OnePlus has finally opened up to Forbes about its sales figured revealing 500,000 One smartphones were sold through its invite-only system so far.
OnePlus, the maker of smartphones, is an important player in the industry, which is dominated by giants like Apple and Samsung. The company has been able to pull customers by offering high-end phones at reasonable prices. Selling its flagship One smartphone through an invite-only system, OnePlus has managed to earn a respectable place in the industry. The co-founder of the company, Carl Pei, revealed that OnePlus has managed to sell 500,000 units so far.
For those who have been under the rock recently, OnePlus One is a high-end smartphone with a low price tag. The company sells its coveted device through an invite-only method to avoid sitting on a pile of unsold inventory. In fact, this strategy is supposed to help the company build its own user base at a slow but consistent pace.
During an interview with Forbes magazine, Pei said the company was aiming to reach a milestone of 1 million units by the end of this year. Considering the response it has received, the target is achievable. The OnePlus One is sold at a bargain price of $349 for the 64GB model, making it a steal for those who want premium features at an affordable cost.
"Normally when you launch a [smartphone] product it gets really hot in the first month, and in the second or third month, sales start to drop really fast," Pei told Forbes. "For OnePlus, when you look at our internal metrics, our sales just keep growing."
What sets you back by $349, you might ask? Besides the stylish exterior, the handset houses immense power comparable to any high-end phone in the market (it can even outdo some phones in this category). One phones are powered by a 2.45GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor, packs 3GB RAM, a 5.5-inch Full HD display, 13-megapixel camera from Sony and a 5-megapixel shooter in the front. It boasts a large 3,100mAh battery and a popular custom Android ROM, CyanogenMod.
Pei also assured its fans that OnePlus One will be updated with Google's latest Android version, Lollipop, within the next 90 days, making it the only vendor besides HTC to make such a promise.
Pei also revealed the secret behind keeping the device's cost so low despite such premium features. The company is not making a fortune in profits with One sales as it is only taking a single dollar profit from each smartphone. In fact, the company is not aiming at generating revenue through smartphone sales, but it is planning to use accessories that will run the business for the company.
