OnePlus 3T: OnePlus 3 Demonetized?

smile

OnePlus has always been vocal about being a one device per year maker and they have proved that this method works. They have successfully used this idea to iterate into the premium flagship segment with great success. Their biggest success in recent times has been the OnePlus 3 that has quickly become the high water mark that every other device is now expected to beat. Given this scenario, the OnePlus 3 T brings a lots of twists to the tale.

OnePlus 3T

When the OnePlus One came out as the first device from OnePlus, it was a major disruptor in the market due to the fact that it had top end hardware at a price that was unheard of until then. But there were hitches, there was the invite system and I know many a troubled indian buyer who wanted the device but for lack of a relative in the US or Europe to send it to them, they went with other phones. When finally there were india specific invites, they were very very tough to get. Suddenly, wanting a device and having the money to pay for it weren’t enough. It became a bit of a lottery. There were many who “bought” invites to get the phone. But full marks to OnePlus, all this did not deter people and there was a mad rush for the device. The package was something that people hadn’t heard or seen earlier. This built a great deal of buzz and brand value around OnePlus. They quickly went from startup to household name.

Then came the OnePlus 2 with much hype and fanfare. The device was by no means a slouch or ordinary. It had good specs and performed well. The break-up between OnePlus and Cyanogen meant that Oxygen OS took its place in India. Like all changes, this was resisted very much by people. There was also a hue and cry about NFC not being supported and the camera being a bit on the underwhelming side. I used the OPT for well over a year and had absolutely no issues with it whatsoever. Coming back to the journey, there were issues with not enough invites being available and hence not many people being able to get the device and those that got it constantly missing cyanogen and cribbing about Oxygen. There were heating issues and other minor problems that were fixes iteratively in OTA updates. OnePlus listened very hard and went to work on the next iteration for them. They turned up all aces on that one. The OnePlus 3 was quite literally a phenomenon.

smile

OnePlus 3 was the result of listening to feedback and going back to the drawing table. It was by far the best device to come out of the OnePlus stables. The amount of RAM and the performance made this a muscle phone that never ever lagged or stuttered, whatever you threw at it. The camera had been worked upon and made better. There was NFC support. The design was very radically different from the other OnePlus devices and it came with an ace up it’s sleeve – Dash Charge! With the OP3, overnight charging was a thing of the past. Well within an hour of charging, you got all the juice you needed to run for a day and that is a boon for everyone who has hectic work schedules. Multitasking was a breeze.

All these things put together made the OnePlus 3 what it is today, arguably the phone of the year in the android segment and going by the last quarter or so, the numbers are very good. There are a lot of people who have bought this device due to absence of the invite system. It has also become the device that every subsequent model released by any brand had to beat. And just when things were getting all soft and gold, the OnePlus 3T happened!

The OnePlus 3T is an iteration on top of the OnePlus 3, the things that have changed are the processor which now more powerful and energy efficient, the battery has been beefed up, the front camera is now a 16 MP shooter, there are two storage variants – 64 GB and 128 GB. The size and other things are identical. The reactions to this have been divided. There is a group of people who were all set to buy the OnePlus 3 who have put that purchase on hold and are waiting for the 3T now. Their problem, nobody knows when it will come to India. There is another set that just recently bought the OnePlus 3 and feel that they have been short changed by OnePlus.

The scenes are very similar to the post demonetization scenes in India where people with the old notes are feeling frustrated and worried. Has OnePlus demonetized the OnePlus 3 with the 3T? Well, my opinion when it comes to smartphones is that if it has no hiccups, there is no need to change it. I am extremely happy with my OnePlus 3 and am not looking to change for now. Unlike the 500 and 1000 rupee notes, the OnePlus 3 is still a powerhouse and beats many a flagship hands down! Having said that, would I like to buy a OnePlus 3T? Hell Yeah! But I want the ability to exchange the OnePlus 3 for a good bargain, otherwise, I am very happy to wait for the OnePlus 4 whenever it comes. But to answer the question, has OnePlus 3T demonetized the OnePlus 3? Looks like only time will tell! I am following this very eagerly and will share more when I get my hands on a review unit of the 3T! Till then, let’s wait and watch!

About Shakthi

I am a Tech Blogger, Disability Activist, Keynote Speaker, Startup Mentor and Digital Branding Consultant. Also a McKinsey Executive Panel Member. Also known as @v_shakthi on twitter. Been around Tech for two decades now.

View all posts by Shakthi →