OnePlus set tongues wagging yesterday by teasing a potential foldable or dual-screen phone launch at the same time Samsung planned to announce its Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 handsets.
Many, including ourselves, sensed a ruse or straight-up trolling of Samsung, especially given the device(s) pictured had the image of a ‘galaxy’ on the home screens. There’d been no hints of a OnePlus foldable and, given the company loves to trail its new phones long in advance, any competing launch seemed highly unlikely.
As has proven to be the case. However, OnePlus may have overplayed the joke considering the lame payoff. The tease was to announce a 50% discount on The OnePlus 9 5G, while Samsung confirmed its most advanced foldable phones yet.
Sounds like a great deal though, right? Well, only if you’re planning to take out a new line with the T-Mobile network in the United States and don’t mind getting the $375 back over two years.
It’s likely OnePlus generated a lot more promotion for the offer (after all we wrote about it yesterday and are writing about it again today), but the old bait and switch tactics don’t really generate good will among smartphone users in the long run.
Whether it succeeds this time remains to be seen, but OnePlus has made itself appear to be kind of small time with this cheap joke.
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The OnePlus 9 5G itself, which is exclusive to T-Mobile in the US, is an excellent phone overall. It earned an impressive 4.5 out of a possible 5 star rating. Our reviewer praised the well calibrated screen, solid camera and future proof performance.
He wrote: “The OnePlus 9 is a fantastic phone, with a screen that’s tailor-made for gamers and people who regularly stream movies on their mobile. However, the fact its screen doesn’t feature a variable refresh rate panel puts it a step behind some rivals when it comes to battery life.”
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Editorial independence
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.
