OnePlus gives in, will sell phones like Xiaomi starting next week

In the past, OnePlus made a deliberate point to avoid selling its One smartphone in Xiaomi-style flash sales, pointing out that customers didn’t like the high-stress click race sales model.

But after half a year of only selling its phones to international customers via invite, OnePlus has just announced it will open pre-orders for one hour starting on October 27 at 15:00 GMT (08:00 PST, 11:00 EST). The company doesn’t have a cap on how many phones will be sold, but customers won’t find out their estimated shipping date until right before they enter payment details. OnePlus didn’t disclose how long it will take for those pre-ordered Ones to ship, but it likely happens on a first come, first serve basis.

So why the change of heart? A company spokesperson tells Tech in Asia:

We have opted for invites thus far as a way to control our inventory and demand. This system has worked for us and it’s not going anywhere right now. However, we listen closely to our users and wanted those who have found it difficult to get a One a chance to buy it while still being able to control the number of units sold.

The new pre-order system won’t replace the current invite system, wherein all buyers outside of China required an invite from an existing customer or the company, but instead supplement it.

While the new system shows OnePlus’ confidence in meeting the demand of its customers, many of its original fans who couldn’t obtain invites have likely found alternatives, instead eyeing newer models like the Xiaomi Mi 4 and upcoming Nexus 6. One commenter wrote on the OnePlus blog:

Omg I had forgot this phone existed until I got the ‘pre-order without invitation’ email an hour ago. I don’t even remember when there was all the buzz about it, was it last year? Anyway I moved on months ago.

Additionally, only the more expensive 64GB model will be available in the flash sale. Customers in the original 16 launch countries will be allowed to preorder (sorry, India). Those are: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, UK, and the US. The Chinese version is still available for sale in China on JD.

Earlier this month, OnePlus says it stress-tested its ordering process by sending out a total of 50,000 invitations.

Interested buyers can submit their payment information and saved shopping cart now, then just complete the transaction once pre-orders officially open.