Is OnePlus Settling For Less?

OnePlus finally launched their OnePlus Band today after a few weeks of speculation. The brand made a mark in the accessories market with the its Buds last year. The Buds Z followed the Buds, which were equally good. This built a huge expectation around the next accessory that was going to launch. They dropped its Band next, and on paper, it looked quite promising. AMOLED display, SPO2 sensor, Heart Rate Sensor and a competitive price — all things that add up to a good smart band.

Highlights

• OnePlus and Oppo bands look exactly similar.
• Both companies share same Parent Company i.e. BBK Electronics.
• Vivo’s pop camera technology was later used in OnePlus.
• Brand whose tagline is ‘Never Settle’, using rebranded products is settling for less.

However, there was one peculiar observation. The watch looked exactly similar to the Oppo Band launched last year.

The spec sheet is identical too! Both bands look the same, except for the branding on them.

Moreover, the OnePlus Health App and the Oppo Health App look basically the same.

However, it can use a rebranded Oppo Band as they share their parent company — BBK Electronics.

Never heard of it? Let me explain.

BBK Electronics is a Chinese company that is one of the largest manufacturers of consumer electronics in the world.

BBK Electronics

It is the parent company of these popular smartphone brands — Oppo, Vivo, iQOO, Realme and OnePlus. Yes, BBK Electronics dominates the majority of the Indian smartphone market.

Oppo and Vivo are known for their offline presence, while Realme and OnePlus occupy the online market.

There is one more thing you might know if you have observed these brands enough.

Vivo Nex was the world’s first smartphone to come with a pop-up camera. Later it launched the OnePlus 7 Pro with a similar pop-up camera.

Again, it was Vivo who first came up with an in-display fingerprint scanner. The same technology was later used in the OnePlus 6T.

Oppo had also introduced a lot of ‘world’s first’ technology which didn’t make the cut.

The point here being Oppo and Vivo act as trial devices for new technologies that BBK Electronics developed. It is then perfected and put in BBK Electronics’ premium counterpart — OnePlus.

This is a very efficient and effective business model for a consumer electronics company like BBK. They can learn more about people’s opinion regarding a particular technology before deciding on whether they should further develop and implement it.

So, if this happens regularly, then what is the problem if the roles are reversed?

Any Hope?

Well, there is no problem as such. It is a regular practice for brands to rebrand their sibling brand’s products and sell them in different regions.

But, it is the premium counterpart of BBK Electronics. And consumers expect exclusive products from premium brands.

Is the OnePlus Brand bad? No. It does the job just fine and is a good purchase any day.

However, this is not what you expect from a brand like OnePlus. You want new, unique designs and technology that makes you stand out.

When it first entered the Indian market, it created excitement and thrill, unlike any other brand. And over the years, they have kept up with it. We merely expect and wish it’ll stay the same.

Because for a brand whose tagline is ‘Never Settle’, using rebranded products is settling for less.

Frequently Asked Questions ??

What is BBK Electronics?

BBK Electronics is a Parent Company of brands like Vivo, Oppo, OnePlus.

What is similarity between Oppo and OnePlus bands?

OnePlus and Oppo Health app looks exactly similar.

What is similarity between Vivo and OnePlus?

Vivo and OnePlus pop-up camera technology is similar.