No invite needed for OnePlus 3, but you might have to wait a while
By James Rogerson 28 June 2016
But it's not all bad news
One of the biggest criticisms about previous OnePlus handsets had nothing to do with the phones themselves and everything to do with how hard they were to get hold of, as at launch the likes of the OnePlus 2 and OnePlus X needed an invitation to buy.
So it was great to hear that with the OnePlus 3 there would be no invites required, yet this hasn't led to a perfectly smooth launch, especially in the UK, where output delays have meant there's been less stock available than expected.
Coupled with seemingly huge demand for the OnePlus 3 this has meant that some customers have been waiting two weeks for their handsets. But it's not all bad news, as OnePlus has confirmed that it should have all outstanding orders from before today shipped by Thursday, and that starting next week processing times will be back to normal.
To make up for the delay the company will be emailing customers with outstanding orders a voucher for £16 with no minimum order required for free shipping.
That's enough to grab certain accessories from the OnePlus store, though even that hasn't been without its share of problems, as the company reports that some vouchers aren't working correctly and its team is trying to rectify the situation.
So it's fair to say that the OnePlus 3 launch could have gone a bit smoother and as annoying as invites are they help ensure supply can meet demand. But the situation should be settling down now, so if your handset hasn't arrived yet it hopefully will soon.
And it should be worth the wait, as we found the OnePlus 3 to be an excellent phone in our review. Hopefully for the OnePlus 4 there'll be an excellent launch to go along with it.
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