Chinese smartphone manufacturer, OnePlus, has turned its back on foldable phones, revealing it’s instead working on a range of ultra-smart TVs.
The vendor has received international praise for its affordable high-tech handsets, said to be comparable with Huawei and Samsung.
Reported by Italian news outlet Repubblica, OnePlus Chief Executive, Peter Lau, asserts smartphones are no longer enough, with TV, automotive and computers among future growth categories.
Having explored foldable phone tech for over a year, Lau asserts the handsets are primarily niche devices at current – pending thinner displays, and more agile folding mechanisms.
Despite the high price of foldable phones, Lau claims the devices don’t offer significantly different functional features than a traditional smartphone.
Labelling ‘smart displays’/TVs as the next growth driver, Mr Lau considers remote controllers ‘outdated’, with smart assistant integration and customised artificial intelligence the way of the future.
Whilst a launch date remains unclear, OnePlus’ TV project is reportedly the furthermost progressed amongst its other R&D pursuits – e.g. computing and automotive tech.
In Australia, OnePlus phones remain difficult to acquire, with the company placing a “hold” on local sales pending sufficient after-sales support.
