[Aquila]

OnePlus 3 T-1 ad on Twitter uses the phrase "T-1: More Never Settle".

Why do they keep saying, "Never Settle" when there's a giant list of things you have to "settle" for on every single device, including OnePlus devices, which have more things to settle on that most of the devices we talk about here?

If they got rid of that phrase and started marketing it as, "one of the best values around" I'd probably be one of their biggest supporters. As it is, every single year it comes off as a huge lie where a bunch of people will try to pretend that it's the best phone out there, not just one of the best values out there. So annoying.

[JonnyT]

I think it's meant to be provocative, which isn't an uncommon trait for marketing.

"One of the best values around" is a conclusion from a review, not really a tagline. I get your point, but it's probably more just power users/enthusiasts who feel that way, hence why it's mentioned on the forums quite often. If they're trying to target the average user, I'm not so sure there's a compromise.

[Aquila]

I think it's meant to be provocative, which isn't an uncommon trait for marketing.

"One of the best values around" is a conclusion from a review, not really a tagline. I get your point, but it's probably more just power users/enthusiasts who feel that way, hence why it's mentioned on the forums quite often. If they're trying to target the average user, I'm not so sure there's a compromise.

Yep, you're 100% right. We have four different "fastest" or "best" networks in the US, the Pixel is "only on Verizon", 3 carriers have "unlimited" data - it's all complete nonsense and I get that's how marketing works. And you're also right that the vast majority of people aren't going to notice or care about that tagline. But to me, it comes off as a blatant lie rather than spin. And I'm not even super comfortable trying to define the difference between spin and dishonesty This is truly a non issue but it still bugs me.

[JonnyT]

I agree, and that's a line that's far too often crossed. They do probably have the most threads on here related to a phone's marketing campaign though, so maybe they were going for the "all press is good press" approach

[doa70]

Nah, marketing is all about buzz. "Best value" is interpreted by (US anyhow) consumers as cheap, ie settling, ie the exact opposite of "Never Settle" and generates less than zero buzz. The "Never Settle" tag equates to excitement, something that not everyone has or can get even though nearly everyone shopping phones certainly can have a OP, especially those looking for a "flagship" caliber device.

[Feldon]

I'd do a commercial of ridiculously opulent and wealthy people playing with an iPhone 7 Plus or Samsung S7 Edge at the golf course, at a beauty retreat, in a Rolls Royce, all with classical music playing. Then skip the vinyl record and show some exploded 3D shots of the OnePlus 3. "If you can't tell the difference, why pay the difference?"


Same scene of ridiculously opulent and wealthy people playing with an iPhone 7 Plus or Samsung S7 Edge at the golf course, at a beauty retreat, in a Rolls Royce, all with classical music playing. Cut to a woman about to break open a piggy bank. Then someone off-camera hands her a OnePlus 3. Announcer: "Now you can get a blazing fast phone with an incredible camera without breaking the bank."


Another commercial. Three identical sports cars. One has an iPhone tag and $849 price on it. One has a Samsung tag and $849 price on it. One has a OnePlus tag and $399 tag on it. Announcer: "So which one would you buy?" Guy: "So wait, they all go the same speed and handle just as well?" Announcer: "Yep." Guy: "Is this a trick question?" Cut to a horse by a white fence whinnying. Announcer "Now you can get a phone with all the horsepower you need without paying double."

[JonnyT]

"If you can't tell the difference, why pay the difference?"

Hahaha, I love this.

[fuzzylumpkin]

Why do McDonald's say "I'm lovin' it!"rather than "it's relatively cheap and quick and I'm in a rush."? Why do diet coke say "just for the taste of it." Instead of "because I don't want my arse to get any bigger."?

It's just a slogan, marketing spiel. And the less attention you pay to it the better off you'll be.

[AustinIllini]

Android Marshmallow. Come on guys. This should be the best phone on the market and they mess it up with an old OS.

[Aquila]

Nah, marketing is all about buzz. "Best value" is interpreted by (US anyhow) consumers as cheap, ie settling, ie the exact opposite of "Never Settle" and generates less than zero buzz. The "Never Settle" tag equates to excitement, something that not everyone has or can get even though nearly everyone shopping phones certainly can have a OP, especially those looking for a "flagship" caliber device.

Right, but they are settling in a LOT of ways - which is my issue. If the S8 comes out and says, "never settle" and they're the leader across the board on both components and experience (this is hypothetical, I don't think they will) ... they could safely say "Never Settle" and it'd be more or less true.

[Ry]

It's their marketing tagline. No big deal.

[Feldon]

Android Marshmallow. Come on guys. This should be the best phone on the market and they mess it up with an old OS.

Nougat is coming in December.

[PAC757]

Why do McDonald's say "I'm lovin' it!"rather than "it's relatively cheap and quick and I'm in a rush."? Why do diet coke say "just for the taste of it." Instead of "because I don't want my arse to get any bigger."?

It's just a slogan, marketing spiel. And the less attention you pay to it the better off you'll be.

