OnePlus hits supply chain snags, starts to ration to keep up with demand
by Jared Peters
OnePlus is apparently having a pretty hard time keeping the OnePlus 8 Pro in stock in certain parts of the world. This isn’t quite the same ordeal as what the company went through when they first launched the OnePlus One with a terrible invite system, but the end result is the same; too many people want the phones, and there aren’t enough phones to go around.
The solution this time around is to do flash sales where you’ll only be able to buy the OnePlus 8 during specific time slots. It’s not great, but perhaps that’s better than nothing.
OnePlus 8 flash sale
Apparently there are some components that are being delivered a couple weeks after being ordered, which is putting a pretty big delay on people in Europe actually being able to buy the OnePlus 8 Pro.
To combat this, you’ll only be able to buy a OnePlus 8 Pro on Thursdays going forward, and it’ll be first-come-first-served. The first sale, which is tomorrow, May 28th, will see the 12/256GB Glacial Green model available alongside the Ultramarine Blue variant. Going forward, though, only the green model will be available, at least until stock normalizes again. No telling how long that will be.
Unfortunately, these phones are full price, so it’s not the same “sale” that we’re used to.
In India you’ll face similar issues. The regular OnePlus 8 will be available on Friday, May 29th. The OnePlus 8 Pro has been pushed back indefinitely, however, so don’t hold your breath on that one.
You can probably chalk this one up to COVID-19 related supply chain problems that should normalize by the end of the year, but we’re just guessing. If you’re trying to snag a deal, you might want to hold out on the phone for a few months, no matter how good it is.
source: OnePlus