Surge 2016: OnePlus 3 most likely to launch in June, says CEO Pete Lau

After receiving accolades for the OnePlus 2, the company is all set to launch the OnePlus 3, as it is confirmed that the device will be ready for release in Q2 2016. At the two-day Surge conference held in Bengaluru, OnePlus’ CEO Pete Lau revealed that the OnePlus 3 is in the making and will launch by Q2 2016. While he didn’t specify the exact time, a Cnet report reveals the device will release by the end of the second quarter in June.

OnePlus 3 to launch in Q2 2016, says Pete Lau

— Tech2 (@tech2eets) February 24, 2016

We asked Lau if the company plans to launch two devices this year, just like the OnePlus 2 and OnePlus X seen last year. It ‘should’ be two devices, he tells us. So, OnePlus 3 and a successor to the OnePlus X is something we can expect from the company this year. Talking about the differences between the Indian and Chinese market, as well as the impact of the slowing China smartphone market on OnePlus and its targets for other regions, Lau said, “There is not much difference in the way we do business in China and India. We have transparency and integrity and follow our core principles and philosophy. When we first spoke to Amazon India head, our conversation was around company’s philosophy and culture, and once these aspects falls in line. We maintain this throughout other regions too.” About the China economy affecting the business, he said that most of their business is done outside China with key markets being US, Europe and India. So, it doesn’t affect the business or its India plans. On asking about the company growth in India, Lau said he doesn’t place much value on the sales numbers and the company doesn’t believe in broadcasting sales numbers or talk about sales target publicly as they want to focus on quality and services. “We want to see if the product is up to mark and if our service are up to mark. We want people to like our product and service,” he added. https://twitter.com/tech2eets/status/702443091278569472 With the increasing number of Chinese vendors and also some local players, the most recent focus has been on content. Lau says that OnePlus is in talks for partnerships for India-centric content, but there is nothing concrete to talk about yet. However, going forward it is an aspect he would be looking at. The company also maintains that it has no plans to go offline. The OnePlus 2 did get on the field for sometime and, but he claims it was purely to offer consumers a touch and feel of the device. “It was purely for exposing the device to consumers”, he said.