| OnePlus is closely related to Oppo. It was founded by a former Oppo vice president and is owned by the same parent company, BBK Electronics. BBK is almost like a Chinese electronics version of General Motors: it owns numerous brands that appear to compete with one another, but all benefit from increased access to components, research and development, and factories. |
| OnePlus founder Pete Lau has said his goal is to provide everyone with "access to the best and latest technology," not just those that can afford high-end, expensive smartphones. OnePlus’ first smartphone, the One, makes good on that claim: it’s packed with high-end specs but costs less than half of competing high-end smartphones. It’s clear that OnePlus is leaning on BBK’s existing relationships with component manufacturers to source its high-end parts for the One. There’s no question how OnePlus is able to sell the phone for so little: Lau has said that OnePlus is selling the phone at cost, forgoing all profits on the hardware itself. This indicates that BBK or Oppo is subsidizing it out of the gate, but it’s not clear how long a business model like this will last. | | The close ties between Oppo and OnePlus can also be seen in the smartphones that the companies have produced. The Find 7a and OnePlus One are virtually identical in terms of hardware and design. In fact, apart from a few relocated buttons and minor variances in specs, the only difference between the two phones is the software that they run. |
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