OnePlus, popularly known as the maker of ‘flagship killer' smartphones, has grown over the years to become one of the most successful premium smartphone manufacturers in India. The OnePlus 6 (Review), helped propel the company to the top spot in the Indian premium phone segment, beating even Apple and Samsung. Since the launch of that model, OnePlus has continued to dominate this segment with the updated OnePlus 6T (Review).
However, things took a slightly different turn in the first quarter of 2019, as Samsung's Galaxy S10 trio managed to wrestle the top position back from OnePlus. Samsung's aggressive pricing in India also meant there wasn't a very big price disparity between some its phones and OnePlus' offerings any more. Let's not forget the ongoing price war in the premium smartphone segment which has resulted in huge discounts on premium phones — the Apple iPhone XR₹ 58,500 (Review) being one of the prime examples.
In the global scheme of things, Apple, Samsung, and Huawei are still dominating the top three positions. If OnePlus hopes to crack this, it needs a new approach for its 2019 flagship. This is where the OnePlus 7 and the OnePlus 7 Pro come in. The trend of launching multiple flagships together has caught up with OnePlus, but rather than just having two very similar phones with only different display and battery sizes, the OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro serve different purposes.
The OnePlus 7 is aimed at people who still want a ‘flagship killer', which is to say, a phone with top-end hardware but at a relatively low price. The OnePlus 7 Pro, on the other hand, is positioned as a proper flagship, for those who aren't shy of splurging Rs. 50,000 or more on a phone. These buyers, who would typically go for a Samsung, Apple, or Google phone, can now consider a OnePlus option too. At least, that's what the company hopes will happen.
As good as the OnePlus 6T₹ 32,999 was, it lacked some luxuries such as waterproofing, wireless charging, and even an elaborate camera setup. With the 7 Pro, OnePlus is taking the opportunity to go all-out and deliver a truly stunning product. But has it managed to succeed?
