OnePlus 8 Launch Met With Layoffs in Europe

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OnePlus has largely turned into a darling of the Android smartphone world in the US thanks to smartly put-together phones, a focus on features important to the enthusiast crowd, and pricing that has made flagship-level phones affordable. The addition of carrier partners in recent years can’t hurt either. Outside of the US, well, things may not be going as smoothly.

OnePlus Layoffs in Europe

According to a report from Engadget, OnePlus has downsized some of its regional offices (UK, France, and Germany) by as much as 80%. Some of these countries now only host around three people, their sources suggest. Teams in Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, and Belgium might not have been impacted.

When reached for comment, OnePlus didn’t necessarily deny the layoffs, but did suggest this was all “normal restructuring” and that they are putting focus in other key markets. In fact, OnePlus said they are hiring “in the region,” though we don’t know exactly where.

Signs of a Struggle Were There

As noted in this report, OnePlus hasn’t exactly been killing it in Europe for some time now. The UK, which was thought to be a hotspot for OnePlus and is often a location where OnePlus hosts events to launch new products, saw similar cuts last summer. OnePlus has also struggled to maintain carrier partners, with only 3 currently selling the OnePlus 8 series and EE discontinuing their partnership.

OnePlus is also reportedly planning to move its headquarters from London to Helsinki. That type of move would certainly align with no cuts happening in the Nordic region and potential hiring happening.

OnePlus Hit Its Peak?

There is a quote in this Engadget story from an analyst who suggests that the OnePlus 7 line-up might have been the “peak” moment for the company. That after that, the launch of the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G was mostly a bust and OnePlus has fallen into some sort of over-promising and under-delivering trap.

I don’t necessarily think I agree with over-promising, I just think they want to play in a new category that may not suit them as well. As I’ve mentioned before, specifically in my OnePlus 8 Pro review, we liked OnePlus as a brand because of the value we got and the prices we paid for the set of specs delivered. OnePlus no longer wants to play in that area and instead wants to go head-to-head with Samsung.

We’ll have to keep a close eye on how the OnePlus 8 series rolls out.

// Engadget

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