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For years, the tech industry has been waiting on a unicorn device: a great, low-priced smartphone.
多年以来，科技行业都在等待一台像独角兽一样罕有的设备现身：一款出色、价格低廉的智能手机。
While most other technologies keep getting cheaper, many of today’s high-end smartphones cost upward of $650, which is more than the price Apple slapped on its very first iPhone, way back in 2007.
虽然大多数其他科技产品的价格一直在下降，但是目前很多高端智能手机的价格却超过650美元（约合人民币4000元），比苹果公司2007年推出首款iPhone时的价格还贵。
That price is usually hidden inside a carrier plan; you generally pay only $200 or so when you sign up for the phone, and then pay the rest over the course of your contract. Still, the full price is nothing to sneeze at. If you keep your new iPhone 6 or Samsung Galaxy S5 for two years, you are looking at a minimum of $27 a month just for the device. Top-tier smartphones cost more than most laptops and desktops, more than a lot of TVs and home appliances, and more than the fanciest dinner for two in New York (probably).
这个价格通常隐含在运营商资费套餐中的；当你签订购机合约时，一般只需支付200美元左右，然后在合约持续期间支付剩下的费用。尽管如此，手机全价仍然不是一个小数目。如果你签两年合约购买新的iPhone 6或三星Galaxy S5，仅仅是手机的价格，每月就需要支付至少27美元。高端智能手机的价格，比大多数笔记本电脑和台式机，大多数电视机等家电都贵，甚至可能比纽约最豪华的两人晚餐都贵。
Isn’t it time high-end smartphones were cheaper? Are they worth all that much money? Is there any way around the sticker price?
现在高端智能手机难道不应该便宜一些吗？它们值那么多钱吗？有没有什么办法来解决价格问题？
Well, a unicorn just galloped onto the horizon. This month, OnePlus, a start-up based in Shenzhen, China, will begin taking pre-orders for the One, a fantastic low-price phone that tech enthusiasts across the globe have been lusting after for months. (Until the pre-order system goes live, the only way to get a One is by snagging a coveted invitation.)
好了，一头疾驰的独角兽已经出现在了地平线上。本月，总部设在中国深圳的初创公司一加科技(OnePlus)将开始接受一加手机的预购订单，这是一款梦幻般的低价手机，全球各地的科技爱好者已经垂涎数月之久。（在预购系统正式上线之前，买到这款手机的唯一手段就是弄到众人求之不得的邀请函。）
I’ve been using the One for the last couple of weeks, and I’ve found it to be one of the best smartphones I’ve ever used. The One has a beautifully spare design, it’s loaded with the latest tech specs, and it runs CyanogenMod, a version of Google’s Android operating system that is far more flexible and easier to use than the cumbersome flavors of Android now stuffed into rival phones.
我使用这款手机已经有好几周了，感觉这是我用过的最好的智能手机之一。一加手机拥有精美简约的设计，采用最新的技术规格，搭载了CyanogenMod，这是谷歌Android操作系统的一个版本，相比竞品手机繁琐的Android版本，CyanogenMod远远更为灵活。
Best of all, the One sells for $299. That’s not $299 with a carrier plan or some other commitment. That’s $299 total, or less than half the price of a top-tier phone from Apple, Samsung or HTC. After you pay that price, you own the phone. If you take it to a carrier like T-Mobile, which offers a discount on your cellular plan if you bring your own phone, you can end up saving a substantial bit of cash in the long run.
最重要的是，这款手机的售价为299美元。不是合约价299美元，而是裸机总价299美元，还不到苹果、三星和HTC高端手机价格的一半。你掏出299美元，这部手机就全归你了。对于自购机入网用户，T-Mobile等公司会提供一个资费套餐折扣，所以如果你购买一加手机，再享受这种折扣，从长远来看，就可以省下不少钱。
And yet, the One is not going to work for most people — yet. That’s because it comes with many caveats and warnings. Among them: You will have a devilishly difficult time getting customer service for your phone, including getting it repaired if something goes wrong.
