OnePlus targets Sony employees in announcing new European R&D center

OnePlus CEO Carl Pei took to Google+ over the weekend to announce the company is building a new research and development center in Europe that the company plans to launch in the latter half of 2015. The wording is a little vague as to whether work has already started on the new facility or if a location has been decided on. The other curious part of the announcement is that Pei linked to an article about Sony cutting 1,000 jobs in its smartphone division, including some in Europe. Apparently OnePlus hopes to scoop up some of these former Sony employees.

Thus far no additional details have been revealed about OnePlus’s plan to open a European R&D center or why they would choose that part of the globe. Some sources suggest OnePlus may be hoping to get a different worldview into their design pipeline, although their devices have certainly not lacked for interest on the part of buyers. Others suggest OnePlus may be hoping a view that European products are more rugged and reliable may rub off on their smartphones.

Whatever the reason OnePlus has picked for pursuing a European based presence with a new R&D center, any impact will not be felt until 2016 devices hit the market given the timeline for the release of the OnePlus 2.

source: +Carl Pei
via: phoneArena

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