OnePlus CEO Lau responds to criticism over the OnePlus 5

Nearly a week ago, the OnePlus 5 was unveiled, and instead of being introduced to a chorus of cheers, the latest flagship killer was met by a number of criticisms. Today, OnePlus co-founder and CEO Pete Lau responded to some of the issues that were at the heart of these complaints. Let's start with the story that the phone was rigged to produce higher benchmark scores.

Lau responded to comments about the OnePlus 5 allegedly producing high benchmark scores that were not legit by saying that "We only try to tap the full potential of the CPU. We don’t even know how to overclock." A company statement says that the boosted benchmark scores "best displays the true performance capabilities of the OnePlus 5." While we often write about the results of benchmark tests, we wouldn't say that the average guy on the street, or even the most sophisticated phone buyer, relies on them to decide which handset to purchase. As a result, even if OnePlus did manipulate the scores, it might not make much of a difference in sales. 

One thing that made potential OnePlus 5 buyers wonder was the resemblance of the device to the Apple iPhone 7 Plus. The two handsets look so similar with the dual rear-camera set up on both phones, they could have been perfect body doubles, or long-lost twins. Lau responded by saying that he has heard similar comments since the launch of the OnePlus One. "But time has proved everything," Lau said. "OnePlus One has become a classic."

Once again, the OnePlus 5 is caught up in the same old argument about the resolution of the screen. Many believe that a QHD panel is too much on a smartphone, and that you cannot tell the difference between an FHD or QHD panel. And even if you could tell a 1440p screen apart from a 1080p display, the question is whether it is worth the higher price and lower battery life in order to purchase the model packing a QHD screen. Keep in mind that it is not a coincidence that the BlackBerry KEYone and the Moto Z Play both sport an FHD resolution on their displays. Those two handsets have been able to achieve amazing battery life. Of course, the Snapdragon 625 chipset has a lot to say about that, but it helps when the battery on the phone doesn't have to feed a 1440 x 2560 display.

The OnePlus handsets are known for their low pricing compared to similarly spec'd flagship models. But the new OnePlus 5 features the highest price ever for a OnePlus phone. As CEO Lau points out, prices of components have been going up and the OnePlus 5 uses 8GB of RAM on some models. That can't be cheap. And Lau notes that something as seemingly minor as the cost of the retail box, has gone up in price this year.

For every issue raised by consumers and the media, the OnePlus CEO had an answer that might help the OnePlus 5 get back on track with consumers.

source: TheIndianExpress