Back in 2014, OnePlus did not originally launch the OnePlus One in India simultaneously with the rest of the world, even as the device slowly became one of the ultimate value-for-money flagships that year, garnering legions of loyal fans in the process. It was only after a sustained and aggressive online campaign from netizens in the country that the company decided to launch the device in December that year in what is now the third-largest smartphone market in the world after China and the U.S. Over the course of the next year and a half, through all the controversies and problems faced by the company, its revenues in India have risen significantly. Not just its smartphones, but also accessories like power banks, cables and VR headsets, have all been lapped up by its loyal fan-base in the country.
That being the case, OnePlus isn’t taking any chances, and has announced that its upcoming flagship smartphone, the OnePlus 3, will be available for purchase in the country the moment the global launch event gets over. With no invitations to worry about this time around, the company is probably hoping for significantly higher sales than it had with either of its first two flagships over the past two years. However, even as the company is gearing up for mega demand for its next-gen flagship, it isn’t leaving any stone unturned to hype up the impending launch and get the word out about the device in India and around the world.
The company has now announced that it will auction off five OnePlus 3 handsets in India for charity on Droom, which happens to be a relatively lesser-known e-commerce site in India. The online auction will go on for three days, starting at 4PM on June 9th and ending 72-hours later on June 12th. OnePlus says it will donate the proceeds from the auction to a charity, but what’s interesting here is that the OnePlus community will apparently get to decide which charity the money will eventually end up with. Bidding for the handsets will start at Re. 1 (1.5¢) and will increase by Rs. 5 (7.5¢) but the bids won’t have an upper limit. Sadly for the winning bidders though, the phones will only be shipped after the official launch event on June 14th.
