A few years ago no-one knew who OnePlus was. That’s because the company literally didn’t exist - it was founded in December 2013 with the sole purpose of bringing the OnePlus One smartphone to market and, all being well, disrupting the smartphone space while making a truckload of money from it in the process. The funny thing is this bold gamble sort of paid off. While major rivals such as Samsung and LG are still alive and kicking, it’s fair to say that OnePlus has left a visible mark on the smartphone industry thanks to its novel approach to building, marketing, and selling devices which aim to offer the user a balanced, affordable, and tailored experience.
OnePlus set out to do one thing and one thing only: make an AWESOME Android phone that did everything customers wanted it to at a price that meant it could be bought offline. OnePlus definitely took a few ideas from Google’s Nexus 4/Nexus 5 playbook here, but the company really made them its own and the OnePlus brand quickly became BIG NEWS online and inside social networks.
OnePlus adopted a viral, social based marketing campaign and deals in a very direct way with its customers and fans. The firm and its staff spend a good deal of time on forums and social media talking to fans, taking feedback, announcing planned features, projects, devices, competitions, promotions, deals, and special offers. It’s all very close knit.
Now over a year old, the OnePlus One is joined by both the OnePlus 2 and OnePlus X. These two handsets are responsible for taking the OnePlus brand well into 2016.