Over the past few weeks, you’ve probably heard a lot about an independent tech startup called OnePlus.
OnePlus recently announced an innovative “flagship killing” Android phone called the OnePlus One. The Android community loved it.
Unfortunately, OnePlus isn’t just any independent tech startup. It’s closely connected to another Chinese tech company: Oppo, which has previously made other Android smartphones.
That connection was revealed by a Chinese regulatory body. You can read the Chinese webpage revealing the connection here.
Basically, the connection is this:
-OnePlus Technology manufactures and sells the OnePlus One smartphone
-OnePlus Technology is fully owned by Oppo Electronic
-Oppo Electronic owns Oppo Mobile, which manufactures and sells Oppo phones
-OnePlus Trading Corporation is fully owned by OnePlus CEO Pete Lau, but this company is only setup to sell OnePlus devices and does not manufacture smartphones or perform R&D
For a while, people have believed that OnePlus and Oppo were connected in some way – like sister companies or spinoff companies. However, few people expected OnePlus to be wholly owned by Oppo.
Should you care?
Here’s the real question: should you care about this?
Here’s how OnePlus responded:
That statement is true.
But does it affect you? Not really. OnePlus One is still a great Android smartphone that offers excellent value. The hype is real. Furthermore, we know that Oppo Electronic owns OnePlus Technology, but we don’t know what that actually means beyond the fact that Oppo Electronic has given capital to OnePlus Technology.
Ultimately, the marketing plan worked: a lot of people were already talking about the OnePlus when people thought it was an independent startup. Now that this news has broken, even more people are talking about it.
Good job, marketing gurus. You win again.
Check out this poll on Android Authority. Most Android fans clearly don’t care:
Ultimately, I don’t care about this issue and most other Android users don’t care about it either.
If you can make a full HD off-contract smartphone with a Snapdragon 800+ processor for $299, then you can probably do a lot of awful things before losing Android fans.
