OnePlus Ace 5 Series: A Different Approach to Gaming Phones Can It Break the Niche Market Curse?

OnePlus Ace 5 Series: A Different Approach to Gaming Phones Can It Break the Niche Market Curse?Looking back at the evolution of the mobile phone industry, from business phones to music phones and beauty phones, these once-booming niche markets ultimately succumbed to the dominance of mainstream flagships. They all faced the existential question: "Why not just buy a flagship?" Ultimately, they faded into obscurity, becoming casualties of history

OnePlus Ace 5 Series: A Different Approach to Gaming Phones Can It Break the Niche Market Curse?

Looking back at the evolution of the mobile phone industry, from business phones to music phones and beauty phones, these once-booming niche markets ultimately succumbed to the dominance of mainstream flagships. They all faced the existential question: "Why not just buy a flagship?" Ultimately, they faded into obscurity, becoming casualties of history. However, there's one exception gaming phones. Even after a brief slump, the gaming phone category persists, with dedicated users still clamoring for them. On December 26th, OnePlus launched the OnePlus Ace 5 series in Chengdu's Science Fiction Museum, redefining the gaming phone market with a focus on "gaming."

Pricing:

OnePlus Ace 5:

• 12GB+256GB: 2299

• 16GB+256GB: 2499

• 12GB+512GB: 2799

• 16GB+512GB: 2999

• 16GB+1TB: 3499

OnePlus Ace 5 Pro:

• 12GB+256GB: 3399

• 16GB+256GB: 3699

• 12GB+512GB: 3999

• 16GB+512GB: 4199

• 16GB+1TB: 4699

This article will use the OnePlus Ace 5 series as a case study to explore the current state of the gaming phone industry and OnePlus's strategy for breaking through.

Light, Thin, and Refined: A Different Approach to Gaming Phones

• Starting in 2017, the rise of games like Honor of Kings and various "battle royale" titles fueled the explosion of the gaming phone market. Brands like Razer (with the Razer Phone), Black Shark, Red Magic, ROG, and Lenovo Legion jumped in, initially enjoying immense success. However, early gaming phones often suffered from rough designs and a lack of refinement. Their flashy appearances and excessive RGB lighting made them seem overly "chavvy," hindering their integration into daily life. This "rise and fall" phenomenon limited gaming phones, despite their superior performance, making them essentially "crippled" devices in other aspects.

Xiaomi's Lu Weibing revealed that in 2021, the total shipment volume of gaming phones in China was approximately 1.7 million units, compared to a total smartphone market shipment of 329 million units. Gaming phone sales didn't even reach a tenth of the overall market. This wasn't due to a lack of market demand, but rather because previous gaming phones took the wrong approach.

The OnePlus Ace 5 series emerges as a "disruptor," offering a new perspective on the gaming phone market. Built on the foundation of "lightness, thinness, and refinement," it breaks with traditional gaming phone design, creating a device that appeals to a broader audience.

OnePlus officially states that the OnePlus Ace 5 series is first and foremost an all-around phone, with powerful gaming performance being just one of its many highlights. OnePlus's approach is to align the design with flagship phones while ensuring powerful gaming performancea "suit-wearing thug," if you will. This aligns with OnePlus's consistent product strategy.

Design: Straight Screen, Narrow Bezels, Exquisite Craftsmanship

As gaming phones, the OnePlus Ace 5 and OnePlus Ace 5 Pro abandon the large curved screens of previous generations, opting for a straighter screen better suited for gaming. This straight screen boasts ultra-narrow bezels, as thin as 1.36mm, achieving an almost "even-width" look on all four sides. The 2.5D curved edges prevent accidental touches while ensuring a comfortable feel.

In terms of design craftsmanship, the "Gravity Titanium" of the OnePlus Ace 5 and the "Starry Sky Purple" of the OnePlus Ace 5 Pro utilize an industry-first star trail glass process, etching tens of thousands of star trail textures onto the glass, resulting in a stunning visual appeal. The "Celadon" and "White Moon Porcelain" color schemes use ceramic material, a unique feature in this price range.

Weighing in at only 8mm thick, the OnePlus Ace 5 series is remarkably slim for a gaming phone. Despite its thin profile, both the front and back feature relatively flat designs, intentionally widening the metal frame for a better grip and enhanced handling.

