OnePlus to finally ditch the invite system this October!

OnePlus One hopefuls, start rejoicing as the company has finally decided to do away with the controversial invite system.

Since its launch back in April this year, the OnePlus One has proved to be a tough nut to crack. People from around the world have been craving to get their hands on one, but the lack of an invite has caused many distress. However, OnePlus hinted at a shift to a pre-order system come October, which should mean that there’ll be invites no more.

OnePlus typically seeds invites through contests and such held on its forums. Those that do purchase a OnePlus One through the official store also get invites that they can share with fellow to-be buyers. Even then, there’s a divide between demand and supply.

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We are working on a pre-orders system, we were initially aiming for September but it’s been slightly delayed, hopefully we’ll be ready to launch it in October.
– OnePlus One in a Reddit AMA

READ: OnePlus One review

This should result in a lot more satisfied customers. However, it might just be a case of too little too late; it’s been 4 months since the OnePlus One was unveiled, and a lot more devices such as the Xiaomi Mi 4 have come up sporting similar specifications.

Would you wait for October to get your hands on the One?

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Yash Garg
Yash is a blogger by profession, builder of things by passion and foodie by birth. You'll usually find him talking about technology, music, travel and the game of cricket on the streets of Pune when not busy writing or speeding his way through the country! Read more on retro handheld gaming on RETRO91
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Rob
August 29, 2014
They can keep it, there are better phones out there now. Completely lost interest in this phone the moment the stupid invite system was announced.
Madhan Kumar
August 29, 2014
I will buy it only if they launch in my India by October!
samarrs
August 29, 2014
No one should buy it….They shattered our hope long time ago. I can choose from lots of Chinese devices now.

bhendrajana
August 29, 2014
Invite system -> pre order -> order -> oops… only 1k available for the first pre order
- balcobomber25
  August 31, 2014
  We all know they will run out of stock in October after very few orders. They want to encourage people to buy from the second hand market were the phone sells for 1.5-2x more. I have seen these shady business practices in the past from other companies.

