OnePlus 3 to Be Sold Without Invites; Launch Set for June 14

OnePlus has announced that the OnePlus 3 virtual launch event is set for June 14. Co-founder Carl Pei has also thrown more light on the buying process, as well as the OnePlus 3 release date. The smartphone won't be sold through an invite system, and will be available for purchase through open sales.

Furthermore, Pei announced that OnePlus is killing the invite system altogether, and won't introduce it for its future products as well. This means users will no longer have to register and wait in long virtual lines for an invite - or be fortunate enough to receive one from a friend - to get their hands on a OnePlus smartphone. Whether the company has managed to build enough stock to meet demand remains to be seen.

For the launch event, the company has introduced an Android app for live streaming - the OnePlus 3 Launch: The Loop - which is available for download via Google Play.

The OnePlus 3 virtual launch event will begin at 10.00pm IST (12:30pm EDT). For the first two hours, the OnePlus 3 will go on sale via The Loop app, claimed to be the "world's first global VR shopping experience." The smartphone will then go on sale via the OnePlus website from 12:30am IST on June 15 (or 3.00pm EDT June 14).

There is little that is not already known about the OnePlus 3, with innumerable leaks in recent weeks. It is expected to feature a 5.5-inch display, Snapdragon 820 SoC, 4GB RAM/32GB storage and 6GB RAM/ 64GB RAM variants, 16-megapixel rear camera, 8-megapixel front camera, a 3000mAh or 3500mAh battery, Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow-based OxygenOS, and NFC.