OnePlus today introduced its third smartphone in the Indian market in the form of OnePlus X. While the new smartphone targets the sub-Rs 20,000 mass market, OnePlus is not too keen on entering the highly competitive sub-Rs 10,000 budget market. OnePlus X again tries to woo fans with an attractive spec sheet, but the focus is more on the overall flagship-like premium feel and caters to 5-inch segment. OnePlus India general manager Vikas Agarwal in an exclusive interaction with IndianExpress.com shares the following insights. DON'T MISS: OnePlus X first look video (App users click to view) Q: Within just three months of the launch of OnePlus 2, you are now launching the OnePlus X? Don't you think you are doing it in haste? It is not in haste. OnePlus X was always on our cards. We chose to keep quiet about it. We wanted to have another alternative in terms of size. It's a totally different design philosophy. It is not the flagship but it is as good as the flagship. There is a significant demand for 5-inch smartphones where people find 5.5-inch versions bulky. The OnePlus X helps us to cater to that segment. Q: But what about your 'Apple-like one device an year' philosophy? We are still following it. But the OnePlus X caters to a totally different segment. We are expanding our horizon. Q: So, will you expand your horizon further in 2015 and launch another smartphone? We are now focusing on reaching out to more buyers as of now. Q: Do you intend to enter the sub-Rs 10,000 budget smartphone market? No. Not at all. We want to deliver a premium device. Always. Q: What about wearables? Any plans to launch a smartwatch? We are a smartphone brand and will like to remain so. We are a small player in the market and we cannot afford to lose focus. For me, the biggest challenge is to take OnePlus to more people in India. We aim to become the Apple of Android world. Q: People are frustrated with the invite-only sale model. By when do you intend to get rid of it? When I have enough supply. I will. Q: But you have already announced domestic manufacturing. That's the plan. With OnePlus X, I have already announced that from second month onwards, we are going to host weekly open sales. Q: You have partnered with Foxconn to make in India. Can you throw some more light on it? Make in India is very crucial for us. We are starting it within an year. We are going to start production before the end of this year. The first device will be the OnePlus X. Going forward we will introduce more 'Made in India' smartphones. Q: Can we expect any price cuts? The biggest benefit from Make in India would be boosting our supplies. Our products are already competitively priced. Q: Are you looking at local procurement for domestic manufacturing? No. It is too early to look at local component ecosystem. Our products would be mostly assembled in India. Our focus will be on local R&D . We would be localising software for our phones as well. Q: Talking about numbers, how is OnePlus performing? The target for this year is a million units for OnePlus One, OnePlus 2 and OnePlus X combined in India. Before last quarter we sold more than 300,000 units. We will probably miss out on our target because we could not supply enough OnePlus 2 units this year. However, we will not miss the mark by much. PICTURES: Check out the new OnePlus X smartphone
