14 DAY TRIAL // OnePlus unveiled the flagship killer OnePlus 3 in June, during the Loop VR event that was held in a virtual reality space station. The smartphone took the market by storm, and the company has enjoyed a high demand for its latest flagship.
The launch of OnePlus 3 signaled the first time OnePlus didn't instate the invitation system for a flagship smartphone. Thus, the company welcomed customers to purchase the device from its website, without having to register in advance.
The main advantage of the invitation system was that OnePlus didn't have to worry about supply significantly surpassing demand, as the company could estimate the number of smartphones to be produced based on the number of invites. Reporting a mismatch between supply and demand was thus improbable.
Without this system, there was always the risk of supply overwhelming demand and the company being left with too many unsold devices. The opposite seems to be happening with the OnePlus 3. The company has recently announced on its forum that sales in 24 countries across Europe will be halted starting August 9 at 6pm EDT until September 12 at 5.59pm EDT.
OnePlus will put up a web page to announce when orders will resume
Sales will be paused in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain.
Orders placed prior to August 9 won't be affected by the sales halt, and the smartphone will be shipped on the estimated date. OnePlus CEO Carl Pei has stated that the company will put up a page where consumers can leave their email address and get notified when orders resume. OnePlus is now focused on producing more OnePlus 3 units so that supply could match demand.
This isn't the first time OnePlus has encountered problems with the demand for OnePlus 3. Following the release in the UK, customers who pre-ordered the phone experienced some delays with shipments due to the fact that demand was higher than the company initially estimated.