Credit: Ryan-Thomas Shaw / Android Government
The past year has been a major one for Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus. With seven years of experience in hand, the company has used 2020 to advance its ambitions. It has now officially started moving away from its niche and will play alongside the other big names on the main stage.
Obviously, this transition necessarily required certain growth pains. This year, the company released more phones than it has ever done before, forcing it to abandon its quality control a bit. It has revamped Oxygen OS in a number of ambitious ways, which has caused some controversy. It also loses Carl Pei – a co-founder of the company – who represents the young, risk-taking half of brand leadership.
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Unfortunately, these big moves pushed some early fans to the sidelines. This year, more than any other, we’ve seen OnePlus shed its former skin to blossom into something new. Whether you consider it a good or a bad thing probably depends on the year you became a OnePlus fan.
In 2021, OnePlus will no longer go through these growth pains. Instead, it will lay the foundation for the company it will be for the next decade. As this makes its new way, we have listed the five things we will see from the company next year.
1. Trend setting, not trend following
In the beginning, OnePlus’ hardware did not create any trends. The OnePlus One contains nothing we have not seen from other phones. The One, however, started the idea of a flagship killer in principle, but the company coined that very term. It was revolutionary just by existing.
Eventually, OnePlus started moving new features to its phones that you could not get from many other devices, especially not here in the US. The OnePlus 5 had a dual lens rear camera before any Samsung Galaxy phone did. In addition, the OnePlus 6T was the first device to hit the US with an on-screen fingerprint sensor. The OnePlus 7 Pro also had the first pop-up selfie camera in the US.
See also: OnePlus Phones: A History of Every Device Launched So Far
In 2020, however, OnePlus caught up more than anything else. The star features of the OnePlus 8 Pro were wireless charging and an IP rating – none of which were revolutionary at all. The ultra-fast 65W wired charging of the OnePlus 8T is definitely cool, but several phones all offer 45W speeds, which is very fast. Even the most notable upgrade of Oxygen OS 11 is an exhibit that many other devices have been offering for years.
In 2021, we hope that OnePlus will return to the aggressive shifting limits of what its products can do. The company did not get where it is today by trying to be like Samsung, Apple or Huawei. That’s where it’s now, because it’s OnePlus, and it should not be rejected for a seat at the table with the bigger players.
2. A fantastic OnePlus watch
OnePlus has confirmed that it will launch a smartwatch in 2021. Let’s hope that CEO Pete Lau’s plague that it will be launched early in the year comes true. If we do not see a smartwatch before the fall, it could be bad news for OnePlus.
There are several reasons why a smartwatch is so important to this company. The first is just market analysis: the sales of smartphones are much lower, while the portable sales are much higher. The conclusion is that OnePlus should gain a foothold in the market sooner rather than later. It can not just depend on phones and audio products to grow.
Related: OnePlus Watch: all the rumors and what we want to see
OnePlus also has the opportunity to increase the competition. Samsung’s portable portfolio is great, but its design is not incredible. Then of course there’s Apple. The Cupertino giant is leading the market with its incredible Apple Watch range, but they are not all compatible with Android phones. OnePlus is in a great position to disrupt the smartwatch market, just like in the phone market with the OnePlus One.
There’s also the elephant in the room: the lack of Google for any kind of smartwatch hardware. If OnePlus can enter this market soon and offer something that is well made, inexpensive and designed with the OnePlus flair for minimalist beauty, it can quickly cut out a significant portion of the market for it. It’s going to be late, of course, no matter what, so the clock is ticking fast.
3. Keep the identity of the oxygen OS
Credit: Dhruv Bhutani / Android Government
As mentioned earlier, Oxygen OS 11 has finally brought an ever-present version of the OnePlus ecosystem. It also delivered a host of new design elements that fans quickly pointed out, which were heavily borrowed from Samsung’s One UI.
Over the past few years, the argument Oxygen OS vs One UI has been raised to Mac vs PC or Xbox vs PlayStation. Actually, I would argue that the ardent commitment to Oxygen OS is a big reason why consumers stick to OnePlus once they try it. OnePlus would be smart not to play with a product with that kind of power. However, 2020 has proven that it is completely open to make Oxygen OS more like one UI.
Related: Oxygen OS vs One UI: A Thorough Comparison
This is undoubtedly a mistake and fits well with the first summary on this list (do not be a trend follower).
Do not get me wrong now: Oxygen OS is not perfect, and OnePlus absolutely needs to update, change and experiment with it. The only thing it should not do is give up the identity. It came dangerously close with Oxygen OS 11 – that’s why fans got into a lot of noise. Here’s the hope that OnePlus has taken the setback seriously and will not tarnish any of its key products in 2021.
4. Do not waste the Nord line
Credit: Ryan-Thomas Shaw / Android Government
The launch of the OnePlus Nord – the first entry in the new Nord line – was sloppy. The flash with the slow drop was exhausting, and the self-sufficient “documentary” was hilarious. However, the phone itself was actually quite amazing.
For less than $ 500, shoppers got most of what they would want from a great 2020 smartphone: 5G access, multiple front and rear cameras, an excellent screen, a large battery and more. Even if the phone did not end up with Oxygen OS, it would still have been an easy way for most buyers to recommend. But it does have Oxygen OS, which makes it uncomfortable.
Our verdict: OnePlus Nord Overview
However, the phone has only been released in certain countries. It also does not get the same priority as its flagship siblings when it comes to software updates. And to make matters worse, the other two phones in the Nord line are so low that they barely even qualify as OnePlus products. The Nord line has a promising mainstay, but it has to overcome a lot of obstacles to survive in the long run.
We can only hope that in 2021 OnePlus will reconsider its approach to all things Nord. For longtime OnePlus fans, the Nord line is as close to the ‘old’ OnePlus as today’s buyers can get. OnePlus should cherish it and not waste it for short-term gains.
5. Remove (or go all in) the slogan Never Settle
Credit: Ryan-Thomas Shaw / Android Government
When OnePlus first landed on the scene, its “Never Settle” mantra was incredibly powerful. Along with the aforementioned slogan “Flagship Killer”, Never Settle reinforced a very economical word in two economic words.
Over the years, Never Settle no longer had a positive meaning. When the OnePlus 2 ended up without NFC, it was a big deal for the Never Settle armor. The downgraded battery of the OnePlus 3, the notch of the OnePlus 6, the removal of the headphone jack in the OnePlus 6T, and even the lack of a telephoto lens in the OnePlus 8T, tossed everything further to the armor of the slogan . At this point, Never Settle had lost all its power. In fact, it is pulled in reverse gear and is used more frequently than pejorative.
Related: How the prices of OnePlus phones have changed over the years
OnePlus has a big decision to make in 2021: abandon Never Settle because it is no longer relevant to the brand, or go into it again. It is not yet too late for the manufacturer to deliver products that offer almost everything a consumer wants at a price that undermines the competition. The OnePlus 7T is probably the latest phone to fit the Never Settle ethos, but it does not have to be the latest. OnePlus just has to decide that it wants to deliver.
Or it can skip it all and abandon the slogan altogether for something more appropriate. However, “Settle sometimes” just does not have the same ring.
You tell us: What do you want to see from OnePlus in 2021?
The five bullet points above are what we want to see most from OnePlus in 2021. But now we want to know what you think! Fill in the poll below with your best choice for what you want to see from the company next year.
Load pollAfter you have made a choice, feel free to go to the comments and judge your reasoning. Do you still have ideas about what you want to see (or do not want to see) from the company in 2021? We’d love to hear it!