OnePlus hosted a pop-up space in Flatiron, New York, Monday to give fans first-hand access to its latest smartphone, the OnePlus 6. The device launched in London last week with several highlight features, including a new glass design, improvements to its dual-camera system and optimization for its OxygenOS software.

Some early reviews of the OnePlus 6 suggest that the device is “just a phone,” and has no “it” factor to differentiate it among the sea of the 2018 devices. The OnePlus 6 includes the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor seen in most of the year’s top-tier smartphones. To the delight of many, it retains a 3.5mm headphone jack, but as also introduced the controversial top notch as a space to house various lenses and sensors.

Despite switching from a metal bodice to glass, the OnePlus 6 is very similar in overall design to its predecessors. The device also lacks a number of features, now considered standard on many flagship smartphones, which as wireless charging and water resistance. It’s $529 starting price tag is what makes the OnePlus 6 formidable among the compeition.

If the OnePlus 6 is just a phone, then the iPhone X is just a phone. The difference between the two are not in specs or price, but rather in what it means to the users who waited in line for hours and shelled out their hard-earned money for a product that will be superseded by a newer model in just a few months time.

Even if people are lining up for the iPhone X the excitement and fervor for the experience is all but dead. People pay others to stand in line for them. They think to order online before figuring out the location of the closest Apple Store.

When I arrived at the OnePlus 6 pop-up, the line of fans anxious to get their hands on the new “Flagship Killer” wrapped around several city blocks. Patrons didn’t care that they’d blocked the entrance to the famous 40/40 Club on the corner of 25th Street and Broadway. The word is the line began forming at about 6 a.m. that day.

Inside, the location was already a mad house with customers making a bee line for the registers to get their OnePlus 6 handsets. Few stopped to actually spend time with the phones that were out on display, but they were treated to ice cream and swag including t-shirts, tote bags and baseball caps featuring the One Plus “Never Settle” motto on the way out.

YouTube influencers, Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) and Linus Sebastian (Linus Tech Tips) were also in attendance to meet and greet with fans. At one point, a group of young boys wearing their class of 2018 graduation hoodies rushed to take photos with Brownlee, having brought him a box of Honey Nut Cheerios, an homage to his infamous obsession with the cereal. As the night came to a close, more patrons stopped to play with the demo devices and ask questions. Many of these fans were probably too young to remember Steve Jobs’ “one more thing,” but now they get it from OnePlus CEO, Carl Pei.

It’s not hard to understand what it must mean for this next generation of fans to have not just a phone but an experience and a reason to continue being enthusiasts of technology at a time when much of it is commoditized. I can understand being a long-time enthusiast who gets to relive the magic of a truly exciting product launch.

Pokémon Go is not dead. pic.twitter.com/W1T4I2ODbs

— Lance Ulanoff (@LanceUlanoff) May 21, 2018

Maybe the OnePlus craze won’t always be like this, but in the moment its a snapshot of the next wave of tech geek culture. It’s fans outside playing Pokemon Go to kill time. It’s me bumping into an old high school friend as he went buy the new smartphone. It’s the story that circulated the event of a fan who proudly brought his OnePlus One model to the pop-up to switch to the OnePlus 6.

The clincher is the OnePlus 6 doesn’t need the exact bells and whistles of a $1000 flagship — if it had those it would also have a $1000 price tag and not nearly as much attention.

 

Please stay tuned for more OnePlus 6 coverage, including a full review of the new smartphone.