OnePlus in 2021: 5 things we want to see

This past year has been an important one for Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus. With seven years of experience to its credit, the company took advantage of 2020 to achieve its ambitions. He has now officially stepped away from his niche debut and will star on the main stage with the other big names.

Of course, this transition inevitably required growing pains. This year, the company released more phones than ever before, forcing it to give up quality control a bit. He revamped Oxygen OS in several ambitious ways, which sparked controversy. He also lost Carl Pei – a co-founder of the company – who represented the young and risky half of the brand’s leadership.

Opinion: OnePlus’ opposition is getting worse

Unfortunately, these big changes pushed some early fans out of the way. This year, more than any other, we’ve seen OnePlus shed its old skin and become something new. Whether you perceive this as a good thing or a bad thing probably depends on the year in which you became a OnePlus fan.

In 2021, OnePlus will no longer experience these growth difficulties. Instead, it will lay the foundation for the business it will be for the next decade. As she makes her way, we’ve listed the five things we hope to see from the company in the next year below.

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1. Trend maker, not trend follower

At first, OnePlus hardware didn’t create any trends. The OnePlus One didn’t feature anything that we haven’t seen on other phones before. However, The One basically pitched the idea of ​​a flagship killer – in fact, the company coined that very term. It was revolutionary just by existing.

Eventually OnePlus started bringing new features to their phones that you couldn’t get from many other devices, especially here in the US. The OnePlus 5 had a dual-lens rear camera before any Samsung Galaxy phone. Additionally, the OnePlus 6T was the first device to hit the United States with a built-in fingerprint sensor. The OnePlus 7 Pro also had the first pop-up selfie camera in the United States.

See also: OnePlus phones: a history of all the devices launched so far

However, 2020 saw OnePlus playing catch-up more than anything else. The flagship features of the OnePlus 8 Pro were wireless charging and IP rating – neither was groundbreaking. The OnePlus 8T’s super-fast 65W wired charging is certainly cool, but several phones were already offering speeds of 45W, which is very fast. Even the most notable Oxygen OS 11 upgrade is an always-on display, which many other devices have been offering for years.

In 2021, we hope OnePlus aggressively pushes the boundaries of what its products can do. The company didn’t get to where it is today by trying to be like Samsung, Apple, or Huawei. That’s where he is now, as it’s OnePlus, and he shouldn’t dismiss that for a table seat with the bigger players.

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2. A great OnePlus watch

OnePlus has confirmed that it will be launching a smartwatch in 2021. Hopefully the CEO Pete Lau tease that it launches at the start of the year comes true. If we don’t see a smartwatch until fall, that could be bad news for OnePlus.

There are several reasons why a smartwatch launch is so important to this business. The first is just a market analysis: smartphone sales are down while laptop sales are up. It doesn’t take a genius to conclude that OnePlus needs to gain a foothold in the market as soon as possible. It cannot depend solely on phones and audio products for its growth.

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

OnePlus also has the ability to outperform the competition. Samsung’s portfolio of wearable products is great, but its designs aren’t amazing. Then there is of course Apple. The Cupertino giant leads the market with its incredible Apple Watch line-up, but they’re all incompatible with Android phones. OnePlus is in an ideal position to disrupt the smartwatch market, just as it did in the phone market with the OnePlus One.

There’s also the elephant in the room: Google’s lack of any kind of smartwatch hardware. If OnePlus can enter this market soon and offer something well-made, inexpensive, and designed with that OnePlus flair for minimalist beauty, it could quickly carve out a significant market share. Of course, he will already be late in the game no matter what, so the clock is ticking fast.

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3. Keep the identity of Oxygen OS

As mentioned before, Oxygen OS 11 has finally brought an always-on display to the OnePlus ecosystem. It also delivered a slew of new design cues that fans quickly pointed out, largely borrowed from Samsung’s One UI.

Over the past few years, the Oxygen OS vs One UI argument has risen to the Mac vs PC or Xbox vs PlayStation level. In fact, I would say the fervent devotion to Oxygen OS is a major reason consumers stick with OnePlus once they try it. OnePlus would be smart not to play with a product with this kind of power. However, 2020 has proven to be totally open to making Oxygen OS more like One UI.

Related: Oxygen OS vs One UI: an in-depth comparison

This is definitely a mistake and pairs well with the first bullet on this list (don’t be a trend follower).

Now don’t get me wrong: Oxygen OS isn’t perfect, and OnePlus should definitely update, change, and experience it. The only thing he shouldn’t do is give up his very identity. It got dangerously close to that with Oxygen OS 11 – which is why fans got angry. Hopefully OnePlus has taken this reaction seriously and doesn’t continue to tarnish one of its most important products in 2021.

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4. Don’t waste the North line

The launch of the OnePlus North – the first entry of the new North Line – has been botched. The slow media blitz was exhausting and the selfish “documentary” was ridiculously terrible. However, the phone itself was actually pretty awesome.

For less than $ 500, buyers got most of the things they expected from a great 2020 smartphone: 5G access, multiple front and rear cameras, a great display, huge battery, and more. Even if the phone hadn’t landed with Oxygen OS, it still would have been an easy device to recommend to most buyers. But it has Oxygen OS, which makes it a no-brainer.

Our verdict: OnePlus Nord test

However, the phone was only released in certain countries. It also doesn’t 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 they barely qualify as OnePlus products. The North Line has a promising lead arrangement, but it has to overcome a ton of obstacles to survive in the long term.

One can only hope that in 2021, OnePlus will reassess its approach to everything North. For longtime OnePlus fans, the North Line is as close to the “old” OnePlus as today’s buyers can get. OnePlus should cherish this and not waste it for short-term gains.

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

When OnePlus first arrived on the scene, its ‘Never Settle’ mantra was incredibly powerful. With the aforementioned ‘Flagship Killer’ slogan, Never Settle cemented what the OnePlus brand was in two very economical words.

Over the years, Never Settle has ceased to have a positive connotation. When the OnePlus 2 landed without NFC, it was a big deal for the Never Settle armor. The OnePlus 3’s reduced battery, the OnePlus 6’s notch, the removal of the headphone jack in the OnePlus 6T, and even the lack of a telephoto lens in the OnePlus 8T this year all dented the slogan’s armor even more. At this point, Never Settle has lost all of its power. In fact, it is put into reverse and is now used derogantly more often.

Related: How OnePlus Phone Prices Have Changed Over the Years

OnePlus has a big decision to make in 2021: either abandon Never Settle because it is no longer remotely relevant for the brand, or go there again. It’s not 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 most current phone that fits the Never Settle philosophy, but it doesn’t have to be the last. OnePlus just needs to decide that it wants to deliver.

Or, he could skip all of that and just drop the tagline for something more applicable. “Settle Sometimes” just doesn’t have the same ringtone, however.

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You tell us: what do you want to see from OnePlus in 2021?

The five points above are what we want to see the most from OnePlus in 2021. But now we want to hear what you think! Fill out the poll below with your top pick for what you want to see from the business next year.

Once you’ve made your choice, feel free to head over to the comments and express your reasoning. Do you have any other ideas on what you would like to see (or not see) from the business in 2021? We would love to hear them!