Performance: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 More Than Just Smooth Gaming

With today's advancements in mobile phone performance, smooth gameplay is no longer the sole criterion for a qualified gaming phone. The OnePlus Ace 5 Pro is powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, while the OnePlus Ace 5 features the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, both capable of handling the smooth operation of 99% of games currently on the market. In today's era of homogenized mobile chips, simple benchmark comparisons are meaningless. Lei Technology's tests show that the difference in game frame rates between various flagship phones and dedicated gaming phones is often only a few frames, making it imperceptible to the average user.

The key differentiating factors are heat dissipation, battery life, and network connectivity. After all, smooth gameplay is fundamental; comfortable gameplay is key.

Heat Dissipation: Tian Gong Cooling Elite and Feng Chi Game Core

• The OnePlus Ace 5 series employs a new cooling system, "Tian Gong Cooling Elite," and chip-level gaming technology, "Feng Chi Game Core," effectively reducing phone temperature during gameplay. Test data shows that during 6 hours of continuous gameplay in Honor of Kings, the OnePlus Ace 5 Pro reached a maximum temperature of only 37.7C, 2.3C lower than comparable models. Even with the currently most demanding game, Honkai: Star Rail, three hours of continuous gameplay kept the OnePlus Ace 5 Pro running at full frame rate while maintaining a low temperature.

Network: Esports Wi-Fi Chip G1

To address the network issues often faced by gamers, the OnePlus Ace 5 Pro is the first to feature the "Esports Wi-Fi Chip G1," boasting superior signal connection and penetration capabilities. In scenarios with walls obstructing the signal, the network latency is reduced by 30.2% compared to similar models without a Wi-Fi chip. The OnePlus Ace 5 Pro maintains stable communication even through three walls.

Battery Life: Glacial Battery and 100W Fast Charging

The OnePlus Ace 5 series features a new generation Glacial battery with a maximum capacity of 6400mAh, while maintaining a thickness of only 8.02mm, balancing slimness and long battery life. Paired with 100W fast charging technology, it effectively eliminates battery life anxiety.

Imaging: Flagship-Level Imaging Algorithm

Gaming and photography appear to be disparate fields, with gaming phones traditionally having weaker camera capabilities. However, the OnePlus Ace 5 series' main camera uses the Sony IMX906 sensor across the entire line, boosting light sensitivity by 27% compared to the previous generation and effectively reducing noise in nighttime photos. While the IMX906 sensor itself isn't a flagship-level sensor, thanks to the same imaging algorithm as the OnePlus 13 (and OPPO Find X8), the OnePlus Ace 5 series still delivers excellent image quality. It inherits numerous imaging features from the Find X8, such as "Shadowless Capture," "Live Photos," "Soft Light Portrait," and "Film Style," achieving a flagship level in color, image quality, and light and shadow control.

Value for Money: Flagship Experience at an Affordable Price

In the 2000+ RMB price range, many manufacturers emphasize their leading product capabilities, but in reality, they prioritize price competition, often relegating product capability to a secondary position. OnePlus is an exception. OnePlus consistently prioritizes product quality, sparing no expense and refusing to compromise on price. For example, the OnePlus Ace 5 uses a 1.5K Oriental screen, continuing the screen experience of the OnePlus 13, achieving top-tier performance in display effect, eye protection, and smoothness. Furthermore, high-end design elements like metal frames are standard across the OnePlus Ace 5 series. In terms of screen, chip, memory, and motor, the OnePlus Ace 5 series pursues higher standards. A better experience means higher technical requirements and costs, which explains how OnePlus has become a "best-seller machine" in the past two years.

The Success of the OnePlus Ace Series and Future Outlook

Thanks to the success of the Ace series, OnePlus's sales volume has continued to grow over the past two years. Earlier this year, Li Jie, President of OnePlus China, stated in an internal letter that OnePlus's total sales in 2023 increased by 185% year-on-year. The success of the Ace series is inseparable from its clear user positioning. OPPO is building a differentiated product line layout: the OnePlus numbered series focuses on performance flagships, the Ace series focuses on gaming performance, the OPPO Find series focuses on all-around flagships, and the Reno series focuses on stylish design