The OnePlus X officially ditches the infamous invite system and is readily available to all prospective customers, no longer making customers jump through hoops to get the handset.
OnePlus made some serious waves with its "flagship killer" strategy, offering high-end devices at a fraction of the cost of other comparable flagships with similar specifications. However, the company decided to make its smartphones available only through invites, which severely limited their reach.
Many consumers complained that they wanted to buy a OnePlus smartphone, but didn't get the chance because they did not have an invite to make the purchase. One year in, OnePlus eventually ditched the invite system for its first handset, the OnePlus One, but kept the strategy in place for the OnePlus 2 and the subsequent OnePlus X smartphones.
The company later made the OnePlus 2 available without invites this past holiday season, roughly four months after the smartphone's release, and the OnePlus X is now the next in line to get the same treatment.
The OnePlus X is the third handset in the company's lineup and, unlike the OnePlus One and OnePlus 2, it caters to the mid-range segment of the smartphone market rather than the high-end one. The affordable handset stirred plenty of interest and it's now actually available at last, going on sale without invites.
"We're extremely excited to be making the OnePlus X invite-free more quickly this time around. With every device we release, we grow more mature and more adept at handling the demands and expectations of our community," OnePlus notes in its announcement. "We largely owe our success to your unrelenting support, so we hope that this development will make the process of purchasing your very own OnePlus X as smooth and effortless as it can possibly be."
The OnePlus X made its debut back in November 2015 and required invites so far, but it's now finally on regular sale. This means that it's ditching the invite system far sooner than its predecessors, hinting at a future when OnePlus may no longer require invites at all. Perhaps the OnePlus 3 will be invite-free from the get-go?
The company opted for this invite system to avoid making more devices than it could sell. With OnePlus smartphones becoming increasingly popular, however, that may no longer be a major concern.
"With every device we release, we grow more mature and more adept at handling the demands and expectations of our community," OnePlus further adds.
The OnePlus X is now readily available for the same starting price of $249.00, listed as in stock and ready to ship. OnePlus is also sweetening the deal with some neat discounts, shaving up to 20 percent off select accessories.
Lastly, it's worth pointing out that the OnePlus X is also receiving a software update, moving to OxygenOS 2.2.0, so here's what to expect from this upgrade. Alternately, the company also offered a guide on how to root OnePlus smartphones, in case users prefer to tinker with their handsets.
