Best OnePlus smartphones launched over the years and how they have evolved

From launching a phone that was hard to buy (even if you had the money), to being one of the most popular smartphone brands in India, OnePlus has come a long way. Somewhere along the way, the phone-maker also stepped into accessories, audio products, televisions and more. OnePlus did all this, in a little over a decade.

Throughout this time, OnePlus changed many of its approaches as a phone-maker. As a result, OnePlus’ phones have also gone through an evolution over the years, along with the brand.

ALSO READ: Sony PlayStation evolution: From 480p to 4K

Let’s take a deep dive into the history of OnePlus and see how the brand and its flagship phones have changed over the years, beginning with the very first OnePlus ever. For the sake of keeping things simple, we will not be looking at the special editions, like the McLaren edition and concept OnePlus phones.

OnePlus One (2014)

OnePlus officially entered the smartphone market with the OnePlus One, a phone that many tech enthusiasts will agree was a revolutionary device in more ways than one. The OnePlus One was a flagship-grade phone that rivaled some of the top Android phones of the time.

That said, it wasn’t specs like the Snapdragon 801 or abilities like using both on-screen and physical navigation buttons that made the OnePlus One interesting. It was the price. Unlike other flagship phones priced around the Rs 40,000 mark, the OnePlus One was launched at nearly half the price of Rs 21,999.

The OnePlus One also made the headlines for using a CyanogenOS, a modded version of Android 4.4 Ice Cream Sandwich which was based off the CyanogenMod custom ROM – an open-source version of Android created by enthusiasts and loaded with features that vanilla Android versions simply missed out on.

However, the elusive device still remained hard to get, thanks to an invite-only system. Only those who somehow managed to get a OnePlus One, were able to share an invite with another person, who would then be eligible to buy the phone. This tactic gave the OnePlus One a hard-to-get status, increasing its word-of-mouth, something that the brand would really benefit from in years to come.

OnePlus Two (2015)

OnePlus followed the success of the OnePlus One, with its next phone a year later – the OnePlus Two. Armed with updated specifications, the OnePlus Two continued the formula of offering flagship specifications at a low price, and now had a much more efficient invite system. Within a week of launching the phone, the OnePlus Two had two million reservations.

The phone also brought a lot of new features, including a revamped aluminium magnesium alloy design, customisable back covers, and a fingerprint sensor embedded in the home button.

The CyanogenOS software that powered the phone, had now been replaced with ‘OxygenOS’, a fresh Android-based skin that retained a lot of CyanogenOS’ customisation features, but added a lot more polish.

While this quickly growing brand had videos going up on its YouTube channel at this point, OnePlus never aired any advertisements. This is because the brand was already struggling with meeting the demand for its phones, and the invite-system and word-of-mouth had already worked well. However, OnePlus was still not considered a mainstream brand in India, something that would change with its next phone.

OnePlus 3 and 3T (2016)

The OnePlus 3 was a major release for the brand, being the first phone by OnePlus that didn’t follow the invite-system upon launch. The OnePlus 3 was available in open sales, which for the first time ever, made buying a OnePlus phone like buying any other phone. The design was also switched up in a major way, with the phone now featuring a full-metal back panel, resembling the iconic design of the HTC One M8.

ALSO READ: Evolution of the iPad: Every single iPad launched since 2010

2016 also marked the first time OnePlus switched up its annual release cycle for a biannual one, opting to release a six-month follow-up for the OnePlus 3 with the OnePlus 3T. The OnePlus 3T looked almost exactly like the OnePlus 3 but featured improved specifications like a faster processor. The trend of releasing two flagship phones a year would continue for years to come.

OnePlus 5 and 5T (2017)

OnePlus skipped the number 4 to directly launch the OnePlus 5 in 2017. While the new phone did feature updated specifications, better cameras, and all the other bells and whistles of a successor, the highlight was a set of dual cameras on the back, and a new focus on better photography.

Then OnePlus CEO Carl Pei did state that the phone was the fastest selling smartphone for the company, even beating the very successful OnePlus 3T.

The OnePlus 5T launched about five months later and became the first OnePlus phone to feature no hardware buttons on the front. To make the all-display front possible, OnePlus moved the capacitive fingerprint reader from the power button to the rear panel, and users had to now use their index finger instead of their thumbs to unlock the phone.

I personally never liked rear-mounted fingerprint, and it seems neither did a lot of OnePlus users, because this change would be undone very soon.

OnePlus 6 and 6T (2018)

The OnePlus 6 launched a year later and was followed by the OnePlus 6T a few months later. Apart from sporting newer hardware, both devices also featured new design choices that would change all OnePlus smartphones going forward.

The OnePlus 6 featured an all-screen front, which had now also gotten rid of the bezels. A design trend that a lot of devices at the time picked up from the iPhone X.

