Report: OnePlus 6T made up only 2.4% of T-Mobile phone sales in Q4 2018

When OnePlus revealed it would release the OnePlus 6T in T-Mobile stores across the United States, it was huge news. This would be the first time U.S. consumers could walk into a carrier shop and buy a OnePlus product.

However much positive publicity the OnePlus/T-Mobile partnership received, it doesn’t seem that it equated to an overwhelming amount of sales. According to a new report from Counterpoint Research, the OnePlus 6T accounted for only 2.4 percent of smartphone sales at T-Mobile during the fourth quarter of 2018.

What’s worse is that Counterpoint only sees the OnePlus 6T’s sales declining from here on out.

“We do not believe the OnePlus 6T will continue to grow in market share in the current sales mix,” says Maurice Klaehne, research analyst at Counterpoint Research. “There is little marketing money spent by the OEM and older Apple and Samsung flagships have been discounted to make a similar value offer which most consumers will gravitate towards.”

However, this likely isn’t seen as a poor showing by OnePlus. We know for a fact that the company sold more units of the 6T than the OnePlus 6 in the U.S., largely due to the T-Mobile partnership. We also know that the OnePlus 6T started selling in T-Mobile stores in November, giving every other device at the carrier a two-month head start when it comes to these numbers.

We also know from Counterpoint that the OnePlus 6T accounted for 6.3 percent of T-Mobile’s online smartphone sales, which is a pretty respectable number when you consider those consumers could have just as easily gone to OnePlus.com and bought the phone unlocked.

In related news, Counterpoint also revealed this cool graphic depicting where users are coming from when they buy a OnePlus 6T:

These numbers generally line up with a similar chart Counterpoint created for the Google Pixel 3, although LG steps in for Motorola. As with the Google Pixel 3, it appears that not too many iPhone users are getting swayed by the OnePlus 6T.

Jeff Fieldhack, research director at Counterpoint Research, had some positive things to say about the OnePlus 6T when it comes to its standing in the market. “Both the Pixel and 6T devices show that there is room to innovate in the market,” he said. “While Samsung and Apple are dwarfing others in size, marketing spends, and consumer perception, there are pockets of users that are still interested in alternatives. OEMs looking to disrupt carrier channels can learn from the successes and failures of these two examples. With 5G at our doorstep, there are additional opportunities to stand out in the market and make a compelling value offering for consumers.”

OnePlus will launch its first 5G phone later this year.

NEXT: Here’s our first look at the OnePlus 5G smartphone prototype