HN headline needs a change. It's North America, not just the USA.

OnePlus One (aka "bacon") changed the industry

The oneplus open (2023) is such a great phone, what a shame

Almost 5 billion humans have smartphones - as a species wide achievement its utterly incredible. And yet there are two major manufacturers and not even ten with 100M plus handsets (apple, Samsung, xiaomi, oppo, vivo, huawei)

This is a strategic risk right up there with AI ans starlink - and while we don’t want it to stay this way, it’s even harder to imagine how to fix it.

we are descending into a balkanised world of trade wars and threats. Imagine huawei, or apple being told by their respective governments to turn off security services for phones in europe, for example.

It’s not just an AI arms race.

(My tentative solution is governments start to handout devices that provide NFC digital IDs and start growing from there… but that’s a long way from “as good as apple”

OnePlus had operations in the USA?

They should make a phone with completely open bootloader. As censorship and surveillance is going to be implemented across the West, that could be a great differentiator from the brands supporting loss of liberty.

This came out of nowhere, I was even considering getting a OnePlus.

I remember when OnePlus marketed themselves as the sort of inexpensive flagship. These past few cycles they've certainly been flagship phones but I don't think there's really been a differentiator.

so they settled?

That's too bad. Had exactly 2 OnePlus devices in the past 8 years.

My current one is a 4 year old Nord 2T still going strong, and in fact K am surprised it still received a recent security update when EOL has been reached.

Time is approaching to switch to a new device. Not sure where to go next. Perhaps I'll wait for the GrapheneOS device.