OnePlus 3 could get a price hike due to Brexit
The smartphone manufacturer warns the falling value of the GBP could mean a rise in its UK prices
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Affordable smartphone manufacturer OnePlus has warned that it may have to increase the price of its latest handset, the OnePlus 3, in the UK in light of the result of the EU referendum and the prospective Brexit.
Releasing a statement on its blog entitled "Brexit means hard choices need to be made", the company said that due to "uncertainty following the unexpected Brexit developments" and "the worrying downward trend of the GBP" it would be hard for OnePlus to maintain its pricing structure in the UK. "Our margins have always been thin, and our expenses are mainly in USD. This being the case, sudden drops such as the one that the Pound has recently experienced could have a direct impact on our prices."
The statement only directly refers to an increase for the company’s most recent release the OnePlus 3, which was released in the UK on June 14 for £309 and promptly sold out. It's not entirely impossible that previous OnePlus releases could also be affected, given that the price hike has been caused by the economic climate and not the handset itself.
OnePlus has been forced to increase its handset prices once before due to an uncertain economic climate at the beginning of 2015, when the value of the Euro dropped significantly against the US dollar. On that occasion the price of the handset increased €30 for its 16GB version and €50 for the more expensive 64GB version.
In its statement OnePlus went on to say that it was making the announcement now so as not to blindside its UK customers and to encourage anyone thinking of buying the handset to do so "sooner rather than later." That said, the price rise isn’t confirmed just yet and OnePlus promise there will be "several days notice" if there is to be one.
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