.0 ports.
Other specifications on the smartphone included Qualcomm Snapdragon 810, 4K recording and a new HDR mode. OnePlus 2 was reasonably priced at Rs 24,999.
OnePlus X – A Budget Offering
To make their offering even more budget-friendly, the company introduced the OnePlus X in October 2015. This smartphone till date is the most affordable device offered by the company. Designed with a glass and ceramic body, OnePlus X was a limited edition smartphone. OnePlus X was made available in three options:
- Onyx (black)
- Champagne (white)
- Ceramic finish
It was the first smartphone to come with an AMOLED display. Under the hood, it was powered by Snapdragon 810. Priced at Rs 16,999 it became one of the best phones below 20000.
OnePlus 3 | OnePlus 3T – Rise of the ‘T’
OnePlus 3 was a complete game changer from the previous OnePlus smartphones. It launched in June 2016 and came with an absolutely new design. Instead of the sandstone finish, the smartphone came with a metal design. In November 2016, the company also launched the OnePlus 3T with a similar design. Both the smartphones came with rounded edges and featured a classy look. With OnePlus 3, the company also introduced its ‘Dash Charging’ feature. Dash charging or fast charging allowed the smartphone in 30 minutes.
Initially, OnePlus 3 launched with Snapdragon 820. However, after 6 months, when the OnePlus 3T launched, it was powered by a powerful Snapdragon 821 processor. Furthermore, the 3T smartphone also came with a better camera and bigger battery. On the pricing end, the OnePlus 3 was priced at Rs 27,999 and the OnePlus 3T was priced at Rs 29,999 for the base variant.
OnePlus 5 | OnePlus 5T – Awakening of the Force
After OnePlus 3, the company kept climbing the ladder of success. Launched in June 2017, OnePlus 5 was one of the first dual camera smartphones from the series. The camera setup included a combination of 16MP + 20MP sensors. Other features on the smartphone include:
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor
- 6GB & 8GB RAM
- 64GB & 128GB internal storage
- Portrait mode in the camera
On the other hand, the OnePlus 5T which launched in November 2017 came with a slight design change. Instead of the traditional fingerprint sensor on the front panel, the sensor was moved to the rear. With the fingerprint sensor moved to the back, OnePlus became the first bezel-less display smartphone from the series. Interestingly, the 5T smartphone also got a new exciting Star Wars variant which was a treat for all Star Wars fans.
OnePlus 6 |OnePlus 6T – Avengers Assemble
This year’s first flagship offering by OnePlus was in May 2018 and the second in November 2018. While both the smartphones were miles ahead of their predecessors, when compared OnePlus 6 and 6T are almost identical. Both OnePlus 6 and 6T come with a notch display. The only difference being – OnePlus 6 sports an iPhone X-like notch and OnePlus 6T comes with a waterdrop notch. Additionally, both the smartphones are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 processor and sport a glass rear panel made of Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
To make things interesting, OnePlus released an Avengers Infinity War edition of the OnePlus 6 smartphone. This edition was an absolute delight for all the Marvel Universe fans. As for the price OnePlus 6 came with a price tag of Rs 34,999 (base variant) and 6T is priced at Rs 37,999 (base variant)
OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition – Salute to Speed
While OnePlus 6T McLaren is a variant of the 6T smartphone, it deserves a separate mention because of its amazing features. OnePlus tied up with McLaren to design this super fast phone. Also, the McLaren edition is the most expensive OnePlus smartphone till date. Wondering what makes it so special? The smartphone comes with a whopping 10GB of RAM and it is designed with Carbon Fibre. Let’s take a look at some of the features:
- Massive RAM: With 10GB of RAM, the smartphone is capable of extensive multi-tasking and speed.
- Warp Charge: This new charging technology offers 30W fast charging. In fact, the smartphone is claimed to offer a full days worth charge in just 20 minutes. Pretty cool, right?
- Dark Theme: Even though, the McLaren edition has the same design as the OnePlus 6T, it has incorporated a lot of orange. Orange is the main accent colour of the smartphone.
Looks like OnePlus took its tagline, ‘Salute to Speed’ a little too seriously while designing this smartphone. If you are a fan of the OnePlus smartphones and want to test the massive 10GB RAM, the McLaren edition will not disappoint. Currently, the smartphone is priced at Rs 50,999 in India.
OnePlus 7: Is it Next in Line?
This has been the journey of OnePlus smartphones so far. And in the last 4 years, OnePlus has managed to deliver what it had promised. It is one of the well-known companies that designs high-end smartphones with reasonable price tags. So far, fans have been pretty satisfied with the OnePlus smartphones till date. Will the company continue its line of OnePlus smartphones and launch an OnePlus 7 smartphone next year? What new features will the smartphone offer? Well, we will have to wait and find out next year.
