OnePlus expands its gaming phone offering with new Ace series TechNode

OnePlus, the Chinese smartphone maker owned by Oppo, has launched a new product line named Ace, targeting the global mobile gaming market. The company released the first model in the series on Thursday, priced at RMB 2,499 ($384).

Why is this important: OnePlus is expanding its offering to the global mobile gaming market after launching OnePlus 9R last year.

• Chinese phone makers, like Xiaomi, have been known to use gaming performance metrics to sell their phones. OnePlus is fighting to be a strong contender in this vertical.
• The mobile gaming market is booming, and global gaming revenue will reach $116.1 billion in 2024, according to estimates from global gaming analytics firm Newzoo.

Details: On Tuesday, OnePlus unveiled the new Ace product line for mobile gaming, along with new entry-level True Wireless Stereo (TWS) headphones at a launch event.

• Ace’s first model is powered by a custom processor designed by MediaTek. The 8100-MAX processor is said to be optimized for high-performance gaming and low-light videography. The new phone also has a 6.7-inch screen and a refresh rate of 120 provided by a Chinese display manufacturer BOE, and comes with a fingerprint scanner, which supports the detection heart rate. OnePlus also announced an external cooler which they claim improves overheating issues in mobile games.
• The series names, Ace, and the black and blue case color are aimed at OnePlus’ targeted mobile gaming users. In many games, the term ace refers to a player who has defeated all of his enemies. The black and blue color versions of the phone also bear the names Kaihei and Huilan, which are gaming terms in popular Dota games.

The context: OnePlus merged with Oppo, another major smartphone brand in China, last year and is now an independent brand under the Oppo umbrella, focusing on overseas markets.

• In the high-end smartphone market, where phones sell for over $400, OnePlus ranked fourth in North America in terms of sales in 2021. The brand is even more popular in India, where it is ranked second among high-end smartphones, behind Apple.
• On the brand’s eighth anniversary last year, Liu Zuohu, the founder of OnePlus and CPO of Oppo, announced that the company had shipped 10 million phones worldwide since its founding in 2013.