The evolution of the OnePlus family to OnePlus 6T

A company is born

OnePlus was founded on December 16, 2013 by Pete Lau, a vice president of Oppo, and Carl Pei. In fact it is part of an even larger conglomerate, BBK Electronics, which also owns the brands Oppo, Vivo, Realme and now Reno.

The initial idea was to create a company capable of producing a smartphone with the quality and features of a high end, but a lower price than other handsets in the same category. His slogan Never Settle reflected Pete Lau's conviction that his users would never settle for inferior products made by other companies.

Five years later, the company operates in 34 countries, including China, Hong Kong, India, much of Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Oneplus one, the beginning of everything

The first OnePlus handset was launched in April 2014, with the promise of being a flagship killer, offering typical features of the high-end handsets of the time at a lower price: only $ 299 for the basic 16 GB memory model, or $ 349 for the 64 GB model.

This first device could not be purchased either at physical stores or directly online: interested parties had to register on the OnePlus website and wait for an invitation, which they could use to make the purchase. Those who had already been able to buy their handset received extra invitations to distribute to their friends.

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S who had "invitations" could buy OnePlus One / ANDROIDPIT

This formed an aura of exclusivity around the product, which combined with low prices only increased demand. According to executives, the strategy was necessary so that the company would not be buried with more orders than it could handle.

A highlight of this first model was the operating system, based on the popular custom ROM CyanogenMOD (now known as Lineage OS), which brought several features not found in the standard Android used by other manufacturers.

Oneplus 2

The second device came just over a year after the first one in July 2015. This time, OnePlus claimed that it would be able to kill flagships in that year, but those that would still be released in 2016. A noteworthy item that he was one of the first Android smartphones with a Type C USB port.

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OnePlus 2: One of the first Android with USB C / ANDROIDPIT

OnePlus X

The third model, launched in October 2015, was an unusual course deviation for OnePlus. Instead of a flagship killer, the company launched an intermediate smartphone, but still more powerful than peers at the time.

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OnePlus X was the first and only intermediate smartphone of the company / ANDROIDPIT

The OnePlus X had a glass back, but a special version, costing $ 399, had a rear panel made of ceramic material that, according to the manufacturer, took 25 days to produce. Even today it is difficult to find gadgets with this material, which was also used in gadgets like Mi Mix and Mi Mix 2, by Xiaomi.

It was during the launch of OnePlus X that the company abandoned the invitation system, finally achieving sufficient confidence and production capacity to meet market demand.

OnePlus 3 and 3T

Launched in June 2016 OnePlus 3 was the first smartphone with a unibody body made by OnePlus. The entire casing was machined from a single aluminum block, which gave it more strength than casings composed of several components joined by bolts or solder.

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OnePlus 3 was the first model with unibody body in metal / AndroidPIT

The device was based on the Snapdragon 820 processor, with 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal memory standard UFS 2.0, faster than the common flash memory used in smartphones at the time.

Five months later, in November 2016, OnePlus released a slight upgrade of OnePlus 3, the 3T, giving rise to a tradition of upgrading their devices every six months. The new model had a Snapdragon 821 processor, larger battery and a 128 GB version of internal memory.

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OnePlus 3T started the tradition of half-yearly upgrades / AndroidPIT

Hey, where's 4?

There has never been a OnePlus 4. In Asian cultures number 4 is linked to death, and is therefore considered ominous. That is the reason why many buildings in the West do not have the 13th floor.

OnePlus 5 and 5T

OnePlus 5 arrived in June 2017, equipped with a Snapdragon 835 processor, 6 or 8 GB of RAM and 64 or 128 GB of internal memory, higher specifications than the Galaxy S8, which hit the market two months earlier. It was the first OnePlus smartphone with two cameras at the rear, combining a 16 MP sensor with a 20 MP sensor.

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The dual camera at the rear, new at the time, was a highlight of OnePlus 5 / AndroidPIT

Five months later, in November, OnePlus launched the 5T, its first model with a higher resolution Full HD screen: 1080 x 2160 pixels on a 6: 18: 9 aspect ratio AMOLED panel. The 5T also features the distinction of its latest OnePlus handset with a 3.5mm plug headphone jack.

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OnePlus 5T: first with 18: 9 screen, last with headphone jack / AndroidPIT

OnePlus 6 and 6T

In May 2018 OnePlus launched OnePlus 6, its first Notch device, the controversial feature that had debuted on the iPhone X seven months earlier. It was the first smartphone of the company to have a 256 GB version of internal memory, and also the first to no longer have the traditional headphone jack.

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OnePlus 6: the first with 256 GB internal memory / AndroidPIT

OnePlus' latest model, the 6T, hit the market predictably five months after its predecessor in October. New features included a slightly larger screen (6.41 inches), larger capacity battery (3700 mAh) and under-screen fingerprint sensor, even before manufacturers like Samsung.

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OnePlus 6T: the latest model with under-screen fingerprint sensor / AndroidPIT

With 6T OnePlus entered the record book, creating the largest number of people by simultaneously unboxing a smartphone when they joined 559 of their fans in a club on November 1, 2018 in Mumbai, India.

What's next for?

You may have already realized that OnePlus is working precisely with you, launching a model in the second quarter of the year and an update five months later. The OnePlus 7 is due to arrive in May or June this year, but there are already several rumors about the device, which would be based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset and would be equipped with a pop-up camera to have a full screen.

oneplus.42 copyOnePlus 7 can have pop-up and degraded rear camera
/ Waqar Khan

But knowing the history of the company, one thing we can say: surely the OnePlus 7 be among the best smartphones this year. You bet.

And you, what do you think of the devices of OnePlus? Looking forward to OnePlus 7?

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