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- OnePlus China has spoken out regarding the OnePlus 12’s quality control and making complaints about the quality.
- The company says that the gap between the camera housing and the rest of the phone is not a design or quality issue.
- However, OnePlus and Xiaomi executives have exchanged verbal blows regarding the issue.
Updated: December 12, 2023 (8:55 a.m. ET): OnePlus has now issued a statement via email to Robot body Regarding the OnePlus 12’s durability concerns. The statement is largely identical to the post shared by Oneplus China President Li Jie Louis (read the original article below) and also directs users to read the post.
Check out the full statement below:
We have noticed that posts are being circulated on Weibo, which make misleading and baseless claims, and our Chinese team continues to monitor these posts and take appropriate action against them. You can find a full statement from the OnePlus China President at https://weibo.com/7582893032/NwLNd4R3v.At OnePlus, we place great importance on delivering products of exceptional quality and reliability. For this reason, we design all of our phones to be durable and prevent breakage while allowing for differences in coefficients of thermal expansion and contraction between the materials we use.
The OnePlus 12 phone includes three different materials in its stunning design, including the back glass, camera module and middle frame, and it is common to use industry standard adhesives to seal the joint points to improve the overall aesthetic appearance of the device.
The device’s camera module features a curved design that serves two purposes – enhancing the aesthetics of the device and integrating an antenna to significantly improve signal reception, while allowing the OnePlus 12 to be dust-resistant and water-resistant.
Original article: December 12, 2023 (8:05 a.m. ET): The OnePlus 12 is already available in China, but some early users complained about a gap between the camera housing and the rest of the phone. A few other users also complained about excess glue in the seam between the chassis and the back cover.
Now, OnePlus China president Li Jie Louis has posted a lengthy response to the issues on Weibo. For starters, the executive claimed that this is “not actually a quality or design issue.”
OnePlus addresses the concerns of the OnePlus 12
The executive clarified the claim in the machine-translated post:
Due to the different thermal expansion and contraction coefficients of different materials and mass production requirements, any mobile phone will maintain a certain tolerance to prevent it from being easily broken.
Products should actually be designed with tolerances in mind. If you fail to incorporate these tolerances into your phone, you could experience a catastrophic malfunction such as the camera lens cracking or the glass back covering automatically cobwebbing.
Lee also seemed to confirm in the post that flagship phones generally use a glue application process. Then again, it doesn’t seem like the use of glue is the issue as much as the fact that it’s clearly visible, judging by the user photos below.
Lee also reassured users that the gap in the OnePlus 12’s camera housing did not affect the phone’s IP rating, noting that dust-proof layers and water-resistant coatings are being implemented inside the phone.
The OnePlus executive also said that users who don’t like the OnePlus 12 for any reason can exchange or return it within seven days.
OnePlus and Xiaomi are fighting each other
The head of the Chinese company OnePlus also expressed his dissatisfaction with competing companies that drew attention to this issue. Xiaomi CEO Lu Weibing did not mention OnePlus by name but confirmed on Weibo yesterday that these issues were due to less stringent quality control standards.
“Some brand executives often end up maliciously misleading the public,” a OnePlus representative said, likely referring to Lu. “They do not dare to compare the capabilities of their products and only dare to make small moves. Obviously there is a certain friend who is worried about the threat to his main product (sic).”
Redmi General Manager Lu Weibing doubled down on his criticism of the OnePlus 12.
These factors included the different materials used in this area of the phone (back cover, camera cover, and frame), the larger bending radius of the phone due to the thicker design, tolerance standards that varied from company to company, and material tolerances correspondingly tended to amplify the gap.
“In the face of this disaster, the emergency solution is ‘glue distribution.’ However, if the distribution is not done in a dust-free factory, foreign materials will easily stick to it.
In fact, one of the images shared on Weibo (shown above) shows an insect in the phone’s glue.
Do you think the build quality of the OnePlus 12 is worrying?
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Lu also admitted that the visual appearance of the glue does not affect the usability of the phone and that it won’t be a big deal if you don’t care much about the look of the device.
Either way, we’re happy to see OnePlus China allowing users to return or exchange their OnePlus 12 units if they’re not satisfied. But we’re not sure if the company will improve the build quality in time for the global release. We are also not sure if this return policy will apply to global users in case they are not satisfied with the build quality of the phone.
OnePlus and Xiaomi, two of the leading smartphone manufacturers, are currently in a heated competition over the quality control issues surrounding the release of the OnePlus 12. As consumers eagerly anticipate the launch of the new device, reports of potential manufacturing defects and glitches have caused concern. Both companies are working hard to address these issues and maintain the trust and confidence of their customer base. This competition highlights the importance of quality control in the smartphone industry and the intense pressure on manufacturers to deliver flawless products. As the situation continues to unfold, it will be interesting to see how OnePlus and Xiaomi navigate this challenge and strive for excellence in their respective offerings.