Smartphone manufacturer OnePlus will no longer release its Concept One smartphone as the phone maker has decided to end its partnership with McLaren earlier this week.
This was confirmed by a McLaren spokesperson to Android Authority after rumors of the split surfaced last week. A Reddit user noticed that OnePlus is no longer listed as a McLaren's partner in the company's website, although OnePlus is said to be on the list until March 29.
As OnePlus ends its partnership with McLaren, Concept One smartphone remains a concept
Initially, OnePlus said they had "no comment to provide" when contacted by Android Authority regarding the split. While the McLaren spokesperson provided no reason why the companies ended the partnership, he confirmed the split as "scheduled."
"Our partnership with OnePlus, which came to its scheduled conclusion recently, has been a highly successful collaboration between two iconic and innovative brands," the McLaren spokesperson said in a statement. "OnePlus has been a supportive, valued partner and we wish them well and hope to see them in the future."
With this break-up, OnePlus will no longer release the current McLaren models, as well as the concept phone the company showed earlier this year.
During CES 2020, OnePlus showed off the Concept One, the company's first first-ever concept smartphone. It's covered in a papaya-hued leather that McLaren uses for some of its cars.
The OnePlus Concept One was seen as the first device in a series. It carried OnePlus' commitment of bringing innovative technology for a smoother, faster, and more efficient smartphone experience. It showed a clean union of new technology and alternative design for future smartphones, although the latter is still unclear of what it could be.
In its promotional material, they proclaimed that with its industry-first disappearing rear camera, the #OnePlusConceptOne was a testament to their passion for challenging convention. "Witness the beauty of the unseen at #CES2020, January 7-10. The #OnePlusConceptOne is an alternate design approach for an alternate vision of the future."
However, since it is still a concept device and the companies' collaboration has already ended, we may never see this device on the shelves.
The OnePlus-McLaren partnership
The two companies' partnership began in 2018 when OnePlus launched their McLaren phones, upgraded varieties of their basic counterparts. Their first offering was the OnePlus 6T McLaren, which carried 10GB of RAM instead of just 6GB or 8GB. It promised to bring speed that one would expect from a "race car-branded handset." It also had the Warp Charge 30 that promised to provide power for the whole day with just 20 minutes of charging.
Meanwhile, their second offering, the OnePlus 7T Pro McLaren, boasted 12GB of RAM and 5G connectivity, which the standard Oneplus 7T Pro does not have. That is why it was more expensive than the latter's $699 starting price. The McLaren version also carried the black and orange signature color scheme with a pattern on the back casing that added sophistication to the device.
McLaren's spokesperson did not give additional detail on why the two companies did not renew the partnership. However, perhaps the deal is better off since we still don't have the ideal market for luxurious versions of smartphones after trying to compete with Huawei Mate 30 Porsche Edition, the Oppo Find X Lamborghini, and other expensive devices.