joe
August 30, 2014
LMAO Yay I can finally buy the phone 6 months after launch I’m so excited.
It’s too late the new meizu phone and other mtk6595 phones will come out very soon and nubia, xiaomi and iuni are better choices now and oneplus has really turned me off with bad marketing practices.
- BotondKisKovacs
  August 30, 2014
  Wow you did some serious waiting. You managed to squeeze 6 months of waiting into 4 months time since the “launch” on April 23rd. 😛
  Not that I consider that time short in any way but the OP is still the best choice available in price, quality and performance.
  Tbh the Mi4 is a letdown with smaller screen and no NFC. Nubia isn’t bad but meh… The IUNI looks truly interesting it just isn’t as well known as Xiaomi and OP, I don’t know how the build quality is; design-wise it’s not quite as nice as OP and the screen resolution I personally think is overkill and a battery vampire. Also the IUNI is not available yet and will only be launched in China as well, add customs/shipping/scalper fees and it will be a lot more expensive than OP in EU.
  As for MTK processors… well let’s just say I don’t consider them as an option for a flagship phone that I intend to keep for at least 2-3 years.
  - Airyl
    August 31, 2014
    As a normal commentor around Gizchina, I have to say that you’re pretty biased towards the OPO.
    Your arguments against the Xiaomi Mi4 is that it has a smaller screen and no NFC. While I can see that having no NFC can be a problem for a few people, I cannot see what being smaller has to do with being a let down. You do realize there are people who prefer smaller phones right?
    You don’t have any points against the Nubia Z7, and in all honesty the Z7 is an overall better phone than the OPO with dual sim support and a microSD card slot.
    The IUNI U3 is about the same phone as the Z7, just with a different design.
    In terms of price all these phones pretty much all these phones are equal, so that’s not a point for OnePlus. In terms of quality, I definitely wouldn’t put OnePlus on top. It’s on par with the Z7, but it can’t beat the Mi4. And for performance, pretty much all of these phones deliver, so this is null as well. In terms of value for money though, the Z7 and IUNI U3 reign supreme thanks to useful features like microSD card slots and dual sim capabilities, and the Mi4 and OPO trailing slightly behind.
    It’s completely fine to have opinions, but don’t try to push them too far.
    - balcobomber25
      August 31, 2014
      His points against the Z7 were “meh” because he couldn’t come up with anything bad about it. I own the Z7 and it is a beast of a phone. It has a better screen than Opo, the same processor, same memory and an sd card slot.
    - BotondKisKovacs
      August 31, 2014
      I thought it was clear that it’s my own opinion and my personal preference, I talk in nobody else’s name. The NFC is a problem for me but I know that only 1% of people use it so for most it isn’t a concern at all.
      Bigger screen is just a preference as well (I could also tell you “You do realize some people like larger phones right?” 😛 ), since I was getting used to seeing larger and larger screens I was personally let down by Xiaomi’s decision.
      Before the OPO, Xiaomi phones were my favorite for years and if they had NFC in Mi4 (especially since they also have NFC in the MiWiFi which I also want to buy) most likely I would have chosen it over the OPO.
      IUNI while it sounds good on paper and I really think is very close to OPO in all aspects, it’s just too “unknown” generally to believe in quality before I can use one for a while, I also don’t like it that much how it looks. The other phones have a notoriety and plenty of reviews and large user base vouching for them that you can safely accept them as high quality products.
      My other problem is with the 2K resolution which I think brings no benefits but it definitely increases energy consumption.
      The Z7 is also around $150 more expensive for only 32GB and has no SD slot either, I need 64GB if there is no SD slot. If it had 64GB and same price as OPO I’d consider it but I still like the OPs design better.
      All in all I like the design of the Mi4 the best. But for me OPO wins because I like it’s looks, has CM, has 1080p instead 2K, has NFC, has 64GB storage and is the cheapest of the bunch we are talking about.
      If I was to make a perfect phone out of the features of these I’d want a FHD 5.5 inch Mi4 with NFC, 64GB storage, SD slot and dual sim.
      Given these options to choose from I just stated my personal reasons for my personal preference. I am not saying that the others aren’t as good or worthy phones, they just don’t fit my demands for one reason or another.
      - Airyl
        August 31, 2014
        Is that so? I apologize then. I thought you were pushing it as a fact, mainly because of this sentence.
        “the OP is still the best choice available in price, quality and performance.”
        It really sounded like you were a biased person. Sorry about that.
  - balcobomber25
    August 31, 2014
    - Airyl
      August 31, 2014
yudhir
August 30, 2014
one plus 2 would be appropriate for launch in October with sd805 , With alot of competitors i6, n4,mx4, etc
Evilone
August 30, 2014
NO!!! One plue one your too late… Buried your stupid device with you! Send me invitation to buy but don’t deliver to my country! keep your device till rotten!!
desponent
August 30, 2014
- balcobomber25
  August 31, 2014
  This is the way many people around the web are feeling. There are better phones that have been released for the same price while OpO fumbled and stumbled.
  - Adam Irvine
    August 31, 2014
    Erm no… Name a phone that is ‘better’ that is the same price and available RIGHT NOW!?
    - balcobomber25
      August 31, 2014
      Erm yes…Name a place where you can actually buy the OpO for the advertised price? Unless you are on super secretive list that is next to impossible. The Nubia Z7 is a better phone, the Z7 Max/mini is an equal phone (unless you want the smaller screen on the mini). I bought the regular Z7 for $450 on sale in China, but you can find the Z7 Max/Mini right now for as low as $285. They are available on multiple sites for these prices RIGHT NOW. There is no SECRET LIST to be one, you don’t have to enter contests or hang out on a website for 12 hours a day to win an invite. You simple go to a website choose the phone you want and buy it. It’s very simple.
      The cheapest OpO I was able to find that I could actually buy without having to sacrifice my first born child was $430. By your icon you are clearly a super OpO fan boy.
      - Adam Irvine
        August 31, 2014
        Ye.. 2 things, firstly no official Cyanogenmod = Not a better phone… (Ye, you were never gonna win that one I guess…)
        And regarding the price of a OnePlus One, ever heard of Aliexpress?
        I do however agree that all the hoops that people have been made to jump through to get one officially were stupid, but if you were like me and you had caught wind of the OnePlus One early enough via this wonderful website (GizChina) you would have had an Early Supporter invite automatically and you would have been very very happy with it…
        
        balcobomber25
        August 31, 2014
        I am very very happy with my Nubia Z7. The 2K screen is a thing of beauty. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I didn’t need an invite to buy it either, I simply walked into a store in Beijing spoke to a very friendly guy working there and walked out with an amazing smartphone as well as all sorts of accessories and paid a lot less than retail for it. In fact I am glad OpO was so shady, if not I wouldn’t have bought this far superior phone.
        I have had bad luck with Aliexpress so I don’t use them but browsing their website I can get a OpO for $369 or I can get a Nubia Z7 mini for $289 (assuming they actually get delivered). The Z7 mini is almost the same exact phone and has an SD card slot. I can deal with 1gb less ram if I am saving $100 (plus I get 16gb more storage and an SD card slot).
        
