OnePlus started out as the Flagship Killer, a brand that delivered near flagship specs at surprisingly affordable prices – the first OnePlus was priced at 21,999. While its price increased steadily in the years that followed, OnePlus remained, for many, a device with a flagship heart and a less-than-premium price.
And then in 2019, the Never Settling brand decided to venture forth bravely into the premium zone. That was the year in which it released the OnePlus 7 Pro, which started at Rs 48,999, almost 40 percent higher than the OnePlus 6 (Rs 34,999). While still more affordable than flagships from Apple and Samsung, this was still a very high price tag by OnePlus standards and resulted in some very sharp reactions from its loyalists, who felt the move took OnePlus away from its flagship-killing roots. Many analysts felt that the brand’s move was in keeping with the trend toward higher-priced premium devices spurred by the success of the iPhone X.
The Pro era starts…and ends
For the next couple of years, OnePlus continued to follow this premium Pro path. In 2020, it launched the OnePlus 8 Pro at Rs 54,999, the OnePlus 9 Pro at Rs 65,999 in 2021, and the OnePlus 10 Pro at Rs 66,999 in 2022. The OnePlus 7 Pro even got a slightly more expensive T variant, although its successors did not. OnePlus also kept releasing lower-priced non-Pro number phones, but it was the Pro that was considered the star of the OnePlus flagship universe. It was also seen as the phone most likely to challenge the Apple and Samsung hegemony in the super-premium (above Rs 50,000) price segment.
And then in 2023, the Pro went missing. For the first since 2019, OnePlus released a flagship without a Pro variant. Even more interestingly, the OnePlus 11 started at a much lower price than the OnePlus 10 Pro – Rs 56,999 as compared to Rs 66,999. A few days ago, OnePlus launched the OnePlus 12 series, again without a Pro variant, and although the OnePlus 12 started at a higher price of Rs 64,999, its base variant had more RAM and storage, so the rise was not as steep as in the past.
Is the R taking the place of the “regular” OnePlus?
Interestingly, in 2019, OnePlus also introduced an R variant of its flagship with a much lower price but with less powerful specs (generally in terms of camera and processor). The impression that some got was that the Pro-less OnePlus had now moved up to take the place of the Pro, with the R variant stepping into the place of the previous number series. However, this is not entirely true, as prior to 2023, the number series generally had the same chip as the Pro but was more affordable, while the R variant almost always had a slightly older and less powerful processor and has been marketed as a gaming phone.
It is also clear that the plain number series has not really stepped into the price shoes of the Pro. The OnePlus 12 at Rs 64,999 STILL is cheaper than the OnePlus 10 Pro, which started at Rs 66,999. Also, while the price of the OnePlus 11 at Rs 56,999 seemed dramatically lower than the OnePlus One 10 Pro, it was actually slightly higher than the OnePlus 10, which was priced at Rs 53,999. That said, it cannot be denied that the number series has received a significant boost in spec and design terms and does not seem a watered-down version of a Pro.
Why no Pro?
So, what exactly has happened to the Pro side of OnePlus flagships? Has it been retired or taken a temporary leave of absence? And why? The answers are not very clear. Some conspiracy theorists feel that the Pro series was a casualty of the tie-up between OnePlus and Oppo in 2021, with Oppo preferring to keep the super-premium zone clear for its own premium flagships. However, this seems unlikely as Oppo has not been as prominent a player in the premium segment, and there is no guarantee that the share vacated by the Pro series will go to Oppo. Also, in spite of their alliance, the brands have competing devices in many segments (the Oppo Reno 11 Pro has the same price as the OnePlus 12R), so why would the premium segment be an exception?
A more likely explanation is that OnePlus has recalibrated its premium ambitions over the past couple of years. The brand seems to have streamlined its flagship phone portfolio to two devices a year from four or five a few years ago, even while it has gently expanded its more affordable Nord portfolio, which at the time of writing had three series – the Nord, the Nord CE, and the Nord CE Lite. Given the success of the Nord series, this seems to make very sound commercial sense. It is also notable that OnePlus has also generally been stepping from other premium offerings related to its phones – the premium OnePlus Watch never had a successor, and this year, even the OnePlus Buds Pro did not get a third edition (only the Buds 3).
Sticking to the Premium course, Pro or no Pro
But does the absence of the Pro represent a scaling back of OnePlus’ premium ambition? We do not think so. OnePlus launched a premium-priced tablet (the OnePlus Pad) in 2023, and a few months ago, it released its first foldable, the OnePlus Open, again at a premium price. It also announced higher-priced special editions of both the OnePlus 11 (Marble) and OnePlus 11R (Solar Red). And if the OnePlus 12 is any indication, the brand has also not shown any sign of backing away from using top-notch hardware, which almost always comes at a premium price. The OnePlus 12’s price increase also indicates that the OnePlus is not shy of increasing prices. The premium portfolio might have been trimmed, but it seems to retain its place and importance in OnePlus’ catalog.
OnePlus’ premium plans may have no Pros in them for the moment, but the brand does not see any cons in following the premium path either. Typically, Never Settling.
