NEW DELHI: We are just two months into the new year and a lot of smartphone brands have played their cards. One brand that is conspicuously low-key is OnePlus but its rivals -- namely Samsung and Nokia -- are all set to give it a reason or two to worry. To say that OnePlus has had a glorious run in the Indian smartphone market won’t be inaccurate. In a short span of time, the Chinese smartphone maker has emerged as the market leader of premium phones. This has largely been down to two reasons: a) OnePlus packs in high-end premium features in their devices at relatively low prices. And secondly, it really hasn’t had ‘real’ competition that stared directly into its eyes and took the company head on. Let’s face it while Apple and Samsung are the perceived competition for OnePlus, both these tech giants operate in a slightly different territory. For starters, OnePlus launches phones in just one category, which to be fair even Apple does, but there’s a huge gap in pricing. Samsung, on the other hand, is busy in multiple price segments with a slew of devices. So in terms of direct competition, OnePlus
Perhaps that’s why the start of 2019 might just give OnePlus a few things to think about. Samsung has made its intentions clear to take on OnePlus with its ‘affordable’ Galaxy S10e. Priced at Rs 55,990, Samsung has an offering for those who don’t want to spend too much on a smartphone and yet get flagship experience. OnePlus 6T’s McLaren edition is priced just under Rs 50,000 and will be a direct rival to the Galaxy S10e. While Samsung hasn’t really cut corners with its Galaxy S10e but it intends to ride on the same plank as OnePlus: a flagship experience at a not-so-flagship price.
We need to keep in mind that in the last two years – thanks for that Apple – premium smartphones are now costing more than ever. For instance, the Google Pixel 3 XL comes with a starting price tag of Rs 83,000 while the iPhone XS Max starts at Rs 1,09,990. In this rapidly changing landscape of premium phones, OnePlus did wonders with its aggressive pricing and giving top-end features like a fast processor and a high-end display among others.

Enter the world’s first phone with 5 cameras

Now here’s where things can get interesting with the entry of HMD Global’s Nokia branded smartphones. Two days ago, the Nokia 9 PureView was unveiled as the first phone to feature five rear cameras at the back. While Nokia announced its “average retail price” ($699) we can expect to be priced in India around Rs 50,000 or perhaps less. Now Nokia enjoys a considerable amount of brand equity in the minds of Indian consumers and with the Nokia 9 PureView it aims to make a dent in the premium segment.

Even last year Nokia did make an attempt with its Nokia 8 Sirocco smartphone but – in our opinion – faltered badly with the pricing. The Nokia 8 Sirocco was a good phone but had nothing extraordinary which actually stood out and hurt OnePlus’ market share.

Naysayers will say that even this time around the Nokia 9 PureView, HMD Global hasn’t bumped up the spec sheet too much. Nokia 9 PureView runs on the Snapdrgon 845 processor while we can say with a great level of certainty that the next OnePlus phone will feature the latest Snapdragon 855 processor. Having said that, camera is quickly becoming a top priority for those who are looking for premium phones and Nokia 9 PureView certainly has the edge there. Add to that the sturdiness and premium looks, the Nokia 9 PureView has makes it a genuine threat to the OnePlus.

There have been other phones that have been launched in and around the same price bracket as the OnePlus but haven’t really made a deep impact. Like the Vivo Nex which has a pop-up selfie camera is high on innovation but lacks the mass appeal. Nokia, and for that matter, even Samsung have that mass appeal and it looks they are armed with devices that just may end up OnePlus a few sleepless nights.

Source: gadgetsnow.com