Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority
TL; DR
- OnePlus is supposedly thinking of making Nord a sub-brand or an independent company.
- It is believed that North would have a greater offline presence and, as a result, offer more ecosystem products.
- Apparently, the new Nord phones will offer a new user interface to the Oxygen OS.
OnePlus launched the Nord brand in 2020 with the mid-range OnePlus Nord phone holder. Since then, we’ve seen the North brand flood the market with a variety of low- and mid-range proposals, but a new report suggests that OnePlus has another idea in mind for the brand.
The Mobile Indian reports that OnePlus is considering separating Nord as an independent brand or sub-brand, citing its own industry sources. This could be a similar arrangement to the one we see with Xiaomi and Poco, or Vivo and Iqoo.
The point of sale further states that Nord would be treated as an independent brand with its own brand, stores and equipment. In fact, apparently, the split mark would have light blue as the trademark color and could be presented as “a OnePlus” or “OnePlus” mark in some cases.
A budget flagship North, new user interface in process?
So what would it mean for a Nord sub-brand or an independent company from a consumer point of view? Well, The Mobile Indian claims to have a significant offline presence and will expand its product portfolio to include TVs, fitness trackers, smart watches, Bluetooth neck bands, power banks and more.
In addition, the point of sale claims that North phones would also expand to slightly higher and lower price segments, specifically stating that a “budget badge bouquet” North would be available for approximately 35,000 rupees (~ $ 441). He adds that an affordable North is also being worked on which costs about 15,000 rupees (~ $ 189). It is also claimed that the new Nord phones would get a new user interface on Oxygen OS.
Should North become its own brand?
10 votes
Yeah sure
50%
No, it should stay with OnePlus
50%
All of this seems like a very familiar strategy, as we recently saw Xiaomi establish Poco as an independent brand. Poco still uses Xiaomi designs for some of its phones, but adds the Poco Launcher to MIUI and occasionally modifies the design. The Xiaomi-affiliated brand has also recently moved into the ecosystem product space, offering a smart watch and headphones.
We have asked OnePlus for a comment on the story and will update the article when / if we return. For now, you should take this statement with a pinch of salt, as the outlet is not a regular source of important exclusives. Still, it would be quite interesting to see that OnePlus, which is actually an Oppo brand today, creates its own sub-brand. Would this turn Nord into an Oppo sub-brand?
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