Display criticism sends OnePlus CEO on a rant

[dpham00]

Interesting comments from Carl Pei (OP CEO). But let's be honest, they cheaped out and got the 1080p display...why not just admit it? Especially when the mxpe came out last year at the same price as the op3 this year, and had QHD. Personally, I don't even think it is a big deal, but why is the CEO defending it saying that the cost difference between 1080p and QHD isn't much...then if it isn't much...then go with QHD, or admit that you cheaped out on the display.

With regards to sRGB accuracy, not really a big deal, Carl is right that it is a niche requirement...but the review that he is complaining about is also coming from a niche website (one in which people are really looking for extreme technical data). The average Joe isn't going to go to that specific website to read the review...it is a bit too technical for the common user.

https://www.reddit.com/r/oneplus/comments/4oyi6o/anandtechs_oneplus_3_review/d4hrn6c

Here is Carl's comment in it's entirety:

"I'm sick and tired of sentiment like this. It may not seem so, but for a product company -- it's insulting.It started with the OnePlus One, people trying to find explanations and faults that could have led to its reasonable price. People were complaining about screen variance (visible and common for LCDs, search for "iPhone yellow blue screen" images), vibration motor, and cheaper NAND, etc. Looking for any explanation, and quick to jump on bandwagons and to conclusions.
With our relationships in the supply chain, we know the BOM (bill of materials) of all other flagships. Out of all the devices that the OnePlus 3 gets compared to, it is one of, if not the most expensive to make. Do you think the price delta between a 2K AMOLED and a 1080p AMOLED is huge? It's a product decision, and spec by spec is not how to judge a product. The OnePlus 3 uses latest generation AMOLED made to our specifications by Samsung. The vast majority of our users, and reviewers love Optic AMOLED. It is NOT tuned to sRGB, and was never meant to be. sRGB tuning is a niche requirement and is not the right choice for the vast majority of smartphone users. Why do you think it's hidden under developer settings on the 6P? For those who need it, we've taken note, and have added it to the next OTA.
On the other hand, I get it. People simplify and use mental shortcuts to make sense of the world around them. Price = quality. We probably haven't done good enough of a job explaining our model, and we need to work on this going forward. I understand that sometimes, when our products don't have the highest absolute specs, it might look like corners are cut. This happens when people don't understand the product reasoning that went behind a choice. When we see this, we'll be increasingly vigilant about educating people. Over time, we hope that more people can understand our product philosophy of placing experience above specs. Product management is an art and not throwing together the highest specs. If that's what you're looking for, OnePlus is the wrong brand for you. This is also why I'm not the least worried about new device x or y that may have better specs, because I know it will not fare as well as the OnePlus 3 on the most important spec of them all: NPS.
Before finishing this rant, I want to make things really clear. There are no corners cut on the product, and there will never be. OnePlus cuts corners on business model (direct to consumer), org structure (nimble and fast team), and marketing (organic word of mouth focused).
Edit Jun 22: Rant was directed at the above comment regarding getting "panels on discount"."

 

[JonnyT]

Don't miss the QHD from my S6 edge, the 1080p display is excellent and I have a phone that actually gets great battery life, it's a great trade-off for me!

 

[fuzzylumpkin]

They probably did go with 1080p primarily to save money, but there is more to it than that.

Look at battery life differences between the OnePlus 3 and HTC 10, I'd say the main factor there is the lower resolution screen.

In the end it's about choice, they made one, and we do the same. If a high res display is something you care about, this simply isn't the phone for you. Move along.

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[mchockeyvette27]

I agree with both above comments. Sure some things appear to have been picked to save money. But guess what, with all the competition now, everything is priced how it's priced for a reason. I like it because to me, it keeps the manufacturers more honest about the products they're putting out. At least for the most part. (nothing's perfect)

To me, this is a case of certain people TRYING to find the faults. And I guess that's what Pei is trying to get across as well.

I try not to speak for others, and this is my first oneplus phone, so I'm no fanboy (of any company). I'm just interested in works for me. And this phone does.

I give him credit for standing up for his company. For his product and his team. It may be excessive in the business world or whatever world, but I think it's fair. He doesn't hide behind others and say nothing. He obviously cares. Good for him. Good for oneplus. Keep up the competition.

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[mikef91]

I just received the phone today and I see absolutely nothing wrong with the screen. Just like the above post says, people constantly try to find what is wrong and not talk about what is right. So the screen is 1080p, big deal. The average person won't even notice. If you live on your phone, constantly play games and use VR, then that is a different story, but the majority of smartphone users don't do that. For $399, this phone does everything the $700-$800 phones do just fine.

 

[Maknora]

uh.. u guys know that 1080p vs quad display difference is like 2 bucks right? so when they went for 1080p, it's for performance. thats all. not so much price.

