OnePlus phones used to be lauded by the Android community for bringing premium hardware and specs at a budget price. They are known for inventing the quote-on-quote "flagship killer". They lost all that merit once they started including a premium price alongside their premium phones, as well as "settling down" by removing the headphone jack. That is not to
say their phones are
bad, but they lost the core virtue of what they stood for. Today,
people mainly buy a OnePlus just for the brand.
Like a famous Tech Youtuber once stated, "you either die a
hero or live long enough to become the villain."
User X: After using an
iPhone for my entire life, I finally decided to switch over to the OnePlus 9! So this is the flagship killer they've been talking about.
User Y: I hate to
break it to ya but you're late to the party my guy. OnePlus has already settled, what you have is not a flagship killer anymore, it's just another high-end smartphone with a high-end price tag attached to it. IMO the OnePlus 3 was their peak smartphone.
User X: Idk man, the OnePlus 9 seems
pretty great to me.
User Y: Oh don't get me wrong, the OnePlus 9 is a great
phone and is a great pick for someone who's transitioning over from iPhone to Android. But this isn't the budget-friendly OnePlus we used to all
love and know. That was my point.