        Adam Irvine
        August 31, 2014
        I’m not doubting that the Z7 isn’t a good phone at all but what is the price of the Z7? (Not the Mini or Max, I’m on about the one with the 2K screen) because I’ve just had a quick look around and it looks a good chunk more expensive than the OPO…
        Granted the Mini is cheaper and still isn’t a bad phone, but with 500MHz slower clock speed, 2gb RAM and only a 2300mAh battery it seems like a pretty poor compromise in my opinion… (The Z7 Mini and Max will get old before the OPO does!!!)
        And ye, if the Z7 (2k screen 3GB Ram version) was down at the same sort of price as the OPO then yep, I’d agree with you, hell of a phone, but I really don’t think it is… (if it was, we wouldn’t have had all the OnePlus One Hype in the first place would we… think about it…)
        balcobomber25
        August 31, 2014
        I paid $450 for my Z7, I got it on promotion in China when I was there on business.
        The mini has 500 mhz less but most people will never notice the difference. The 2300mAH battery is small but its also for a screen of 5 inches versus the 5.5 for the OPO, so battery life is just about the same. It also comes with dual 4g LTE sim and a micro sd slot neither of which the OPO has. Keep in mind the retail price of the Mini is only $245 and some websites have it for even cheaper than that.
        You love your OPO, I love my Z7. It’s good to be an Android fan cause we have plenty of choices. If I wanted to pay another $200 I would have got the Vivo Xshot which IMO is the best phone available right now but for $450 I am in love with the Z7.

Adam Irvine
August 30, 2014
They’ll still do well out of it despite all these other negative comments… I was saying the exact same things on the forums for months until I finally got my invite, bought the phone and I love it… They’ve made a really good phone! And at the end of the day of you want a big screen, top hardware and Cyanogen rom officially then phones like the Mi4 don’t even enter the equation….
- Airyl
  August 31, 2014
  The phone is great, I agree. Although I still do complain about OnePlus a lot, they have managed to make a decent phone.
- balcobomber25
  August 31, 2014
  If you want a big screen, top hardware, could care less about Cyanogen and wan’t to actually be able to buy it without waiting months to be “invited” then the Mi4 enter’s the equation….
  - dibble
    September 1, 2014
    Doesn’t Xiaomi have its own equally annoying version of the ‘invite’ system? Correct me if i’m wrong, but I believe Xiaomi will be selling Mi4’s much like they sell everything else – in the form of flash sales…
    - balcobomber25
      September 1, 2014
      Xiaomi does use flash sales but their is no special invite to participate anyone can buy the phone during those sales (until the stock runs out). Also they have tens of thousands available to purchase often times at below retail prices during the flash sales. Plus Xiaomi has produced over a million Mi4’s, they don’t pretend to have shortages of their products.
      - dibble
        September 1, 2014
        Xiaomi is famously cited as a premier example of a company that creates artificial shortages to boost demand and save costs. Ever tried buying one of their products during a flash sale…? Every Xiaomi product I have ever owned I have resorted to Taobao to source for me due to the near impossibility of getting one during a flash sale.
        balcobomber25
        September 1, 2014
        As opposed to OPO who is owned by BBK one of the largest electronic giants in China but still tries to claim they are a small start-up without the capital to produce lots of phones. I am not defending Xiaomi, but I was able to get the Mipad (awesome tablet) a week after it released and didn’t pay too much over retail for it ($265 opposed to $240). My lone experience with Xioami was a good one, my experience with OPO has been one of the worst of any product I tried to buy.
        
        dibble
        September 1, 2014
        How did you get the Mipad? From the Xiaomi site?
        balcobomber25
        September 1, 2014
        Nope I got to Beijing regularly for business there is a shop I got to and get all my new phones. Got the Nubia Z7 there for $450, amazing phone! But there were plenty of resellers who had the Mipad for near retail price at the time but I just happened to be in China. You can find the Mi4 presently on numerous sites for as low as $379 (about $60 over retail).

balcobomber25
August 31, 2014
They lost any chance of me being a customer a long time ago. I liked the phone at first sight but the shady way in which they do business is too much for me to support. All these “production” problems yet just about every supplier of Chinese phones has plenty of stock for sometimes as much as twice the price. I bought a Nubia Z7 for nearly the same price and didn’t need to be a super secretive list to get it for that price.

really_wacky
August 31, 2014
I dope they ditch there touchscreen’s too…
balcobomber25
September 1, 2014
My question from all this is what exactly is their definition of a “pre-order system”? Does that mean I place my order and then 4-8 weeks later they ship me a phone. How many “pre-orders” will be available? What do you have to do to “pre-order” it? How long to consumer have to wait till they can just log onto the website and buy the phone without any gimmicks? I can see absolutely nothing changing except the name…
dos
September 1, 2014

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