不过，对大多数人而言，一加手机并不合适——起码暂时是这样。这是因为它附带了很多注意事项和警告信息。比如，很难享受客户服务，包括当手机出现问题需要维修时。
Still, the company may be on to something. If OnePlus can navigate the perils of the cutthroat smartphone business, it may be giving us a peek of the glorious future of great, cheap phones.
尽管如此，该公司还是有可能形成气候。如果一加科技能够在竞争十分残酷的智能手机产业顺利前进，它可能会让我们窥见一幅美好的未来图景：到处都是出色、便宜的手机。
OnePlus was founded late in 2013 by Pete Lau, a veteran of the Chinese tech business who was taken with the idea of creating a high-end smartphone for the masses. His vision was not unique; as the price of the components in smartphones plummeted over the last few years, a rash of Chinese start-ups emerged to make high-quality, low-price phones.
一加科技成立于2013年底，创始人刘作虎是中国科技行业的资深人士，一心想要制作一款大众市场的高端智能手机。他的想法并非前无古人；近几年来，随着智能手机零部件价格的大幅下降，中国涌现出了大量初创企业，致力于制造性能卓越、价格低廉的手机。
These devices are radically shifting the mobile industry in China and other parts of the developing world. This summer, Xiaomi, another start-up that sells its low-price phones in China, surpassed Samsung as that country’s top smartphone vendor, according to the research company Canalys. Samsung’s profits are being battered by the intense competition from low-priced rivals.
这些设备为中国等发展中国家的手机行业带来了彻底的改变。根据研究公司Canalys的数据，今年夏天，中国的低价手机制造商、初创公司小米超过三星，成为在中国市场份额最大的智能手机销售商。低价手机的激烈竞争严重打击了三星的利润水平。
But OnePlus is unusual among Chinese phone makers in that it believes its market extends far beyond its home country. Early on, Mr. Lau divided the company into two semiautonomous units, one catering to Chinese consumers and the other devoted to the international market.
不过，一加科技在中国的手机制造商中仍然是与众不同的，因为它相信自己的市场远远超出国内的范围。刘作虎早就把公司分成了两个半自主的团队。一个服务中国消费者，另一个致力于国际市场。
Carl Pei, who directs the global division, said that of OnePlus’s global staff, a third of the employees are from Asia, a third from Europe and a third from the United States. “We don’t really think of ourselves as a Chinese start-up,” he said.
国际团队的主管卡尔·裴(Carl Pei)说，在一加国际市场团队的成员中，有三分之一来自亚洲，三分之一来自欧洲，三分之一来自美国。“我们不太把自己看成是一家中国创业公司，”他说。
After winning a few glowing reviews this year in the American and European tech press, the One became a sensation among techies far beyond China. “Very soon our sales outside of China will surpass sales in China,” Mr. Pei said during a recent interview.
今年在欧美的科技媒体上获得了几篇热情洋溢的好评之后，一加手机在距离中国千山万水之外的科技迷中引起了轰动。“我们在中国之外的销量很快就会超过国内，”裴最近在采访中说。
While he would not provide exact sales numbers, Mr. Pei said the One was selling in the “mid-to-high four figures a day in the U.S.,” which he said constituted 30 percent of the company’s market. That would imply sales of 150,000 to 300,000 phones a month in the United States, and up to a million devices a month over all — a rounding error in the global smartphone business, but an admirable feat for a tiny, year-old start-up.
尽管裴拒绝提供具体的销售数据，他说，一加在美国的销量每天在5000到1万部之间。他说，美国市场占了该公司全部销量的30%。这意味着该公司每月可在美国售出15万到30万部手机，而总销量每月可达100万部——这个数字可能只是全球智能手机行业的零头，但对于一家创办仅一年的小型创业公司来说，却是一个令人钦佩的成就。
It’s not surprising that people are clamoring for the One. It is just about the fastest Android phone you can buy, and its 5.5-inch screen is stunning. My only complaint with the device has to do with the camera, whose pictures cannot match the sharpness and color accuracy of some of its rivals.
