OnePlus was known for its flagship-killer smartphones, however, a few years after the OnePlus One, the company decided to stick with the premium segment. However, in the last year, the company went through a strategic shift with the arrival of the OnePlus Nord. In July 2020, the company started the OnePlus Nord with the original smartphone bringing compelling specs such as OIS and a Snapdragon 765G. The device allowed the company to further expand its presence in markets such as India and Europe. However, the original Nord was absent in the US. For this particular market, the company launched a more aggressively priced OnePlus Nord N10 5G. Apparently, the strategy is paying off in Uncle Sam.
The United States is especially a difficult market for all Chinese OEMs to penetrate. This has become even more difficult in recent years due to the tensions between the country and China. However, OnePlus states that are managing good results in the United States as well as other markets after OnePlus Nord’s arrival. According to it, the aggressive expansion generated expressive growth across the whole world. The company saw a 257% increase in the number of shipments globally for the first half of the year.
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OnePlus is conquering the United States market
According to the report, OnePlus Nord is attributed to the increase in shipments. Apparently, the company has sold more than 1 million Nord N devices since January. The US saw an impressive increase of 428% YoY in the first half of 2021. Apparently, the company has nestled itself into the premium segment in the US since the mid-range Nord lineup is not sold in the United States.
As far as the European market is concerned, the OnePlus shipments grew by 301% year on year. In India, Counterpoint states that in Q2 2021 the company took 48% market share of the premium smartphone segment. Last but least in China, where the company only sells the 9 series, shipments grew by 124% Year on Year for the first half of 2021.
Those are great news for OnePlus as a company. After all, they show how the company’s recent shift in strategy is paying off. However, this comes in a very complicated time. According to the reports, the company is merging with Oppo and it will probably mean that its business will be slightly limited. After expressive growths, it’s crazy to think that the company can be stretched thin and become an Oppo sub-brand. This is especially curious when we think that a few years ago, Oppo had to leave Realme to fly its own flights due to its expressive growth. What is the point for BBK group to put a massively important company such as OnePlus under Oppo wings? Time will tell.
The company recently launched the OnePlus Nord 2, but it will not be available in the United States. We expect the company to unveil the OnePlus Nord N20 in the end of the year to succeed the last year’s N10.
