Android Central Labs
Android Central Labs is a weekly column dedicated to deep dives, experiences, and focusing on the technology you use. Covers phones, tablets and everything in between.
OnePlus announced earlier this week it no longer releases new phones in the US and Europe. Existing devices will continue to be supported, but the company is effectively leaving those markets, and for people like me, that’s a problem.
The OnePlus 13 It remains the only smartphone I have ever given 5 out of 5 for. Looking back to early 2025, it’s clear that this was the company’s last-ditch effort to impress prospective buyers, and I know it would have worked if OnePlus had better engaged with US carriers. The thing is, smartphones, especially flagships, live or die by carrier availability, and OnePlus can be found in exactly zero carrier stores in the US.
This big misstep is one of many the company has made over the years, but it was probably the single biggest problem in a deeply broken retail system that simply couldn’t be fixed. Losing OnePlus is especially a bummer in the US, as no other smartphone company in the country pushes the specs the way OnePlus does, and no flagship phone here has a flicker-free display.
That’s not to say there aren’t some other phones globally better screens Unlike the OnePlus 13 or 15, however, the company’s models are the only option for PWM-sensitive people in the US. OnePlus 12 has debutedand now it is difficult to know where these people will turn.
What makes OnePlus and its displays so great?
I wrote about PWM dimming and its adverse effects on humans as I am sensitive to PWM in early 2023. My sensitivity Galaxy Z Fold 4 very often in low light (I regularly read on my phone at night in bed) and it took me months to learn that the dimming of the PWM was the cause of the ever-decreasing headaches.
OnePlus and Motorola were among the first companies to make phones that I could comfortably use again, and it was amazing to me that these companies addressed the Big Three.appleSamsung, Google) seemed unaware. There is also honor to be lovely among the PWM-sensitive community over the years, but the company operates primarily in Europe rather than North America.
Now that OnePlus has left the US market, the only companies making flagship phones with more robust dimming options are Motorola and Nothing. Smaller vendors like TCL and Nuu also make phones with healthier displays, but those companies usually aim higher. releases on a budgetNot the specific boundary-pushing flagships that OnePlus has been making for a long time.
It was Motorola’s last traditional flagship phone in the US Edge Plus 2023and while the company is pushing folding phone lines Razr Ultra and Razr Fold since then, there’s been no sign of an iPhone, Galaxy S Ultra or Pixel competitor from them. Nothing makes pretty good phones, but even the company’s “flagship” phone is not a true flagship.
For people sensitive to glare, the only real solution is to either choose a low-quality phone or import something, and both options have their downsides. Oppo told Android Central that Realme is replacing OnePlus in the global market, but was not specific about a US presence. And so the problem of what to do remains.
My recommendation right now is to buy everything OnePlus has until it’s gone. The company is still offering the promised seven-year support for the OnePlus 13 and 15, and the OnePlus 15R the best OLED display for people sensitive to flicker I have seen so far. If something goes wrong, you’ll still get warranty support.
But the future looks bleak at best. No Chinese-based company wants to enter the tumultuous US market due to politics, and apart from UK-based Nothing, no new brands have entered the market for some time.
Unless Samsung suddenly decides it doesn’t care about the health of our eyes, or if vendors like Google and Apple start adopting such displays. better solutions for eye carethe only real solution is to import and hope the phone works on your carrier of choice, and that’s a pretty bad place to be.
