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The OnePlus iPhone 7 might be a lot easier to buy than you think

Published Jun 15th, 2017 7:45AM EDT
OnePlus 5 Release Date Preorder
Image: OnePlus

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OnePlus is about to launch a phone that looks so much like the iPhone 7 Plus that it’s already received plenty of criticism, prompting OnePlus execs and others to defend the design. But that doesn’t mean the phone will not be a smash hit at launch. The Chinese smartphone maker is following the same recipe that made it famous: the OnePlus 5 will have top specs and an affordable price tag. But does that mean it’ll be sold out at launch?

Buying a OnePlus handset at launch was quite an issue in previous years, as the company employed special schemes to deal with the limited stock. However, things may change this year, a comment posted on Weibo suggests.

OnePlus CEO Pete Lau posted a message on Weibo earlier this week, shared by Phone Arena, that said the OnePlus 5 will be easy to buy. It’s also worth noting that the message was deleted since being first posted as a reply to a customer who said the phone will be hard to find at launch. It’s unclear what prompted the removal of that reply.

Lau didn’t elaborate on how one should go about buying the OnePlus 5. But Phone Arena notes that JD.com already received 75,000 registrations for the first OnePlus 5 flash sale before the phone’s official launch.

Well-known leaker Evan Blass tweeted last week that the OnePlus 5 will be widely available in India via Amazon, thanks to an exclusive partnership between the two companies. Maybe that’s what Lau meant:

Lau isn’t the only top OnePlus exec talking about the phone on social media. Carl Pai took to Twitter to defend the design of the OnePlus 5.

“Does anyone still remember the commotion regarding the OnePlus 3 design before it came out? It stopped as soon as people got the device,” he said. “History will repeat itself once people see a real live OnePlus 5.”

He is certainly right in one regard. Once people see a real life OnePlus 5, they’ll probably inquire whether that’s a new iPhone model. Which can be a great compliment for a smartphone maker. But also an insult.

OnePlus’s iPhone 7 will be unveiled on June 20th and should hit stores soon after that.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.