Are you an expat living in China? Do you read GizChina because its the best English language source for Chinese gadgets? Is all of that true and you are interested in the OnePlus One? Well, you might want to get one of your Chinese reading friends to hop on JD.com for you, because the OnePlus One (16GB model) is on presale for ¥1,999 ($320, €235). While the site does mention the 64GB black version, it doesn’t currently list it.
This is certainly good news for those looking to get their hands on the OnePlus One. The phone also appears to be available for preorder, also with a launch date of the 28th, on OnePlus’ official website. The official site lists the 64GB model as going for the expected ¥2,299 but it isn’t immediately clear if that model is available for purchase yet (I would venture a guess to say no, but was unable to navigate the Chinese language signup process). If you order there, you will be entered into a contest with a 100 % win rate.
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What does it mean for a contest to have a 100 % win rate? Basically, it means it isn’t a contest at all, but OnePlus will randomly choose which “Prize” you get with the OnePlus One. First prize winners will get either a OnePlus One cover or thermos. Second place winners will get a reusable OnePlus One grocery bag and the rest will get either a OnePlus pen or T-shirt.
As this is the Chinese version of the device, it will ship with ColorOS and not the custom CyanogenMod 11S, but there is nothing stopping you from rooting and installing it yourself.
Finally, the highly anticipated “Xiaomi-killer” is just days away from getting into the hands of the Chinese public. There certainly have been some mistakes and bumps along the way, but what do you think of how OnePlus handled the launch so far?
Meanwhile, the world awaits the western general public release.