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[anon(470989)]

It is a terrific phone, no question. I am uncertain about keeping it though, since I still find 5.5 too large for everyday carry. Not that I can't handle it fine, because I can. But I think I still prefer a compact phone for the most part.

As for the screen...it is nice but if you were used to higher resolution screens, I think you will notice. I most definitely did.

 

[singelectric]

I see both sides with this, but ultimately, Pei is making a product that's sold exclusively online, that until this phone used an invite system that meant that the customer base was almost exclusively the kind of 'technical detail obsessed' person that he badmouths. Even now, their marketing strategy depends largely on positive word-of-mouth using early adopters as evangelists. I think it's a good strategy and it'll pay off, but the flip side is you're going to get every decision you make 2nd and 3rd guessed online by passionate consumers.

On one hand, I'm sure that a QHD screen isn't that much more expensive than a 1080p, but on a $400 device, where you maybe make 10% of that back, every $1 you spend reduces your profit by 2.5%. A lower-res pentile screen might be a bit cheaper, but it also drains the battery less, which makes the 3000mAH battery they chose work better. That, in turn, allows for a thinner, smaller phone, which ultimately has lower material costs, particularly when you've got to mill your case out of a block of aluminum.

More importantly, people understandably care about how their display looks - it's the part of a phone you notice more than anything else when using it, in fact - and we've been trained for years to care about size, resolution (and therefore, PPI), brightness, and color accuracy. Very little attention has been paid to size, and while some reviews have said "it's not the brightest display in the world," none have really been critical and people online haven't said much.

Some people have talked about resolution, but a lot of attention was paid to AnandTech's review, which had phrases like "most inaccurate display on the chart." That is a valid concern, because you want colors to look correct. You want to know when you take a photo, put a filter on it and post it on Instagram, that your friends will see the colors you saw. I don't think people care about sRGB, but AnandTech's point was more that they should have cared about sRGB because they're the ones designing a phone that has to work for users.

 

[butler83]

I've had the op3 couple days now and I've had a moto x style/pure for few months. The op3 screen is ok in my opinion, but something isn't quite right. The whites aren't quite right, text just didn't look right, looks a little fuzzy maybe due to the pentile screen. Side by side with moto the moto is much better to my eyes even though the moto is a little on the warm side. Everyone's eyes will be different, op3 will be going back I think.

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[Malek J]

I've had the op3 couple days now and I've had a moto x style/pure for few months. The op3 screen is ok in my opinion, but something isn't quite right. The whites aren't quite right, text just didn't look right, looks a little fuzzy maybe due to the pentile screen. Side by side with moto the moto is much better to my eyes even though the moto is a little on the warm side. Everyone's eyes will be different, op3 will be going back I think.

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With that screen resolution how are you finding the battery on the op3?

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[butler83]

With that screen resolution how are you finding the battery on the op3?

Posted via the Android Central App

It's only been a couple of days but battery life seems good I have to say.

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[mchockeyvette27]

uh.. u guys know that 1080p vs quad display difference is like 2 bucks right? so when they went for 1080p, it's for performance. thats all. not so much price.

Posted via the Android Central App

It hardly even matters if it's for cost or not. I'm glad they did it for performance and battery life. And whatever other reason. Cause it looks great, no matter what.

I'd put it this way:

They chose it for cost savings-screen looks great.

They chose it for performance and battery life-screen still looks great.

They chose it to p¡ss everyone off-screen STILL looks great.

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[Jdane07]

I actually really like the screen on my OP3, and I'm also a user of a Note 5 and 6P.
Screen issues for this phone are so overblown it's absurd.

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[Jdane07]

Here's a couple comparison shots with the 6P. I prefer the OP3 on default settings.

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[Jdane07]

Not sure why it only let me post 1 picture in my last post, but here's another.

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[anon(522296)]

OPO 3 looks nicer to me.... subjective but I like the whiter whites better

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[mchockeyvette27]

That's exactly what I thought when I first compared to the 6p as well.

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[randall2580]

Here is the GS7E and the OP3 on as roughly the same brightness setting as I could manage. Both work very well to me

 

[Aquila]

He's hardcore just wrong here. The problem isn't that they cheaped out, it is that they're aiming at targets that just show a major misunderstanding of what makes quality screens and quality devices.

 

[Aquila]

Before finishing this rant, I want to make things really clear. There are no corners cut on the product, and there will never be. OnePlus cuts corners on business model (direct to consumer), org structure (nimble and fast team), and marketing (organic word of mouth focused).

This part is totally nonsense. There were corners cut and sacrifices made on literally every component of this device - as there are on at least some features for most devices - but the OP3 sacrificed on all fronts. There's literally something better at every aspect of the device already on the market. That's why my first biggest problem with the OP3 was the "Never Settle" marketing.