一加手机受到追捧并不出人意料。它几乎是市场上运行速度最快的Android手机，屏幕5.5英寸，效果令人眼前一亮。我对这款设备唯一的不满来自于摄像头，它拍摄的图片的清晰度和色彩准确度要弱于一些竞争对手。
Otherwise, the One is better than most other Android phones on the market, including Samsung’s Galaxy S5 and HTC’s flagship phone, which is also called the One. (Yes, there are now two Ones.) I give the OnePlus One the edge primarily for its user interface, which is cleanly minimal, uncluttered with all the pointless gimmicks and unnecessary apps found in many rival Android devices. In that way, the One is similar to Google’s Nexus 5, another high-quality, low-price phone — but over all, the One is more powerful, and far prettier, than the Nexus.
在其他方面，一加则优于市面上的大多数Android手机，包括三星的Galaxy S5 以及HTC的旗舰手机One。（没错，一加和HTC手机的英文都是One）。我认为一加手机更胜一筹，是因为它的用户界面简单干净，将同类Android手机上的那些毫无意义的花哨设计和不必要的应用程序一扫而空。在这一方面，一加手机类似于谷歌的Nexus 5，后者也是一款物美价廉的手机——但整体上讲，一加手机比Nexus更强大，也漂亮得多。
The problem with the One, though, is that OnePlus’s future is far from assured — and that future matters to the longevity of your phone. “To be perfectly honest, we’re not sure about our business model,” Mr. Pei said, noting that at the moment, the company does not make much of a profit on each phone it sells.
不过，一加手机的问题在于，未来有太多不确定性——而它的未来影响着手机是否能长盛不衰。“开诚布公地说，我们不确定自己的商业模式是什么，”裴先生说。他指出，公司目前并没有从它售出的每部手机中获得多大利润。
He added that in the future, the company might begin to make money by teaming up with software companies that would preinstall apps on the phone, or by expanding the range of accessories for its device.
他说，公司以后可能会通过与软件公司合作，将应用预装在手机上，或者是增加配件品种的方式来赚钱。
Even in the absence of a business model, the company is planning rapid expansion. It is hiring customer service experts to better handle problems, and it plans to hire local teams in some of its markets to provide faster service. It’s possible that by selling a great phone at a great price, OnePlus could stumble into profits, and become the next big global smartphone brand.
尽管尚无商业模式，这家公司计划快速进行扩张。它正在招聘客服专家，来改进问题处理过程，它还打算在一些市场聘请本地团队，以便提供更快捷的服务。通过以低廉的价格出售一款出色的手机，一加科技有可能挣得利润，成为智能手机的下一个全球大品牌。
But betting on OnePlus’s survival is a $300 gamble. Jan Dawson, an independent analyst, points out that by comparison, the established smartphone market does not ask customers to make such a leap. The major carriers now offer zero-down, interest-free financing plans for high-end phones, meaning that customers can get a $650 phone for $30 monthly installments.
但押注一加科技不会昙花一现，需要你花费300美元。独立分析师扬·道森(Jan Dawson)指出，相较而言，老牌智能手机市场没有要求用户一次拿出这么多钱。各大运营商现在都提供零首付、免息的高端手机融资计划，这意味着客户可以每月支付30美元，分期付款买到650美元的手机。
“Even though the iPhone may be significantly more expensive, today you’re going to be paying only a tenth of what you’d pay to get the OnePlus phone upfront,” Mr. Dawson said. If your iPhone breaks, you can always go back to the store to get it fixed. And if you want to get rid of it, there will always be a large, willing market to take it off your hands. Isn’t that certainty worth the extra coin?
“尽管iPhone的总价贵得多，但是你只需要当场支付一加手机十分之一的价格，就可以开始用它了，”道森说。如果你的iPhone坏了，你可以随时拿回到店里维修。如果你不想要它了，总是会有一个庞大市场愿意接盘。这难道不值得多付一些钱吗？
For many users, that will be true; the $650 smartphone isn’t going away tomorrow. But the One ought to give established players pause. Great, cheap phones aren’t just for China. Soon they’ll be everywhere, and eventually, one could be right for you.
对于许多用户来说，这是大实话；650美元的智能手机不会明天就销声匿迹。但是，一加手机应该会给老牌手机带来冲击。出色、低价的手机不只适合中国市场。很快，它们就会变得无处不在，最终，你可能会觉得一加手机很合心意。
