OnePlus in 2021: 5 things we want to see

Last year was an important one for the Chinese smartphone manufacturer OnePlus. With seven years of experience, the company used 2020 to consolidate its ambitions. It has now officially moved away from its niche beginnings and will play on the main stage with the other big names.

Of course, this transition inevitably required some mounting pain. This year the company has released more phones than ever before, and that has forced it to shut down its quality control a bit. It overhauled Oxygen OS in a number of ambitious ways, which has caused some controversy. It also lost Carl Pei – a co-founder of the company – who represented the young, risky half of the brand management.

Opinion: OnePlus’ opposition is getting worse and worse

Unfortunately, these big changes marginalized some early fans. This year, more than any other year, we’ve seen OnePlus shedding its former skin in order to blossom into something new. Whether you think that’s good or bad probably depends on the year you became a OnePlus fan.

In 2021, OnePlus will no longer get through this growing pain. Instead, it lays the foundation for what it will be for the next decade. As it embarks on its new path, we have listed below the five things we expect from the company over the next year.

1. Trend setting, not trend following

In the beginning, the OnePlus hardware did not generate any trends. The OnePlus One didn’t contain anything we hadn’t seen on other phones. However, the One basically launched the whole idea of ​​a flagship killer – in fact, the company coined that very term. It was revolutionary just because it existed.

Eventually, OnePlus began rolling out new features to its phones that you couldn’t get from many other devices, especially here in the US. The OnePlus 5 had a rear camera with two lenses before every Samsung Galaxy phone. In addition, the OnePlus 6T was the first device to come to the US with a built-in fingerprint sensor. The OnePlus 7 Pro also had the first pop-up selfie camera in the US.

See also: OnePlus Phones: A history of all devices started so far

In 2020, however, OnePlus caught up more than anything. The main features of the OnePlus 8 Pro were wireless charging and an IP rating – none of which were revolutionary. The OnePlus 8T’s 65W ultra-fast wired charging is certainly cool, but several phones already offer 45W speeds, which is very fast. Even the most notable upgrade from Oxygen OS 11 is an always-on display that many other devices have offered for years.

We hope that OnePlus will again aggressively push the limits of what its products can do in 2021. The company didn’t get where it is today by trying to be like Samsung, Apple or Huawei. It’s where it is right now because it’s OnePlus, and it shouldn’t refuse that 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. If we don’t see a smartwatch before fall, it could be bad news for OnePlus.

There are several reasons a smartwatch launch is so important to this company. The first is just a market analysis: smartphone sales have fallen sharply, while portable device sales have increased significantly. It doesn’t take a genius to conclude that OnePlus needs to hit the market sooner rather than later. Growth can’t just depend on phones and audio products.

Connected: OnePlus Watch: all the rumors and what we want to see

OnePlus also has the opportunity to improve the competition. Samsung’s portable portfolio is great, but the design isn’t incredible. Then of course there is Apple. The Cupertino giant leads the market with its incredible line of Apple Watch, but all of them are incompatible with Android phones. OnePlus is in a great position to disrupt the smartwatch market as much as it disrupts the phone market with OnePlus One.

There’s also the elephant in the room: Google’s lack of smartwatch hardware. If OnePlus can step into this market soon and offer something that is well made, inexpensive, and designed with the OnePlus flair for minimalist beauty, it could quickly open up a sizable chunk of the market for itself. Of course, it will be late for the game no matter what, so the clock is ticking quickly.

3. Retain the identity of Oxygen OS

As mentioned earlier, Oxygen OS 11 has finally brought an always-on display to the OnePlus ecosystem. It also delivered a number of new design elements that fans were quick to point out that they had been heavily adopted by Samsung’s One UI.

In recent years, the Oxygen OS vs One UI argument has increased on Mac vs PC or Xbox vs PlayStation. In fact, I’d argue that the passionate devotion to Oxygen OS is a big reason consumers stick with OnePlus when trying it out. OnePlus would be smart not to play with a product with this performance. However, 2020 has proven that it is completely open to making Oxygen OS more like a user interface.

Connected: Oxygen OS vs One UI: A Thorough Comparison

This is undoubtedly a mistake and goes well with the first item on this list (don’t be a trend follower).

Now don’t get me wrong: Oxygen OS is not perfect and OnePlus should definitely update, change and experiment with it. The only thing it shouldn’t do is give up its identity. With Oxygen OS 11, it got dangerously close – which is why fans got into trouble. We hope OnePlus takes this backlash seriously and doesn’t tarnish one of its key products any further in 2021.

4. Don’t waste the north line

The introduction of the OnePlus Nord – the first entry in the new Nord line – was sloppy. The slow media flash was exhausting and the selfish “documentary” was ridiculously awful. However, the phone itself was pretty great.

For less than $ 500, shoppers got most of the things they would want in a great 2020 smartphone: 5G access, multiple front and rear cameras, a great display, huge battery, and so much more. Even if the phone hadn’t ended up with Oxygen OS, it would have been an easy device to recommend for most buyers. But it has Oxygen OS, which makes it a breeze.

Our verdict: OnePlus North rating

However, the phone was only released in certain countries. When it comes to software updates, it doesn’t get the same priority as its flagship siblings. And to make matters worse, the other two phones on the Nord line are so inferior that they are barely considered OnePlus products. The North Line has a promising lead device, but it will have to overcome a lot of obstacles to survive in the long term.

We can only hope that in 2021 OnePlus will re-evaluate its approach to everything north. For long-time OnePlus fans, the north line is as close to the “old” OnePlus as today’s buyers can. OnePlus should cherish this and not waste it on short-term gains.

5.Remove the slogan Never Settle (or go all-in)

When OnePlus first landed on stage, its “Never Settle” mantra was incredibly powerful. Together with the “Flagship Killer” slogan mentioned above, Never Settle cemented what the OnePlus brand was in two words.

Over the years, Never Settle has lost its positive connotation. When the OnePlus 2 landed without NFC, that was a big problem for the Never Settle armor. The OnePlus 3’s reduced battery, the notch on 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 this year have further marred the slogan’s armor. At this point, Never Settle has lost all its power. In fact, it is pulled into reverse and is now widely used disparagingly.

Connected: How the prices of OnePlus phones have changed over the years

OnePlus will have to make a big decision in 2021: either give up Never Settle as it is no longer remotely relevant to the brand, or go all-in again. It’s not too late for the manufacturer to deliver products that offer almost everything a consumer could want at a price that undercuts the competition. The OnePlus 7T is likely to be the most updated phone to keep up with the Never Settle ethos, but it doesn’t have to be the last. OnePlus just has to decide that it wants to deliver.

Or it could skip all of that and just drop the tagline altogether in order to find something more appropriate. However, “sometimes billing” doesn’t have the same sound.

They tell us: what would you like to see from OnePlus in 2021?

The five points above are what we most want to see from OnePlus in 2021. But now we want to know what you think! Fill out the survey below with your top picks for what you’d like to see from the company next year.

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Once you’ve made your choice, feel free to use the comments and explain your considerations. Do you have any other ideas about what you would like to see (or not see) of the company in 2021? We’d love to hear them!