OnePlus plans fresh investments to ramp up India manufacturing

Chinese handsetmaker OnePlus is exploring new manufacturing investments in India as the South Asian country continues to be its key growth market despite expansions across the world.

OnePlus founder Pete Lau told ET India would continue to be a key focus market for the Chinese handset brand as well as for its product offerings.

At present, OnePlus makes flagship devices in India along with mid-premium smartphones and smart TVs. It has already expanded into IT peripherals with the launch of monitors and will also launch keyboards soon.


"Our global presence continues to be extremely important...while we have seen expansion over the last few years, India will continue to be a key focus market for the brand as well as for our product offerings." Lau told ET. He added that OnePlus prioritises all its current markets, and all its users matter to the company equally.

Navnit Nakra, CEO of OnePlus India, said India is one of its biggest markets worldwide and the Chinese handset maker is committed to a long-term sustainable growth path. "We will continue to stay true to this commitment and explore manufacturing investments in India."

Nakra declined to quantify the upcoming investments in the local handset manufacturing space. OnePlus has previously said it will invest Rs 1,000 crore to expand its India R&D centre and Rs 100 crore for offline expansion.

In this context, Lau said OnePlus' global integration with Oppo has helped the company maximise resources better. "Oppo offers OnePlus access to its vast R&D resources and technologies that will be present in future OnePlus devices."

Back in September 2021, OnePlus was merged with its parent brand, Oppo. Both companies have since merged their R&D in India, though OnePlus continues to operate as a separate brand in the country.

Lau reiterated that OnePlus would maintain its distinctive characteristics at the product planning, brand proposition and marketing levels, and continue to operate independently.

OnePlus has plans to further expand its retail footprint in India. Earlier this year, it launched the OnePlus Boulevard, the world's largest OnePlus experience store in India, with an aim to extend the company's premium brand experience to the retail front.

India head Nakra said the ongoing 5G rollouts would give a shot-in-the-arm to the overall market and help the Chinese handset brand solidify its position.

"India has tremendous potential when it comes to consumer technology and it's an important market for OnePlus globally. The Indian smartphone industry is evolving at an incredibly fast pace and OEMs continue to push the envelope," he said.

OnePlus grew 35% on-year in the third quarter of CY2022, helped by its Nord CE 2 series and Nord 2T devices. The brand has remained at third spot in the premium segment (Rs 30,000 and above). OnePlus led the Rs 20,000-Rs 30,000 price band, driven by its Nord portfolio.