Several UI elements were also rearranged to accommodate for this change. For those who did not like the notch look, a software feature also added fake bezels on the side to ‘hide’ the notch.

The OnePlus 6T took this very design, and added an in-display fingerprint sensor, a first for the brand. Users no longer had to use their index finger to do any guesswork on the rear, as the fingerprint scanner would conveniently appear when required from under the AMOLED panel of the phone. The tech is still a part of OnePlus’ flagship phones even today.

OnePlus 7 Series (2019)

The OnePlus 7 series marked a major shift in strategy for the brand. Instead of launching a single device at a time, OnePlus opted to simultaneously launch two phones. Over the past few years, the price of the yearly OnePlus phone was steadily going up, and the move would allow buyers to choose between a OnePlus phone with the core features priced around Rs 30,000, or an all-out ‘Pro’ version that cost between Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000.

ALSO READ: Evolution of the iPhone: How Apple built the poster boy for smartphones

As a result, the OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro were drastically different devices. The OnePlus 7 was the usual successor to the 6T and featured smaller performance upgrades. The OnePlus 7 Pro though, was a much superior device, and featured a lot of firsts.

This included brand’s very first pop-up camera, a curved screen with QHD+ resolution, and a 90Hz high-refresh-rate display.

This was largely replicated with the OnePlus 7T and OnePlus 7T Pro about six months later, which featured smaller improvements over their predecessors. A lot of Pro features had also been brought to the OnePlus 7T, and the gap between the Pro and non-Pro phones was now much smaller.

OnePlus 8 Series and OnePlus Nord series (2020)

OnePlus switched its lineup yet again with the OnePlus 8 series. While the brand initially launched the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro, we only got a T-variant for the vanilla OnePlus 8 six months later in the form of the OnePlus 8T. Apart from a new design change, though, there wasn’t anything new in terms of design except for small tweaks to the rear camera.

Alongside this, OnePlus also decided to launch a new sub-series called Nord. Unlike the brand’s flagship offerings, the Nord-series phones was set to cater to lower-mid-range markets.

Originally starting with the Nord, which also happened to be Carl Pei’s last launch at the brand, the Nord series would eventually branch into several other product lineups (Nord, Nord CE, Nord CE Lite) targeting multiple price points.

OnePlus 9 Series (2021)

The OnePlus 9 series featured four phones launched across three launch events. The OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro were launched first, and succeeded the OnePlus 8T and OnePlus 8 Pro respectively.

However, we also saw the OnePlus 9R, an India exclusive, affordable variant of the OnePlus 9. We later also got to see the OnePlus 9RT succeeding the OnePlus 9R, which remains the only RT-variant to date.

Apart from some design changes, the OnePlus 9 Series was the first time OnePlus partnered with German camera-maker Hasselblad. The partnership included both brands working together on the cameras on the new phone, as well as custom colour tuning for the OnePlus Camera app.

OnePlus 10 Series (2022)

OnePlus only launched the OnePlus 10 Pro in the beginning of 2022, and for the first time, we got a Pro-variant phone without a vanilla variant. Better specifications were added to the phone, along with second-gen Hasselblad camera app that offered more features.

The OnePlus 10 Pro also became the first flagship OnePlus Phone to feature a 5,000mAh battery, which was paired with fast 80W wired charging. OnePlus also added 50W wireless charging support (one of the fastest wireless charging implementations at the time) via a proprietary charger that could accommodate the phone in both landscape and portrait series.

The OnePlus 10R was also launched in 2022, succeeding the OnePlus 9R and 9RT. The device incorporated a new geometric design, and featured updated specifications for the display and the internal components.

OnePlus 11 Series and OnePlus Open (2023)

The OnePlus 11 and OnePlus 11R were launched in 2023 with updated specifications to succeed the OnePlus 10 Pro and the OnePlus 10R respectively. However, no major changes were seen.

That said, OnePlus did launch its first foldable phone – the OnePlus Open in 2023. Competing with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 and a number of other foldable phones that were available overseas, the OnePlus Open managed to become a popular choice in the segment, thanks to great design, a sturdy hinge, and software that was optimised to make the most of a large internal screen.

OnePlus 12 Series (2024)

This brings us to the OnePlus 12 series, the brands most recent series of phones. While we currently only have the OnePlus 12 and the OnePlus 12R, we may see more additions to the 12-series before the end of the year.

The OnePlus 12 features support for on-device AI thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 powering the chip. The phone also marks the inclusion of the OnePlus AquaTouch screen that can be used more accurately when wet by avoiding water-induced ghost touches.

That was a look at all the flagship OnePlus phones that launched in India. Moving forward, we obviously expect the brand to launch more phones, but it is segments like foldables and accessories, where things should get really interesting in the years to come.