CHINESE smartphone vendor OnePlus is stepping up push to target the mass consumer market with its latest 5G model 9RT. The move came after OnePlus recorded 257 percent year-on-year growth in global shipments in the first half of this year. In the Chinese market, where competition is highly intense, OnePlus also saw 124 percent year-on-year growth in shipments in the first six months of this year. Liu Zuohu, founder of OnePlus, said the company is confident in selling more than 10 million units of smartphones this year. Though such a volume does not sound big in the smartphone industry, it is actually not easy for a brand that focuses only on the premium segment, Liu said. OnePlus is ratcheting up resources to transform itself from a niche, premium brand to be a brand that targets the mass market. It is developing a diversified product strategy and actively expanding the product line to cover a wider user base. The latest phone 9RT, unveiled last week, is equipped with a triple-lens camera. The primary lens is a 50-megapixel unit and it is paired with a 16MP ultra-wide-angle lens and a 2MP depth sensor. The front camera is housed in a punch hole and it uses a 16MP sensor. It is powered by the U.S. chip giant Qualcomm Inc.’s Snapdragon 888 chipset with up to 256 gigabytes of storage. (China Daily) | 