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OnePlus developed a smartwatch but scrapped plans to release it

By Christian de Looper Published June 6, 2016

OnePlus X — Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

The smartwatch is still very much in its infancy, both in terms of software and hardware — it just doesn’t seem as though the technology is there yet to create truly useful smartwatches. That’s perhaps why OnePlus decided against releasing a smartwatch, even though it had already put the research and development into creating one.

It seems as though OnePlus didn’t just plan on building a smartwatch — it actually built one, but felt like it couldn’t put the device in production.

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“We had completed the design but we still decided to scrap it. We have to be focused,” said OnePlus CEO Pete Lau at the Converge conference in Hong Kong. Basically, the company didn’t want to release a smartwatch just for the sake of releasing one.

While his reasoning might be a little frustrating for some, it does make sense. Lau points to the current Chinese smartphone market as an example — the market is saturated enough to where small companies like OnePlus have to be very selective in the devices they bring to market, especially compared to large companies like Huawei. The flip side of deciding against a smartwatch means that the company can focus more on creating excellent smartphones.

Lau thinks that the shift in strategy means OnePlus will be a part of a smaller field of competitors in the future thanks to its focus, while other companies will die because of a lack of focus. Maybe when that day comes, OnePlus will finally be able to release a smartwatch.

It’s important to note that just because OnePlus hasn’t released a smartwatch yet doesn’t mean it won’t in the future. Still, Lau’s comments certainly suggest that a OnePlus smartwatch isn’t on the books for now, essentially meaning that we shouldn’t expect any big reveals alongside the OnePlus 3.

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Christian de Looper

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Christian de Looper is a long-time freelance writer who has covered every facet of the consumer tech and electric vehicle…

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