OnePlus’ new flagship meets with T-Mobile customers
As expected, the OnePlus 10 Pro5G made its commercial debut last week. The phone, which was previousal available for pre-order from OnePlus’ digital store for $899, is now available purchase through its US carrier partner T-Mobile. The new 10 Pro5G runs on Qualcomm’s top-level Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 silicon and, like its predecessor, houses special optics manufactured by Hasselblad. New and existing T-Mobile customers on the carrier’s top-priced Magenta Max plan can get the 10 Pro5G for free after trade-in. Customers on the lower tier plans can purchase the phone with a 50% discount (off its $899 MSRP) with trade-in. Notably, OnePlus also announced that the unlocked version of the phone received certification from Verizon for activations, though it is important to highlight that the 10 Pro5G does not feature support for the high-band mmWave spectrum, which is Verizon’s main 5G solution until its C-band spectrum rollout reaches masses.
The NPD Take:
- The OnePlus 10 Pro5G is one of the very few alternatives high-end Android customers have beyond the Samsung Galaxy S22 variants. While the “free” promotion may attract many customers, T-Mobile offers the same deal on the Galaxy S22.
- OnePlus has been able to build a niche customer base despite limited distribution in the US. According to the latest NPD Connected Intelligence Mobility survey, 18% and 20% of T-Mobile and Metro customers who are in the market for a new phone claim awareness of OnePlus brand, respectfully. However, only 4% of either T-Mobile or Metro customers are considering it for their next purchase. OnePlus’ overall brand awareness drops to 11% among US smartphone users, but the OEM’s new marketing efforts such as the sponsorship of the Boston Marathon should help boost its brand presence in the long run.
Google Fi drops prices
The Google Fi MVNO has come a long way since the re-branding from Project Fi back in 2018, when the service was just targeting the low-end of the market with a pay-by-the-gig data plans. The Google-owned MVNO last week modified its “unlimited” data plans, which are now cheaper and offer more high-speed data allotment (even though the plans are marketed as unlimited, high-speed data is capped, similar top rival MVNOs including those owned by the network providers). The Simply Unlimited plan, which offered 22 GB of high-speed data for $60 for a single line, now comes with 35GB of data at $50/month, though the price can drop to as low as $20/month for family account with four lines or more. Notably, the plan now also includes 5 GB of mobile hotspot data. Google Fi’s higher-tier plan now comes with 50 GB high-speed data for $60/month versus $65/month earlier, and the price drops to $40/month for multi-line accounts with 4+ lines.
The NPD Take:
- Google Fi’s new plans and pricing, especially the 4+ line pricing at $20/month is quite competitive, but mass adoption is dependant on how the MVNO can expand its marketing reach to consumers beyond the Pixel base. According to the latest NPD Connected Intelligence Mobility survey, GoogleFi enjoys an awareness of 15% among smartphone users. This figures almost triples to 40% among Google Pixel smartphone owners.