Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority.
It’s been almost two years, but the company founded by OnePlus co-founder Carl P has already made a splash. Any Phone 1 may be the brand’s first phone, but it still stands out from the pack thanks to its unique design and well-rounded features.
We know that the Nothing Phone 2 is coming, but PE and the team need only look back at the early days of OnePlus for a few lessons on what not to do with a second release.
Get that carrier agreement as soon as possible
Living in South Africa, I never expected the Phone 1 to be available on contract with one of the largest networks in the region due to distribution contracts. But yes, I can visit the Vodacom website and buy one. What about customers in the US? Well, you are in luck.
If it wants to make a good first impression in the US, the Phone 2 doesn’t need a carrier agreement at all.
Conventional wisdom says that any phone brand that wants to succeed in the United States needs a carrier deal, and that’s still largely true. It’s almost certain that any phone will need 2 US carriers if the company wants the handset to gain any kind of domestic traction. OnePlus took it up to the 2018 OnePlus 6T to announce the company’s deal with T-Mobile. So I hope nothing waits until No Phone 5 for network partnership. But the company has already mentioned plans for Mobile 2 and now says it has certification offers for carriers.
Software Cleanup (and Ownership!)
Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority.
One thing the Nothing Phone 1 and some earlier OnePlus phones (and even some post-Oxygen OS code-sharing) had in common was flashy software. Fortunately, it doesn’t do a great job of squashing these bugs down the line. But the brand should learn from these phones and deliver polished software from the get-go.
OnePlus’ early years were marked by software conflicts, as the company initially used CyanogenMod custom ROMs. Unfortunately, Cyan Mod management made sudden changes to the license that forced OnePlus to create its own software. By all accounts, the software development for the Phone 2 has come to nothing, but the good news is that the company now has its own software team. In fact, up to 70% of the employees are former OnePlus employees. So software license woes don’t seem to be a problem for Nothing Phone 2.
No silly marketing campaigns, please.
The early days of OnePlus were marred by some of the dumbest smartphone marketing stunts in the industry. There was a terrible Smash The past campaign that asked people to smash their phones in order to buy a OnePlus One for $1. There was also the Ladies First campaign, which urged women to take a picture of the logo in the photo. The 50 most popular women were invited to buy the phone. Seriously. I’m not surprised that the company backtracked not long ago.
There’s no need to go to desperate shopping sprees for the Phone 2.
I’m better off with the usual marketing campaigns for Nothing Phone 2 than these silly scenes. Will Pei and his team resist the urge? In the year In 2020, he was the face of the OnePlus Nord launch and this is probably the most hyped smartphone launch we have covered in the last five years. With multiple rounds of pre-orders, a four-part documentary, five Instagram posts selling optical image stabilization (OIS) and cardboard to consumers, I don’t think we need to see the phone in real life.
Don’t offer less for more
While the OnePlus One offers this feature, the OnePlus 2 notably omits NFC. It has to be said that they got OIS, a bit more RAM and an alert slider, but it was still a disappointing move. And it ended up costing $30 more than the original phone ($329 versus $299).
History tells us that the prices of new and ever-increasing smartphone brands will inevitably rise. I vividly remember the days when HUAWEI launched the Ascend P6 and P7 at mid-range prices where I saw the P9 match the iPhone 7 series. So I wouldn’t be surprised if any phone 2 is more expensive, but the high price can’t come at the expense of features.
OnePlus’ past should not be overlooked
Oliver Craig / Android Authority
Like the OnePlus One, the No Phone 1 has shown that there is an appetite and an audience for a different type of smartphone. But the OnePlus 2 and subsequent releases brought OnePlus back down to earth quickly.
The follow-up may be harder than the first release, but it’s nothing if not a soft landing, taking notes from the early days of the classic “Flag Killer.” Otherwise, nothing phone 2 can equal the company’s OnePlus 2 for the better. And Worse.
Do you think anything phone 2 is disappointing?
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