OnePlus was a big winner in the US following LG’s exit
Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority
TL; DR
- OnePlus was the fastest growing OEM in the US in the first half of the year.
- According to Counterpoint Research, it grew 428% year over year.
- The tracking company attributed that growth to LG’s exit and new budget phones.
OnePlus entered the US market through T-Mobile a few years ago and has only stepped up its presence in the US and North America in general since then. We saw flagship phones hit the market, as well as several budget-conscious Nord phones.
Now, citing Counterpoint Research, the manufacturer has announced that it will be the fastest growing OEM in the US for the first half of 2021. More specifically, the company claimed 428% year-over-year growth.
So how does that compare to other brands? Well, OnePlus cited Counterpoint data to find that Motorola, Apple, Nokia and Samsung were lagging behind in terms of US growth. Take a look at the graphic below.
OnePlus and Counterpoint also claimed that the manufacturer has sold over a million Nord N-series devices since January 2021. It didn’t hurt that T-Mobile and Metro were offering such Nord N10 5G for free if subscribers added a line.
“With the introduction of the N100 and N10 5G in January, OnePlus quickly gained market share in Metro from T-Mobile and is continuing its premium device presence at T-Mobile with the latest OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro,” says Counterpoint Senior Analyst Maurice Klaehne was quoted.
“OnePlus further expanded its presence in the second quarter due to LG’s exit from the smartphone market, while the N100 has been one of the best-selling smartphones within Metro for months.”
This isn’t the first time OnePlus has released notable stats in the US. It previously claimed that it was the only manufacturer to see year-over-year sales growth in the US in 2020 (163%).
However, it has to be reiterated that OnePlus is still a relatively new player in the market, so growth from a low base will look more impressive. We’ve already seen this trend as brands like Xiaomi and Realme penetrate regions like Europe, Latin America and Africa. In addition, OnePlus only recently launched budget and mid-range phones that generate more volume than high-end devices.
Nonetheless, LG’s exit, along with the aforementioned foray into the budget segment, bodes well for the company’s ambitions for US market share. Do you think OnePlus has a successful strategy in the market? Let us know via the poll above.
