The OnePlus Ace has been revealed, after weeks of teasing. This is a mid-range Android phone with the main feature of 150W ultra-fast charging, but with mediocre specs in other areas.
Admittedly, it’s the same as the Realme GT Neo 3, which was unveiled less than a month ago by OnePlus’ sister brand – but that’s not why we won’t be testing this phone.
No, availability concerns mean we probably won’t be able to mess with this new OnePlus phone.
Can you buy a OnePlus Ace?
The OnePlus Ace was revealed at a launch event in China, and when we see the phones unveiled in the country, they are rarely shown globally.
In fact, a OnePlus spokesperson told us, “We don’t have any plans to share it at the moment in connection with the European launch. However, OnePlus always carefully tracks the market, and in close collaboration with our community, this may change in the future.”
We asked for comment in the US but didn’t hear anything there. So, for now at least, it looks like the OnePlus Ace will be very difficult to buy outside of China.
Why can’t you buy a OnePlus Ace outside of China?
OnePlus isn’t the only company that has revealed exclusive phones for the huge China market. Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei, Honor, Vivo, Realme, Oppo, and many more have been famous in the past – it’s pretty standard practice, in fact.
but why? Well, brands do not generally make comprehensive statements about the market like that, but the reason is most likely a combination of a combination of factors including preferences and inclinations in the market – all but one of the above companies are in the country. Remember that outside of the West, Apple’s iPhones have significantly less market share, and other brands are dominating the market.
We see enough devices getting exclusivity in China (and sometimes even India launches) for that to be the norm. But it’s a little annoying in the case of the OnePlus Ace.
Why the OnePlus Ace exclusivity is a surprise
The OnePlus Ace was first shown in February, at MWC 2022 (the annual smartphone conference). At the end of Oppo’s keynote (Oppo and OnePlus merged in 2021), the company teased a 150W charging solution that will debut in a OnePlus phone.
This is clearly the OnePlus Ace. So why is exclusivity a surprise? Well, because MWC 2022 will take place in Barcelona. In Spain. Which is definitely not in China.
MWC is often used as a venue for Chinese brands to launch phones in the West that debuted in China. So when we hear about the technology here, it’s almost certain that it will make it to Europe, and sometimes the United States as well.
So, the launch of OnePlus Ace in China is a surprise that goes against that trend.
Shame
Exclusivity in China, which is so common in the phone industry, is a shame because it’s usually the cool and interesting phones that stay shut down in the country.
The OnePlus Ace is a great example, as are foldables like the Oppo Find N and Honor Magic V.
We hope OnePlus will change its mind about the OnePlus Ace, so we can test the 150W ultra-fast charging in real life. Perhaps Realme will ignite the flames of competition under OnePlus, as the aforementioned GT Neo 3 has a much better chance of eventually reaching Europe (since the Neo 2 did).
One of the reasons Apple’s launch generated so much excitement is that you know iPhones will be on sale in many regions around the world. This is not true for most other brands. You can only get excited about Xiaomi launching so many times, before you start to realize that most of its launches are only for China.
Hopefully we won’t see a lot of launches just for China. Otherwise, OnePlus buyers may lose interest in all the company’s launch events.