OnePlus is “Xiaomizing”: it is now OPPO’s weapon to conquer the mid-range

Who would have thought that, until not too long ago, OnePlus was that company that only launched a high-end, at a reduced price, and with specifications that equaled (or even exceeded) those of the most expensive mobile phones on the market. After the progressive increase in prices, the OnePlus Nord arrived to lower the bill again to less than 400 euros. Although here we were already talking about mid-range.

OnePlus is becoming to OPPO what Redmi is to Xiaomi

In the summer of 2021 it became official. OnePlus went on to merge with OPPO, although ensuring an independent operation. In that same 2021 OnePlus continued to take steps to gain ground in the mid-range. Just the OnePlus Nord 2 5G was no longer enough.

Thus came the OnePlus Nord CE 5G, as well as the OnePlus N100 and N10. From one cell phone a year (at most two, in the years of the ‘T’ or ‘Pro’ variants), to launching two high-end and mid range four. The move made sense, with OxygenOS as added value and devices that differed from each other.

But in 2022 an extra gear arrives, and forcing the machinery with the catalog is not always the best thing for the user. And if not, let them tell the Redmi catalog. This year OnePlus has launched its OnePlus 10 Pro but, again, the mid-range will be the protagonist.

We already have the OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G, the successor to the CE. We have the OnePlus N20 5G, successor to the N20. The big surprise is the OnePlus ACE, a mid-range that recovers the essence that began to be diluted in the Nord, and there is a OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite (a Lite version of a mid-range? Yes.). And, in the absence of OnePlus Nord 2, it has already been leaked the OnePlus Nord 2T. There are already five mid-range, and we are only in the month of May.

Analysts talk about a total of 15 launches by OnePlus this year. The movement may make sense to take over the mid-range, offer competitive alternatives to rivals such as Xiaomi, and even, if OPPO so wishes, begin to enter the catalog of operators with cheap mobiles.

The counterpart? Cell phones that cannibalize each otherthe challenge of differentiating itself from a truly competitive Realme and with the same operating system as OnePlus, in addition to fighting against the extra differential value that OPPO itself usually provides. 2022 will be the year of the mid-range for OnePlus, a great challenge ahead.