OnePlus 8 series may not be too expensive for Indian consumers after all.
OnePlus 8 series was recently launched through an online event
OnePlus recently launched its latest smartphones, the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro, through an online event that was livestreamed the world over. Although the ongoing lockdown in India due to the coronavirus pandemic means that we don't have a firm date and pricing for India just yet, we do expect the device to launch soon. With pricing for the OnePlus 8 series in China recently revealed, we also now have a strong hint of what the devices could be priced at in India.
The company on Thursday announced the prices of the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro in its home market of China. The OnePlus 8 price in China starts at CNY 3,999 (roughly Rs. 43,300), and the OnePlus 8 Pro has been priced from CNY 5,399 (roughly Rs. 58,400) - both starting prices are significantly lower than the US pricing of the OnePlus 8 series phones, with OnePlus adopting a different pricing strategy for its home market.
During the global launch event on April 14, OnePlus announced US pricing for the new smartphones. The OnePlus 8 starts at $699 (roughly Rs. 53,200) while the OnePlus 8 Pro is priced from $899 (roughly Rs. 68,400). At these prices, we believe the OnePlus 8 series might be too expensive for what's on offer.
However, OnePlus soon after posted a teaser through its India social channels, suggesting that users in India shouldn't be concerned with US dollar pricing at all, and India prices would be different (lower, essentially) to global pricing. With China pricing revealed, it's likely that India pricing will be on similar lines, given the Indian market's importance to OnePlus.
The company led the premium segment in India in 2019, beating established brands such as Apple and Samsung. For this reason, OnePlus is likely to remain focused on India, with pricing being along the same lines as that of China; the OnePlus 8 could start at around Rs. 45,000, with the OnePlus 8 Pro priced at Rs. 60,000 onwards, in our opinion.
Is iPhone SE the ultimate 'affordable' iPhone for India? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.
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