We already have OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro, the first to salute of a Chinese product that tries to put itself in the minds of consumers as an inexpensive end. And we are facing some serious edges, with each product collection being able to touch the sky at the best of the year.
However, that aura of "high end at an affordable price" is becoming obsolete. It is true that the terminals they tend to be higher-end than the average super range, like a few generations ago, but it's also true that "cheap" works less and less.
For OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro, the terminals are very round
This time OnePlus introduced two very rounded terminals. For good builds we have to add a really good screen (6.78-inch AMOLED with 120 Hz), Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor, 8/12 GB LPDDR5 RAM, 128/256 GB UFS 3.0 internal storage and three or four rear-facing cameras (and they do well in our in-depth review).
Is this enough to consider them as the best phone? Six months ago, when OnePlus launched its 7T and 7T Pro centers, we finally said that we could compare from you to the ultimate. And in this again we can say the same.
However, as OnePlus, which has always been proud of introducing high-end smartphones, has been removing its shortcomings compared to the actual end of the market, it has been expanding the basic feature of any mobile phone: the number.
OnePlus and prices
Indeed, we are experiencing the best OnePlus we have ever had on our hands, with very few commitments. It has all the best: good builds, good hardware, good software … but the price also rises to levels we have never seen before.
Terminals come in four flavors:
- OnePlus 8 8/128 GB: 709 euros
- OnePlus 8 12/256 GB: 809 euros
- OnePlus 8 Pro 8/128 GB: 909 euros
- OnePlus 8 Pro 12/256 GB: 1009 euros
But this is nothing new. OnePlus has been raising prices since its first terminal, OnePlus One. The climb was quite strong at first (the terminal terminal marker was said to be too low or unavailable) and then improved, until the OnePlus 7 arrived.
Like Xiaomi, OnePlus is limited to 1000 euros
On the OnePlus 7T the rating was overwhelming, the entry price for the base model rose from 559 euros to 599 euros. But again With OnePlus 8 there has been a sharp increase, up to 709 euros.
And we're talking about initial values. Higher prices for terminals exceeded, first, 1000 euros. We are facing a similar case with Xiaomi and its Mi 10 Pro, which has reached 999 euros in a race towards "unstoppable" high prices.
The same problem of all kinds, is the margin
In cellular telephony we are facing a constantly growing market. On the one hand almost everyone has a phone and on the other hand they live longer and longer: the power they have received is like we were not there ten years ago when the year was old because new apps need more. This may be true for a certain segment of the population, who wants to play the latest, but not in large numbers.
So, for manufacturers to continue to get the same benefits with lower sales, they need more margin. It is for this reason that we see that soaring prices have risen dramatically in recent years.
And OnePlus is different, as we've seen. From being the best-selling mobile phone product to 300 euros, it has been have your terminal cheaper than 700 euros.
So far OnePlus has done well with its pricing system.
The problem with this strategy is that if OnePlus gets too close to premium products, it could lose market share: at a low level, 10 euros could mean the world to customers, but at the top 100, not much. This has two effects: on the one hand, it is one reason why OnePlus does nothing about increasing the price (as the customer is sure it is better to earn as much money as possible); but on the other hand the client can jump on him The other type is more or less expensive.
So OnePlus has been making a strong product for a long time, taking great care of it. First with guerilla marketing but then with general marketing, which highlights more than all of its product, its circular product and novel market approach.
Does the pineapple and storage pricing strategy work? Maybe yes, of course OnePlus has done well so far. And for this reason, every six months it releases a new signal with a price jump. Until potential customers begin to opt in to other products. Is that the time has come? In time we will know.
