Just ahead of the holidays, Chinese electronics company OnePlus is releasing three new products: a phone, a tablet and a watch. The company announced Monday that it will launch the OnePlus 15R, the OnePlus Pad Go 2 and the OnePlus Watch Lite next month on Dec. 17 in North America, Europe and India.
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OnePlus, founded in China in 2013, prides itself on producing "flagship killers," phones and other devices with similar features and capabilities as more popular brands but at cheaper prices. Despite the boast, the company's market share in the US is less than 1%, far behind leaders Apple, Samsung and Lenovo.
OnePlus 15R
The OnePlus 15R will be available in two colors: charcoal black and mint breeze. Presumably, the phone will be a budget-friendly version of the OnePlus 15, whose battery life we loved and which is a great choice for mainstream gamers.
As far as durability, OnePlus says the 15R has IP66, IP68, IP69 and IP69K dust- and water-resistance ratings.
The phone runs on this year's top Android mobile chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, as we reported in September.
Austin Evans of Overclock Media says OnePlus lost the "focus" on what made its devices a strong value in early years -- a "laser-focused phone at an excellent price point" -- but that the 15 phone generation has been solid.
"There are some minor (depending on who you're talking to) omissions like the alert slider, but by and large, the 15 and it seems the 15R are pretty compelling devices that cut very few corners and deliver a very flagship-level experience at a reasonable price," Evans told CNET. "I wouldn't say OnePlus is 'back' to the glory days, but they're delivering a clearer value than they have in quite some time."
OnePlus Pad Go 2
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