OnePlus confirms next smartphone by end of 2015

An interview between USA Today and OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei has revealed something interesting: OnePlus is planning to bring yet another smartphone by the end of this year alongside the upcoming OnePlus 2 (OP2). The plan will be to launch around Christmas 2015, but Pei would not confirm if the new device will have stronger or weaker specifications than the new OnePlus 2.

This puts OnePlus customers in an odd position. Users who obtain an invite to purchase the OnePlus 2 may decide to hold off or think twice about the purchase as a second and potentially better OnePlus device may debut around Christmas. Furthermore, customers who receive the invite by January of next year may prefer to buy the other OnePlus smartphone instead.

Carl Pei expressed optimism for OnePlus during the interview. When asked, "Where do you see OnePlus in the future?", Pei responded "I think in 5 years it will be Apple, Samsung, and OnePlus because there is no more room in the market." It's a bold claim as OnePlus broke even by selling just 1.5 million smartphones, which is great for a start-up, but not as impressive as Huawei, Lenovo, or Xiaomi.

Additionally, the OnePlus 2 may not receive the unanimous praise that the original OnePlus One received during its launch. Users may have been turned off by its "2016 Flagship Killer" moniker during the official reveal of the smartphone. For example, the OnePlus 2 does not support NFC, Quick Charge 2.0, or wireless charging. Its USB Type-C port has not been confirmed to provide USB 3.0 or 3.1 speeds. These features may have been cut to meet the starting price of 340 Euros, which could allow competitors like the Motorola Moto X gain traction.

[UPDATE August 3, 2015]

Carl Pei has tweeted in response to inquires about the second OnePlus smartphone coming this Christmas. Based on his answer, this will likely be a lower-tier and more inexpensive offering.

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