OnePlus in talks with O2 to extend exclusivity deal in UK

Negotiations have begun as the original agreement enters the final six months

Chinese smartphone manufacturer OnePlus confirmed it is in negotiations with O2 to extend its exclusivity deal in the UK.

The original two-year deal is 18 months in, having been struck in September 2016. Speaking to Mobile News a OnePlus spokesperson said: “We are coming up to the end of our exclusive deal with O2, we’re currently in talks to see what continuing the partnership would look like.

“Striking a new deal has to make sense  for us as company and our consumers.”

The manufacturer’s first European operator partnership in Europe was with Finnish carrier Elisa, which claimed the OnePlus 3 was its best-selling device in August 2016. This led to the deal penned with O2 a month later.

In January, CEO Pete Lau confirmed the manufacturer took $1.4 billion (£994 million) in revenue in 2017, doubling its take in 2016.

Seven devices have been released since it was founded in 2013 by Lau and co-founder Carl Pei, the most recent being the OnePlus 5T.

The manufacturer adopted a two-device-per-year strategy since the OnePlus 3 in 2016.

The firm made a play in the mid-range market with the OnePlus X in 2015, which Pei admitted was a “failure”. He said OnePlus became “arrogant” after success with the OnePlus 2.

O2 director of product and category management Magnus McDonald said: “We’re delighted to have been on this journey since 2016 as the only operator in the UK to sell OnePlus devices and look forward to building on our successful partnership.”

OnePlus head of European marketing David Sanmartin added: “O2 fits the bill perfectly with knowledgeable store staff and exceptional customer service, and we’ve been seeing bigger and bigger queues at O2 stores for each new OnePlus launch.”

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