The smartphone market has been traditionally dominated by the world’s major players, with Samsung and Apple having battled it out for top spot for many years. Now, though, the market is wide open with other companies entering the fray and having a great deal of success. In the past, the flagship end was the place where the smartphone battle would be won or lost, but now developers are finding that the low end of the spectrum can be a great place to target.
The OnePlus Nord 2 is a prime example of a top-quality, affordable smartphone that is appealing to a high number of users. As more people in developing countries get into the smartphone market, these cheaper products could find the most success.
About the OnePlus Nord 2
OnePlus is a relative newcomer to the smartphone market, but the Chinese company has found a way to get its products in front of a vast number of people. It was founded by Carl Pei and Pete Lau in 2013, and by 2018 it was already serving 34 countries around the world. The company’s philosophy has always been to provide high-quality phones that are affordable to most users, even in the poorest markets.
The OnePlus Nord 2 is one of the most exciting low-end smartphones to hit shelves in recent years. It is a reasonably priced device, but it still has many of the features that can be found on top-of-the-range smartphones. For example, it has a fingerprint scanner, a 50MP wide sensor, and a battery capacity of 4500 mAh. These are all incredible qualities, and they highlight how the current bottom-entry models are more impressive than top-end editions from only a few years ago.
Are Developers Now Focusing on the Lower End of the Market?
It seems that there is going to be a heavier focus from developers when it comes to making cheaper smartphones, as this is where a high number of users will be getting into the industry. Rather than buy older models of high-spec phones, less affluent consumers know they can find great-value new editions at the lower end of the scale. In developing markets like India, where people are only just managing to get online, there will be a huge amount of demand for budget smartphones in the years ahead.
Apple and Samsung have traditionally released more affordable versions with their annual flagship releases, but they have always made it apparent that these are considerably inferior to the top-spec instalments. But when companies like OnePlus release these low-end phones without a high-spec offering to compare them to, it makes them look better in the eyes of the consumer. Now, these cheaper offerings could do battle to attract the bulk of customers, with the more advanced models on the market appealing to a smaller section of society.
Low-Cost Model Mirrors Other Sectors
Now that the smartphone market has become saturated with a wide array of different companies, it has started to mirror other highly competitive sectors. Wherever there are fierce rivalries between businesses, it tends to drive down cost and benefit the end user.
The budget smartphone market is getting truly exciting in 2021, and there is less disparity between cheaper and more expensive phones in the modern age. Options like the OnePlus Nord 2 can do most of the things that a top-of-the-range device can do, but they appeal to a much broader section of the market. Therefore, these phones have been dubbed the “flagship killers.”