After numerous leaks and rumours, OnePlus 3T was finally launched yesterday. With its launch, many were thinking about the original OnePlus 3. What was OnePlus going to do with it? Would it be discontinued? Or OnePlus will continue to sell it at a reduced price? As it turns out, OnePlus has discontinued OnePlus 3 sale in the US and Europe.
At the launch of OP 3T, OnePlus said that they will continue the OnePlus 3 sale and had no plans to discontinue the product. Ironically, they have also confirmed to Android Authority that they have officially stopped OnePlus 3 sale in USA and Europe.
This is surprising because the OP3 was released only in June. There is no point in discontinuing a phone within 5 months of its launch. Especially when the phone was still getting a lot of praises and was still being considered a ‘flagship killer’.
Why OnePlus 3 sale was discontinued
At the same time, the move to stop OnePlus 3 sale also seems logical because it is very much identical to the OnePlus 3T. Similar specifications along with a negligible difference in the pricing could have meant competition between the two phones. That obviously would have lead to cannibalisation as both the products would have affected each other’s sales.
Also see :- How real or far-fetched the rumours about OnePlus 4 specifications really are.
OnePlus 3T has been launched with a price tag of $439 while OP3 costs $399 (both in USD). A difference of merely $40 is not a huge difference. Furthermore, OnePlus 3T is the pumped up version of OP3.
There are just four differences between the two.
- First is the processor. Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 instead of SD820.
- Next, the front camera has been upgraded from 8MP to 16MP.
- Also, a new 128GB storage variant is added to the standard 64GB offered on the OP3.
- Finally, the battery (3400mAh vs 3000mAh).
What else?
OnePlus 3T will be available from November 22 in US and November 26 in Europe. Initially, the Gunmetal colour variant will be available. The soft Gold colour variant will be introduced at a later date.
However, OnePlus 3 sale has not been stopped in India. Both the colour variants, Graphite and Soft Gold, are still available for purchase from Amazon. If you are planning to buy the OnePlus 3 then we will recommend you to do the same at the earliest. We believe that these are the last stocks of OnePlus 3 and it might not be restocked. It is also possible that OnePlus might continue OnePlus 3 sale in developing countries like India. We cannot be sure right now.
Also see :- OnePlus 3 Android 7.0 Nougat update will be rolled out by the end of 2016.
What do you think OnePlus should have done? Do you think the decision to discontinue the OnePlus 3 sale was the right one? Give us your suggestions and alternatives that OnePlus should have considered.
