The OnePlus 3T is no longer available for purchase in North America and Europe, as evidenced by the official OnePlus website that has the device listed as being out of stock in virtually every market. The Shenzhen, Guangdong-based original equipment manufacturer (OEM) recently stated its intentions to discontinue the 2016 Android flagship in the run-up to the release of its successor — the OnePlus 5 — and the company has now apparently delivered on that announcement. One exception to this lack of availability is India, with consumers in the South Asian country still being able to purchase the OnePlus 3T and the BBK Electronics-owned phone maker asserting that it will continue offering the device in that market for the time being. OnePlus previously hinted that it’s only planning to discontinue the handset in India later this year, though the company has yet to provide a more specific timeframe for that move.
The latest turn of event is an extension of OnePlus’s product strategy that leads to relatively short production cycles due to the fact that the company is offering value-oriented devices with mostly high-end specs that are priced in an aggressive manner, which consequently leads it to operate with thin profit margins. The original OnePlus 3 was launched in June 2016 and discontinued in mid-November with the introduction of its successor that was available for purchase for only seven months. Some industry watchers claim that OnePlus cannot afford to keep its older flagships in stock for any longer as those products would have to be discounted after new-generation devices are introduced, competing with their successors and likely affecting the firm’s bottom line. That business strategy may change in the near future given how the OnePlus 5 is said to be priced somewhat higher than the OnePlus 3T, starting at around $500 as opposed to $439, which should lead to healthier profit margins. The rumored variant with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of UFS memory is expected to ship with a price tag of approximately $600 and may be in production for longer than the OnePlus 3T was.
The OnePlus 5 will be officially unveiled next Tuesday, June 20, with the smartphone expected to go on sale shortly after, though more details on the upcoming flagship may follow even before that date.