OnePlus will never make a tablet but may consider developing a truly premium device with a price tag of $800 or more, according to Carl Pei, Co-Founder of the Chinese original equipment manufacturer (OEM). Pei joined a still ongoing Ask Me Anything (AMA) thread on Reddit earlier today in an effort to communicate directly with consumers and answer some of their questions regarding the recently launched OnePlus 5 and the company’s general plans for the future. Among other things, the firm’s official revealed that OnePlus is extremely unlikely to ever dedicate resources to developing an Android tablet, which he labeled as “not a great category,” presumably implying how tablets aren’t a profitable business, at least relative to the smartphone market.
While the BBK Electronics-owned company may not be keen on going into tablet manufacturing, Pei wasn’t so quick to dismiss the possibility of OnePlus penetrating the truly premium, most high-end segment of the handset market with an expensive device developed with little to no compromises. The person he was addressing specifically asked about the chances of a OnePlus-made device with a QHD (1440p) screen, bezel-less design, wireless charging, and resistance to dust and water in accordance with the IP68 standard. While vague on details, Pei said that such a device could happen once OnePlus grows and has a “stronger team” in the future, adding that the company might move forward with that idea if it believes that it can deliver a phone that’s truly worth its price tag like he believes the OnePlus 5 is.
The pricing of the OnePlus 5 has been a relatively controversial subject seeing how the Chinese OEM opted for a higher price tag compared to that of the OnePlus 3T series, though the firm’s Chief Executive Officer Pete Lau claims how that decision was prompted by rising manufacturing costs and won’t lead to higher profit margins. The OnePlus 5 starts at $479 in the United States and €499 in Europe, with the more premium model retailing for $539 and €559, depending on the market. The OEM’s latest flagship is scheduled to officially go on sale tomorrow and was already touted as the firm’s fastest-selling product to date, based on pre-order figures.