OnePlus Ace was introduced after weeks of teasing. This is a mid-range Android phone with the main function of super fast charging of 150 W, but with average performance in other areas.
Of course, this is almost the same phone as the Realme GT Neo 3, introduced less than a month earlier by the related brand OnePlus – but that’s not why we will not test this phone.
No, concerns about availability mean we’ll probably never be able to play with this new OnePlus phone.
Can you buy OnePlus Ace?
OnePlus Ace was unveiled at a launch event in China, and when we see phones introduced in the country, they rarely go out worldwide.
Indeed, a spokesman for OnePlus told us: “We have no plans to share at the moment regarding the European launch. However, OnePlus is always closely monitoring the market, and in close collaboration with our community this may change in the future. “
We asked for comment in the United States, but heard nothing there. So, at least for now, it sounds like the OnePlus Ace will be quite difficult to buy outside of China.
Why can’t you buy OnePlus Ace outside of China?
OnePlus is not the only company to present phones that are exclusive to the huge Chinese market. It is known that Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei, Honor, Vivo, Realme, Oppo and others have done this in the past – in fact, this is a fairly standard practice.
But why? Well, brands generally don’t make extensive statements to the market this way, but the reason is probably a cocktail of a number of factors, including market preferences and trends – all but one of the companies we listed above are based in the country. Remember that outside of the West, Apple’s iPhones have a drastically lower market share, and other brands control the place.
We see that enough devices are getting exclusivity for China (and sometimes India is also being launched) to make this the norm. But this is a little annoying in the case of OnePlus Ace.
(Image Credit: OnePlus)
Why the exclusivity of OnePlus Ace is a surprise
OnePlus Ace was first annoyed in February, at MWC 2022 (annual smartphone convention). At the end of Oppo’s keynote speech (Oppo and OnePlus merged in 2021), the company is annoying its 150W charging solution, which will debut on the OnePlus.
This obviously turned out to be the OnePlus Ace. So why is exclusivity a surprise? Well, because MWC 2022 is being held in Barcelona. In Spain. Which is definitely not the case in China.
MWC is often used as a place for Chinese brands to launch phones in the West, which have already debuted in China. So when we hear about technology here, it’s almost guaranteed to come to Europe, and sometimes to the United States.
So launching the OnePlus Ace only in China is a surprise that counteracts the trend.
Shame
China’s exclusivity, which is common practice in the telephone industry, is shameful because it is usually cool and interesting phones that remain locked in the country.
OnePlus Ace is a great example, as are folding devices like the Oppo Find N and Honor Magic V.
We hope that OnePlus will change its mind about the OnePlus Ace so that we can test its super fast 150W charging in real life. Maybe Realme will ignite competition under OnePlus, as the aforementioned GT Neo 3 has a much better chance of eventually reaching Europe (as Neo 2 did).
One of the reasons Apple’s release is so exciting is that you know that iPhones will be available in many parts of the world. This is not true for most other brands. You can only get excited about the launch of Xiaomi so many times before you realize that most of their launches are just for China.
We hope we don’t see too many launches just for China. Otherwise, OnePlus buyers may lose interest in all of the company’s launch events.
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