It turns out that OnePlus built a working smartwatch, but decided to can it before going to market.
The CEO of phone maker OnePlus has revealed the company made a smartwatch, but it never went into mass production. Instead, the company wanted to “narrow focus” on smartphones. Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Pete Lau said:
“We had completed the design but we still decided to scrap it. We have to be focused.”
Earlier this year, TrustedReviews revealed that OnePlus scrapped a fitness tracker that was in development as far back as 2014. The Chinese smartphone maker had plans to launch the device, but eventually scrapped it one month before launch because the company wanted to focus on its “core strengths”.
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We were shown a working version of the device in October 2014, but the product was never released. It was a slim, grey smartband that had basic health-tracking capabilities, like calorie tracking. At the time, we were told the device would likely be sold at manufacturing cost – just like the OnePlus phones – for less than $20. This was, it was explained, so that OnePlus could sell high numbers of the wearable quickly, which would create value through scale.
When asked for comment, a OnePlus spokesperson told us: “The reason why it was scrapped was that we want to make sure we focus on our core strengths and make the best products we can.”
It’s not clear whether the wearable we saw is the same one that the WSJ is referring to.
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Hands-on with the Fitbit Blaze:
Would you like to see OnePlus enter the wearable market? Let us know in the comments.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
