To mark the one-year anniversary of their flagship killer, OnePlus announced that it open up a sale system that no longer requires invites. However, the invite system will stay in place for the newly confirmed OnePlus 2.

It may seem odd to use the same invite-based sale system for a whole year, especially considering the demand for the OnePlus One. However, the manufacturer has explained on numerous occasions the reason behind this decision. First of all, they are not Samsung, so they neither need or want to spend a lot of money on marketing their products. If the users are satisfied with what they’re getting, they’ll recommend the smartphones to others. It definitely looks like some companies have underestimated the power of word-of-mouth marketing. Secondly, OnePlus made razor-thin profits off of their flagship killer. By eliminating suppliers and offering the OnePlus One straight to the buyers, the company cut out the middle man and made sure that people are getting the best possible bang for their buck.

Now that the invite system is gone, anyone wanting to buy one of the best smartphones of 2014 only have to visit OnePlus.net. To maintain the same excellent price-quality ratio, the company will continue to sell the upcoming OnePlus Two using invites. As frustrating as that may sound, getting an invite is not impossible, as they often run contents on their forum and Facebook page, not to mention that there are people out there who are winning invites and don’t use them (incredible, right?).

Word has it that the OnePlus 2 won’t be the only smartphone the company will launch in 2015. There have been a lot of rumors lately about OnePlus One Lite, an Android phone with better specs than last year’s flagship killer, yet lesser than OnePlus Two’s. That makes their whole naming convention a tad bit confusing, to say the least, as they could’ve gone with another name. It is yet unclear if this device is real or not, and if it will be sold using invites, as well.

Regardless of how OnePlus decides to sell its devices, one thing is certain: their smartphones can compete anytime of the day against others that cost twice as much or more. In other words, OnePlus has showed the entire world that people don’t have to break the bank in order to own a very capable Android smartphone.

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