Experts attempt to make sense of OnePlus 10 Pro's China-first release

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Experts attempt to make sense of OnePlus 10 Pro's China-first release
The OnePlus 10 Pro will be heading to China tomorrow and this may be making fans in other territories feel left out. There could be several reasons behind this strategy, as explored in a report from Android Central.

OnePlus went through a lot of changes last year. In a break from tradition, the company did not release a T flagship in the second half of the year. It also merged operations with Oppo, which is also owned by its parent company BBK Electronics. Although the companies continue to be separate brands, their phones will now run an operating system that will be developed by a unified team, and OnePlus has also integrated its Warp Charge with Oppo’s SuperVOOC charging standard. 

Lack of resources and the Chinese New Year Holiday makes China an obvious priority 


Apparently, OnePlus' decision to launch the OnePlus 10 Pro in China first has a lot to do with its new emphasis on China. Counterpoint Research's Neil Shah believes the company was eager to have a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1-powered handset on the shelves as soon as possible, seemingly to compete with the likes of Xiaomi. The company likely also wants to capitalize on the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday to drum up sales.


China is amongst the largest markets for the company's high-end phones and given the ongoing supply crunch, a China-first release makes sense, according to IDC's Jitesh Ubran.

It was also perhaps easier for the China-based OnePlus to release the OnePlus 10 Pro in its home country first instead of waiting a few months more to get done with the formalities associated with an international launch, such as obtaining the necessary certifications, according to Esper's Mishaal Rahman.

This hardly means that the North American market has fallen in priority for the company. After all, OnePlus grew far more than any other company in the US in H1 2021, 428 percent year-on-year to be exact.

Regardless, by the time the device reaches the US, the Samsung Galaxy S22 series will have been released, so there will be more competition for the title of the best Android phone of the year. So, while some may see the delayed international launch as a missed opportunity, they may be missing the big picture.

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OnePlus must also be able to prove to consumers that even after the merger with Oppo, it has managed to preserve its identity. Otherwise, it may become irrelevant.

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