OnePlus is perhaps the best value for money brand out there, when it comes to flagship devices. No Android phone comes close to offering the hardware and performance of he Chinese OEM's $400 phone.
The company has a huge customer base in the Country, in spite of the devices being slightly expensive.
And now it seems that OnePlus, could start manufacturing its future devices in India, from 2017. The news comes via an Economic Times interview of OnePlus founder, Pete Lau.
There are a few advantages if this does happen. The Indian Government has a hefty import fee on phones. By manufacturing the devices in the Country, Oneplus can save on the import fee and also price its devices more affordably. So this good for both the company, and the buyers. Lau has also announced that the company has renewed its partnership with Amazon India, which ties in the two to sell its devices exclusively on the e-tailer's portal. This includes Amazon Prime support for fast deliveries.
While this may seem a bit surprising. considering that OnePlus recently launced its own portal in India, OnePlusStore.in, the company's founder says that OnePlus India's web store will start selling devices by 2017, to improve its customer support.
It makes sense that the OEM wants to have its own e-store to sell its products, because the Government has banned FDI in online retailers (like Amazon, Flipkart). As a result of this move, many top sellers have cut down their smartphone sales to comply with the rules. This is also the reason why other stores like Honor India, LeEco Le Mall, Mi Store and others exist.
OnePlus is rumoured to launch a new phone dubbed the OnePlus3T, in the next few months. The company's next flagship phone, the OnePlus 4, could be launched in June or July 2017.