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Tech enthusiasts are used to getting their hands on gadgets as soon as they're released. Now, OnePlus is going a step further by giving fans the chance to review its OnePlus 3 weeks before it goes on sale.
In a project titled 'The Lab', 30 users will receive the phone before its now-confirmed June 16 release date to "put the new flagship to the test".
At the time of writing, more than 9,000 people have applied to test the phone.
OnePlus said it is an attempt to "give a voice" to fans who "use OnePlus products on a daily basis".
"We're enlisting the help of the community to provide fair, honest, crowd-sourced feedback on the OnePlus 3", the company wrote.
Specifications for the phone have already been leaked, suggesting the OnePlus 3 will weigh 160g, with a 5.5-inch, 1080 x 1920 pixels touchscreen display. The phone is also reported as having a 16MP camera, with geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, panorama and an HD mode.
The launch event was rumoured for 14 June, but OnePlus has reportedly published an official teaser poster to its Weibo account suggesting it will be a day later, according to Mobipicker.
The poster shows the number three with a red shadow. Below it are the announcement details written in Chinese and "2016.06.15 10am."
However, 10am in Shenzhen on June 15 is still technically June 14 in the UK and US.
The launch event will be held at Shenzhen Universiade Centre. The phone is expected to go on sale the day after, on 16 June, in China before rolling out internationally.
OnePlus is no stranger to exclusivity – a previous model, the OnePlus 2, was met with a huge waiting list and a pre-reserve list of more than 1.6 million people.
"The reason we created an invite-only system is because we want to control the risks the best we can, to control production, quality, quantity," CEO Pete Lau told WIRED in August 2015.
"It's not like normal marketing - if you have a good product, you'll want to introduce it to a friend. So the OnePlus 2 is like a product based on friends saying, 'Come on, that's good, go buy it.' This approach throws tradition away."
Anyone can apply to test the phone, with an application process involving a 500-word essay on "why you believe you should review the phone".
With such a close release date, the experiment is likely to be a PR effort rather than a genuine attempt to crowdsource opinion and improve the product, although OnePlus said all reviews will be published in full.
If you want a chance to review the phone, you can apply here.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
