We speculated as much before the OnePlus 5T launch, but it turns out OnePlus is indeed following the same format it did with the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T; the OnePlus 5T will replace the OnePlus 5 in the firm's catalogue. Remaining stock will be sold off but when it is depleted the handset will be discontinues and no longer available for sale via official channels.
You'll likely still be able to pick one up via third-party retailers, refurbishers, and sellers on e-Bay and the like. Also, the handset will still be supported officially - OnePlus is still supporting the OnePlus 3 alongside the OnePlus 3T as both just got upgraded to Android Oreo together.
OnePlus India's General Manager, Vikas Aggarwal, confirmed the news in an interview with The Indian Express.
"If you look at our previous phone, the OnePlus 3T the last batch was sold out during Diwali and now the product will be discontinued," he said, "The same goes for the OnePlus 5, which will also be sold out in sometime, and we’ll have only one product - OnePlus 5T - in the market."
There's no reason to think the same won't apply outside of India.
Aggarwal added that the upgrade in specs and features for the OnePlus 5T is not sufficient to classify it as an entirely new product. The OnePlus 5T is considered a “variant” of the OnePlus 5. He said as the premium market is highly competetive, it wouldn't be in the firm's best interest to have multiple devices in the sector.
On the subject of the pricing, he said "So as a company which focuses on premium segment, we need to make sure our phones compete with the current available flagships in the market. The OnePlus 5T will do just that, and given this is an extension of the current product line, there was no need for us to raise the price."
Aggarwal also confirmed that the OnePlus 5 discontinuation will mimic that of the OnePlus 3, meaning it will still be supported in terms of software updates. Lastly, he said the company had no interest in launching another mid-range handset (to date the firm has only tried this sector with the OnePlus X).
"We are not looking to launch a mid-range device just to expand the market share, but concentrating on the premium end market," he said.
by pbriden via Featured Articles
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