I love this ^ lol

[1213 1213]

I disagree about it just being marketing. It's their ethos. It's about people who aren't willing to spend on a flagship. I see it as an approach, rather than what it is, that tries to provide premium software and hardware experience at mid-range prices. And for the most part they do that, and the more they try to do that each and every year the more the damn price keeps going up lol.

[Aquila]

I disagree about it just being marketing. It's their ethos. It's about people who aren't willing to spend on a flagship. I see it as an approach, rather than what it is, that tries to provide premium software and hardware experience at mid-range prices. And for the most part they do that, and the more they try to do that each and every year the more the damn price keeps going up lol.

I would agree that's what we're supposed to be perceiving, but the problem is that they keep making major compromises and putting out a really really good midrange phone with a couple high end components then a whole lot of people try saying that it's somehow a better device than the actual flagships. It's obviously not better, but it IS more affordable and I think that's what they mean - but buying this "Never Settle" nonsense seems like a bad idea - every device settles, midrangers settle more than flagships and OnePlus settles more than most. That isn't to say they lack a good product, it's definitely good enough for most people - but it's impossible to pretend that it's the same thing as the actual leaders.

I love seeing all the competition in the midrange and I was hoping that it'd start causing actual flagship costs to go down, but it seems the mdirangers are actually increasing their prices and the flagships are going even higher.

[AustinIllini]

Nougat is coming in December.

I wish I could trust OnePlus. I can't, unfortunately.

[Feldon]

Buying this "Never Settle" nonsense seems like a bad idea - every device settles, midrangers settle more than flagships and OnePlus settles more than most.

Perhaps I had a uniquely bad experience with carrier-controlled Samsung, but I really think that the OnePlus 3 makes up the distance between it and the so-called flagships just by running the absolute minimum software stack and having an abundance of RAM. 6GB is unusual, possibly unheard of in the smartphone industry.

To me it's like trying to compare an SUV laden down with 5 passengers and 4 suitcases with the full towing package compared to a light sports car carrying a minimum of baggage. Sure, for raw power and features, the SUV is the obvious winner. But the Sports car will get you there much faster and with a lot more enjoyment. I think the real world experience of these phones is going to defy the spec sheet.

[JonnyT]

I wish I could trust OnePlus. I can't, unfortunately.

I do, because I'm getting OS updates every fortnight and have had the 1st September security update since very end of August, and had the 1st October update around the end of September. I've never had a phone update this often. Will it stay this way? Probably not, but being on the Community Builds has been awesome, it's like we're really close to what the Devs are actually doing.

If they can keep it up until the OP4, I'll be happy. I appreciate, though that there are a fair few people will want to keep their OP3 beyond that, and if support is sacrificed due to the OP4's release, that will be a major bummer for them.

[Aquila]

Perhaps I had a uniquely bad experience with carrier-controlled Samsung, but I really think that the OnePlus 3 makes up the distance between it and the so-called flagships just by running the absolute minimum software stack and having an abundance of RAM. 6GB is unusual, possibly unheard of in the smartphone industry.

To me it's like trying to compare an SUV laden down with 5 passengers and 4 suitcases with the full towing package compared to a light sports car carrying a minimum of baggage. Sure, for raw power and features, the SUV is the obvious winner. But the Sports car will get you there much faster and with a lot more enjoyment. I think the real world experience of these phones is going to defy the spec sheet.

I like the analogy and it's very similar to how I thought of the original moto x.

[Novaprime]

Why do McDonald's say "I'm lovin' it!"rather than "it's relatively cheap and quick and I'm in a rush."? Why do diet coke say "just for the taste of it." Instead of "because I don't want my arse to get any bigger."?

It's just a slogan, marketing spiel. And the less attention you pay to it the better off you'll be.

Ha ha. "Because I don't want my arse to get any bigger" is fantastic. Missed opportunity right there.

[speedlever]

OnePlus 3 T-1 ad on Twitter uses the phrase "T-1: More Never Settle".

Why do they keep saying, "Never Settle" when there's a giant list of things you have to "settle" for on every single device, including OnePlus devices, which have more things to settle on that most of the devices we talk about here?

If they got rid of that phrase and started marketing it as, "one of the best values around" I'd probably be one of their biggest supporters. As it is, every single year it comes off as a huge lie where a bunch of people will try to pretend that it's the best phone out there, not just one of the best values out there. So annoying.

After nearly 4 weeks of owning the OP3, I've only found one thing I have to settle for. And that appears to be stock Android related. I really, really miss my keypad based speed dial option. I use the direct dial widgets, but don't find them as handy as the speed dial option. Otherwise, I don't miss having to reboot my Galaxy S4 one or more times a day, or being on a year old security update, or having that small-ish 5.0 inch screen, or....

Battery life has been far better than expected, even though I keep doing my thing of loading apps (that I seldom use) on it. Perhaps having a pure black background makes a difference there. I keep Ampere running in the notification bar so I can get an instant idea of my power usage. My GS4 seemed stuck on 480mA while the OP3 often drops to 30mA or so.

