OnePlus 2 to launch on August 11th – and it looks very promising
The OnePlus One smartphone was undoubtedly one of the most talked about mobile phones of 2014, becoming the smartphone of choice for those power users who were after a premium Android phone for a fraction of the cost of a Samsung model.
However, there was just one problem: getting hold of one. Originally Chinese firm OnePlus used a truly maddening “invite” system to limit the number of people who could actually buy the phone, although eventually you were able able to pick the phone up from the official website invite free – in either 16GB white or 64GB sandstone black.
On August 11th, however, you’ll be able to get your hands on the new OnePlus 2 model, which takes everything people loved about the first model but promises to be faster, more powerful, and prettier.
At the same time, it promises to maintain its budget-friendly status, with 16GB and 64GB models selling for $329 and $389 SIM free in the US. That’s probably around £239 and £289 in the UK. And yes, the company says it’ll be easier to get your hands on one this time around.
Thankfully the OnePlus 2 now has a metal frame, instead of the OnePlus One’s polycarbonate plastic back. The OnePlus 2 also features a 5.5-inch display with a full-HD (1080×1920 pixel) resolution and 1500:1 contrast ratio.
It will be powered by a 64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 810 v2.1 SoC clocked at 1.8GHz and coupled with an Adreno 430 GPU alongside 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM and 64GB internal storage. It will sport dual 4G Nano-SIM cards (dual-SIM dual standby), as well as USB Type-C connectivity (with the cable reversible at both ends).
The OnePlus 2 also boasts a 13-megapixel rear camera with a 1.3-micron sensor, laser autofocus, dual-LED flash, f/2.0 aperture, 4K video recording, RAW image support, and OIS. In addition, there’s a 5-megapixel front-facing selfie camera. It runs on a 3300mAh battery, and has a fingerprint sensor that can store up to five prints and unlock in under 0.5 seconds. It weighs 175 grams.
Says Rob Kerr, Mobile Expert at uSwitch.com: “At less than half the cost of Samsung’s flagship S6 handset, it’ll be looking to capture the mass market where decisions are based on price.”
“The company doesn’t have the massive marketing budgets of other manufacturers so, in effect, we’re really seeing the true cost of flagship phone, without everything in tow to sell it. If other mobile makers were to adopt this tack, perhaps we’d see a truer reflection of what we should be spending on a new phone.”
You can watch our hands on review of the OnePlus One in the YouTube video below:
