Ever since OnePlus debuted in India, it has been conducting surgical strikes against the big players in the industry, which naturally includes Samsung. After successfully executing its "flagship killer" phenomena all these years, OnePlus might be in for some real challenge.
Samsung, the world's largest smartphone brand, is fighting back for its dominance in the market by making sure it has a grip on all price categories. From budget phones to mid-range devices and its premium flagship series, Samsung covered all but an affordable premium segment. This is where OnePlus thrived like no other brand and Samsung has dedicated its resources to take the fight to OnePlus.
Samsung retaliates
Samsung has been facing stiff competition from various Chinese brands and OnePlus is only one of them. Another key player, Xiaomi has challenged Samsung's dominance and successfully grabbed the lion's share in the Indian smartphone market. But Samsung is eyeing OnePlus' growing market share before pointing the gun to Xiaomi.
OnePlus 2020 flagships made quite a splash in the industry with their compelling features. Even though OnePlus is spiking prices of its phones, the company justifies it well by offering features consumers only see in premium flagships. Here's how the OnePlus 2020 lineup is priced in India:
| Model | Price |
| OnePlus 7 | starts at Rs 29,999 |
| OnePlus 7 Pro | starts at Rs 39,999 |
| OnePlus 7T | starts at Rs 34,999 |
| OnePlus 7T Pro | starts at Rs 53,999 |
OnePlus found the sweet spot for positioning its premium flagship smartphones, but Samsung is retaliating. The South Korean tech titan has launched two premium smartphones and OnePlus should be worried. Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite and Galaxy S10 Lite have been launched in India to challenge OnePlus with a competitive price tag.
Samsung's new warriors
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite was launched in India this week, carrying a price tag of Rs 38,999 for 6GB RAM model and Rs 40,999 for the 8GB variant. Now, the company has launched the Galaxy S10 Lite in India for Rs 39,999. These phones are positioned smartly in the Indian market and challenge OnePlus 7 Pro, OnePlus 7T and even OnePlus 7T Pro to an extent.
Complimenting those attractive price points, both Galaxy Lite phones have exciting features one can only hope to get from Samsung.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite
Display: 6.7-inch Full HD+ SuperAMOLED Infinity-O display
Main camera: 12MP ultra-wide (f2.2) + 12MP Dual Pixel (f/1.7 OIS) + 12MP (f.24 OIS) telephoto
Front camera: 32MP snapper with f/2.2 aperture.
CPU: Exynos 9810
RAM: 6GB/8GB
Storage: 128GB
Battery: 4,500mAh with Super-Fast Charging
OS: Android 10-based OneUI 2.0
Add-ons: S-Pen, in-display fingerprint scanner, dual SIM, 4G VoLTE and more
Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite
Display: 6.7-inch Full HD+ SuperAMOLED Infinity-O display
Main camera: 48MP f/2.0 Super Steady + 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide + 5MP f/2.4 macro
Front camera: 32MP snapper with f/2.2 aperture
CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 128GB
Battery: 4,500mAh with Super-Fast Charging
OS: Android 10-based OneUI 2.0
Add-ons: In-display fingerprint scanner, dual SIM, 4G VoLTE and more
These features certainly strike as a compelling package for the asking price. Launching "Lite" versions of the high-end flagships smartphones could be an excellent move on Samsung's behalf, but there are some compromises one might have to settle for choosing these new phones. On the other hand, since these phones compete against the best of OnePlus, the surely instil confusion in people's minds as they plan to buy a new phone.
OnePlus definitely needs to come back stronger in 2020 and focus especially on the pricing of its phones.
