We already have the OnePlus 8 and 8 Prothe first flagship of the chinese brand that tries to position themselves in the minds of consumers as an affordable high-end. And we are before a terminal is great, and in each iteration of the brand manages to graze the sky of the top terminals of the year.
However, that aura of “high-end at an affordable price” each time is getting more and more outdated. It is true that the terminals each time you are closer to being high-end supergama mediaas does a few generations, but it is also true that the “affordable” each time apply less.
OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro, a few terminals very round
On this occasion OnePlus has launched two terminals very round. A good construction is coupled with an excellent screen (AMOLED 6,78-inch 120 Hz), a processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, a RAM memory of 8/12 GB LPDDR5, internal storage with 128/256 GB UFS 3.0 and three or four cameras in the rear with pretty good looking (and that perform well in our analysis in depth).
It is sufficient for this to be considered high-end mobile? Already six months ago, when OnePlus introduced its terminals 7T and 7T Pro said that finally I could compare you to the high-end. And this time again we can say the same thing.
However, as OnePlus, which has always boasted of launching high-end mobile, has been eliminating its shortcomings compared to the real high end of the market has been increasing a key aspect of any mobile phone: the price.
OnePlus and prices
Effectively, we are in the best OnePlus that we’ve ever had between the hands, with very few commitments. It has practically everything: good construction, good hardware, good software… but the price also scale up to levels we had not seen before.
The 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 not a novelty. OnePlus has been putting the prices from your first terminal, the OnePlus One. The climb was quite strong at the beginning (it was said that the margin per terminal sold was very low or non-existent) and then it was progressive, until the OnePlus 7.
In the OnePlus 7T the scaling was pretty sharp, the entry price of the most basic model went from 559 euros to 599 euros. But again with the OnePlus 8 there has been a sudden riseuntil the 709 euros.
And we are speaking only of the prices of output. The maximum prices of the terminals have been exceeded, for the first time, the 1000 euros. We are faced with the same case that Xiaomi with its Mi 10 Prothat came to the 999 euros in a race to prices “top” inparable.
The same problem of all the brands, the margin
In mobile telephony we are faced with a market increasingly saturated. On the one hand, almost everyone has a phone, and on the other these last each time more: the power they have acquired is such that we are no longer in the era of ten years ago when the year remained former because new applications require more and more. This may be true for a certain segment of the population, that wants to play with the latter, but for the vast majority of it.
Therefore, for manufacturers to continue to get the same benefits with lower sales they need more margin. This is the reason why we’ve seen price increases so bulky in the high range of the past few years.
And OnePlus is no exception, as we have seen. Being a brand that was selling a mobile very good 300 euros has gone to to have your terminal is cheaper by over 700 euros.
The problem of this strategy is that if OnePlus is about a lot of the premium brands can lose the market: in the low ranges of 10 euros can be a world for the customers, but in the high 100 is not a lot. This has two consequences: on the one hand is the reason why OnePlus does no more than increase the price (because a client convinced the best thing is to get the most money possible); but on the other hand, the customer can jump to another brand more prestigious even though it is a little more expensive.
That’s why OnePlus takes time making a strong brand, caring for her a lot. First with guerrilla marketing, but then already with a marketing more conventional including your brand, your product round and an approach to the market novel.
What will this strategy do pineapple and keep going up in price? Maybe yes, since then OnePlus until now, it has gone well. And this is why every six months brings a new terminal with a jump of price. Until potential customers are shipped to other brands. Will there be at that time? Sooner or later we’ll find out.
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The news
OnePlus: we have a problem with the price
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