I'm very pleased with the screen brightness and clarity too. This is a big upgrade from the 1080p screen on the GS4, even though it's still 1080p. I had to run the GS4 in max brightness to use it for nav during the day. I use adaptive brightness set around 40-50% on the OP3 and have been surprised at how well I can see the screen during the day. That was a big concern coming from the SAMOLED 1080p screen of the GS4.

Other than a battery with more capacity and the 128GB option, the OP3T barely gets my attention. And I fully support OP's decision to bring out the OP3T, so long as they support/develop the 3 and 3T together. The 3T in no way infringes on my OP3 experience.

I'm very glad I decided to take a chance on OP and their products. I hope I don't have to try out their customer service. I never had to do that with my GS4 or earlier phones, so hopefully won't need any service on this phone either.

[Aquila]

After nearly 4 weeks of owning the OP3, I've only found one thing I have to settle for. And that appears to be stock Android related. I really, really miss my keypad based speed dial option. I use the direct dial widgets, but don't find them as handy as the speed dial option. Otherwise, I don't miss having to reboot my Galaxy S4 one or more times a day, or being on a year old security update, or having that small-ish 5.0 inch screen, or....

Battery life has been far better than expected, even though I keep doing my thing of loading apps (that I seldom use) on it. Perhaps having a pure black background makes a difference there. I keep Ampere running in the notification bar so I can get an instant idea of my power usage. My GS4 seemed stuck on 480mA while the OP3 often drops to 30mA or so.

I'm very pleased with the screen brightness and clarity too. This is a big upgrade from the 1080p screen on the GS4, even though it's still 1080p. I had to run the GS4 in max brightness to use it for nav during the day. I use adaptive brightness set around 40-50% on the OP3 and have been surprised at how well I can see the screen during the day. That was a big concern coming from the SAMOLED 1080p screen of the GS4.

Other than a battery with more capacity and the 128GB option, the OP3T barely gets my attention. And I fully support OP's decision to bring out the OP3T, so long as they support/develop the 3 and 3T together. The 3T in no way infringes on my OP3 experience.

I'm very glad I decided to take a chance on OP and their products. I hope I don't have to try out their customer service. I never had to do that with my GS4 or earlier phones, so hopefully won't need any service on this phone either.

It's awesome that you love it . It's impossible for me to use the phone because it doesn't work for over half of US mobile customers and I'd have an issue with the proprietary charger, poor display, off screen buttons and lack of official software support - but I also know that most users absolutely don't care about those things. At the end of the day, whatever makes you happy is the right device. Glad you found yours. They make a very good device at a great price, just not meant for me.

[speedlever]

No worries. It's a good thing one phone doesn't work for everyone. I like choices.

Regarding the proprietary charger, that's only for Dash charging which I only occasionally use. In my vehicles, I use a conventional 2.4A (12w)/port charger like Anker, etc. and use a Benson Leung approved USB A to C cable and enjoy pretty quick charging while I nav. I typically get all the charge I need from multiple trips during the day.

I used to be with VZW but left some years ago due to the high cost of service and the proprietary tendency of their phones/bloatware. They have great service, but I wanted more flexibility at less cost while still enjoying comparable coverage and customer service. I'm still puzzled about the Pixel/VZW exclusive arrangement.

I'm happy to find a near pure Android experience although I was a bit leery of Oxygen at first. Samsung lost me when they came out with the Galaxy S6 (iPhone style) sealed glass phones. And I've been somewhat unhappy with the uninstallable bloat between them and AT&T too. I'm happy I can BYOD with AT&T and have had no complaints with the OP3 in service.

I did have an odd issue this morning in that Waze kept telling me it was searching for the network (even though it would properly nav) and I couldn't get on the 'net (away from wifi). My cell settings were enabled and cycling airplane mode did not change anything. A quick reboot (about 40 seconds) and everything was back to normal. So I dunno what happened. Could be like a PC I fixed the other day that wouldn't connect even after a reboot. I had to go in and do a release and renew from ipconfig and then all was well. Stray electrons and all that, I suppose.

[dannyar11]

It's awesome that you love it . It's impossible for me to use the phone because it doesn't work for over half of US mobile customers and I'd have an issue with the proprietary charger, poor display, off screen buttons and lack of official software support - but I also know that most users absolutely don't care about those things. At the end of the day, whatever makes you happy is the right device. Glad you found yours. They make a very good device at a great price, just not meant for me.

1-So you are salty about not being able to use it on your carrier, so you bash the device as being a midranger.
2-If the proprietary charger is the best in the business at charging your phone and managing heat then whats the issue?
3-Poor display? Its been widely lauded as one of the best if not THE best 1080p amoled panels on any device. Ill take 1080p in exchange for the battery trade off.
4-Off screen buttons? Um, the glory of the phone is you are able to modify how you see fit. Enable on screen buttons instead and problems solved.
5- Software support? Last I checkd Oneplus has been great about releasing regular security updates and has promised Nougat before years end.

What's really your issue here? You have been ripping the OP3 since it launched because of its catch phrase? Bottom line is your salty because you cant purchase the device and use it on your carrier correct?

[speedlever]

Ditto about the choice of having on or off screen buttons. Coming from my Samsung background, I love the off screen button option and that is what I use. Never even tried the on-screen buttons.