OnePlus Nord Confirmed As An Exciting Value Phone That Returns The Company To Its Roots
It was just over six years ago when OnePlus made a splash in the smartphone market with the OnePlus One, an affordable handset that launched at $299 for the 16GB model, and $349 for the 64GB model. Driven by a "Never Settle" motto, OnePlus has focused on cramming premium features into handsets that undercut typical flagship pricing, though its latest models are not exactly cheap. In an attempt to get back to its roots, the company is readying a lower cost OnePlus Nord handset.
This is something OnePlus has been teasing for several weeks now, with company CEO Pete Lau confirming in May that a cheaper phone would be returning to the lineup. Exactly how cheap remains to be seen, but co-founder Carl Pei fueled speculation that it could arrive at $299 when he recently re-tweeted the original OnePlus One announcement, which at the time was billed as a "2014 flagship killer."
Fast forward to today and OnePlus has confirmed at least one thing—the name of the handset. Over on Instagram, the company revealed it will be called OnePlus Nord, and it also posted "Episode 1" of a "New Beginnings" documentary. Check it out...
Let the hype officially begin. Or as OnePlus France vice president Akis Evangelidis put it to Android Central, the purpose of the documentary is to give people insight into how these things get to market.
"Traditional marketing doesn't allow customers to experience a phone before it is announced, so this time we wanted our fans to feel like they're a part of the development process.
The documentary will be the backbone of the entire pre-launch; with every new part we'll release information about the upcoming product," Evangelidis said.
Pei echoed the sentiment, adding that people "want to know how the sausage is made." He also acknowledged that people have been clamoring for OnePlus to release a more affordable smartphone.
"The consumers that we've been targeting for the last few years want the best products available, but there's also another portion of the market that wants something great at a more affordable price. For us, that's a new beginning," Pei said.
It's not clear when exactly the Nord will arrive, what hardware and features it will have, and if it will really hit that enticing $299 price point. Answers will come. In the meantime, OnePlus suggests following its Instragram account for updates along the way.
