The most exciting smartphone of the year so far is also a cause of immense frustration for many.

Everyone wants to get their hands on the OnePlus One, which combines cutting-edge specifications with an affordable price tag, but you need an invite if you want to buy one — and they’re incredibly hard to come by right now. But don’t spend your savings on another smartphone just yet.

OnePlus has told fans that the One will be much easier to get hold of if you want until June.

You’ll still need an invite to buy the handset then, but they should be much easier to come by, according to an update posted in the OnePlus forums, which details the company’s production schedule.

Right now, the only way to get a One is to smash up your existing smartphone and hope that you’ll be rewarded with an invite for doing so. We’ve already voiced our opinions on this and told you why it’s an incredibly stupid idea — no matter how much you might want this smartphone now.

In mid to late May, larger batches of the 16GB Silk White handset will be available to those with an invite. In early June, there will be increased availability of the 64GB Sandstone Black model. In late June, OnePlus says there will be increased general availability — “people who want it should be able to get an invite without much trouble in June.”

It’s still unclear when OnePlus will scrap its invite system entirely. It was designed to avoid the mess of the traditional pre-order process, which can sometimes leave customers waiting weeks to receive a product they’ve already paid for. And for a company like OnePlus, it makes a lot of sense.

OnePlus is a small startup that just happens to have produced an incredible phone, but despite the demand, it doesn’t have the resources to manufacture that phone as quickly as companies like Samsung or HTC do. We always knew the device would be difficult to get hold of initially.

By issuing invites, then, OnePlus allows you to hold onto your cash and only lets you place your order when it has your smartphone in stock and waiting to leave the warehouse. It’s certainly frustrating for now (I want one just as much as you do), but it could be a lot worse.

• SourceOnePlus