OnePlus has recently faced criticism from its customers and tech enthusiasts for falsely claiming that its latest budget flagship, the OnePlus 12R, comes with UFS 4.0 storage, which is faster and more power-efficient than the previous generation UFS 3.1.
OnePlus 12R does not have UFS 4.0 storage as advertised
The controversy started when some users compared the storage performance of the OnePlus 12R with the OnePlus 12, which also features UFS 4.0 storage, on platforms like Facebook and X. They found that the OnePlus 12R had significantly lower read and write speeds than the OnePlus 12, despite having the same storage type on the 16 GB RAM and 256 GB storage variant.
OnePlus initially denied any error and said that the OnePlus 12R had UFS 4.0 storage enhanced by its Trinity Engine, which optimizes CPU, RAM, and ROM performance. However, after more users raised queries and complaints, the company admitted its mistake and confirmed that both variants of the OnePlus 12R have UFS 3.1 storage.
In a community post, Kinder Liu, the president and COO of OnePlus, said that “due to an error, we stated that the storage enhanced by Trinity Engine would be UFS 4.0 in some variants. I can now confirm that the storage in all variants of the OnePlus 12R is still enhanced by Trinity Engine but is actually UFS 3.1.”
Another update from the OnePlus officials regarding the OnePlus 12R. #OnePlus #OnePlus12R pic.twitter.com/1MjJTCI3Ts
— Mukul Sharma (@stufflistings) February 12, 2024
Liu also said that the company regrets the oversight and encourages individuals who have pre-ordered or purchased the device to reach out to customer support for additional clarification. However, as of now, the company has not announced any compensation or refund policy for the affected customers.
OnePlus 12 does not support e-SIM in India as initially stated
Another issue that has angered OnePlus fans in India is the lack of e-SIM support for the OnePlus 12, which was launched in October 2023. An e-SIM is an industry-standard digital SIM that is an alternative to physical SIM cards. Most recent flagship smartphones support e-SIM connectivity, which allows users to switch between carriers without changing SIM cards.
OnePlus claimed that the OnePlus 12 supported e-SIM in India and thus users expected that it would be available via an OTA update. However, the company quietly and cleverly added a line on its website that said “Not supported” for the Indian models.
The company did not make any official announcement or apology for this change, unlike the OnePlus 12R storage issue, which affected all regions. Some users speculated that the company removed the e-SIM support for India due to regulatory or carrier-related reasons, but the company has not provided any explanation for its decision.
This has led to accusations of discrimination and double standards from Indian customers, who feel that OnePlus is offering e-SIM support to the USA and European markets but not to India, similar to how Xiaomi removes NFC support in its mid-range devices for the Indian market.
Conclusion
OnePlus, which started as a brand that challenged conventional concepts of technology and created exquisitely designed devices with premium build quality and high-performance hardware, has now lost some of its credibility and reputation due to these controversies.
The company, which thrives on cultivating strong bonds and growing together with its community of users and fans, has disappointed many of its loyal customers who feel cheated and misled by its false claims and lack of transparency.
OnePlus needs to address these issues and regain the trust of its customers by providing satisfactory solutions and ensuring that such errors do not happen again in the future. Otherwise, it may face a decline in its sales and market share, as well as a loss of its brand value and identity.
