The OnePlus Two is now available to buy. Prices start from £239 -- but you WILL need an invite
OnePlus shouldn't have worked. It really shouldn't, when you step back for a moment and look at how the firm entered the market and what it's done, it sounds kind of crazy, too crazy - destined for failure. But maybe, just maybe, it's the right kind of crazy - just crazy enough to work!
You see OnePlus didn't exist two years ago. Founded in December 2013 the firm just rocked up out of nowhere with promises of a "flagship killer" handset. The upstart also had a novel take on marketing - it interacted directly with interested potential customers via its own website, blog, and forums, as well as acing that all-important sphere of viral marketing: Twitter, Facebook, and social media.
On launch, OnePlus revealed a peculiar invitation-only distribution model. OnePlus was tapping into the Android consumer-base's taste for novelty and penchant for cost-effective devices. The OnePlus One won over many hearts and minds with its offering of competetive hardware and tailored software
at a reasonable price tag. Naturally the firm was keen to follow up on its successes with a successor model.
at a reasonable price tag. Naturally the firm was keen to follow up on its successes with a successor model.
"Over fifteen months have passed since the OnePlus One came into existence. It was the launchpad that we used to ignite a whole new way of thinking. Many things have changed at our startup since then – we’ve grown in numbers and experience, for one – but something that hasn’t changed is our insatiable hunger to disrupt the industry. It continued to be our drive as we began working on the OnePlus 2. We had our breakthrough moment, but one question remained: how do we join the ranks of the big players in the industry? The simple answer is, we don’t. Our success and direction shouldn’t be dictated by the yardstick created by the companies trying to stifle the innovation they purportedly inspire," wrote OnePlus on its official blog.
trying to stifle the innovation they purportedly inspire," wrote OnePlus on its official blog.
"OnePlus doesn’t often talk about sales numbers, but the company’s cofounder Carl Pei was happy enough to share some in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. The big takeaway is that the OnePlus One sold 1.5 million units within its first year, with 1 million of those coming within the first 6 months," notes Phandroid. "Of course, that doesn’t sound as gaudy and cool as some of the big guys who reach for 10 million units within a few months’ time, but OnePlus is still a very new company, and the small capital they had to work with — plus the lack of brand awareness and a meager marketing budget — certainly excuses them for not being able to reach those numbers."
cofounder Carl Pei was happy enough to share some in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. The big takeaway is that the OnePlus One sold 1.5 million units within its first year, with 1 million of those coming within the first 6 months," notes Phandroid. "Of course, that doesn’t sound as gaudy and cool as some of the big guys who reach for 10 million units within a few months’ time, but OnePlus is still a very new company, and the small capital they had to work with — plus the lack of brand awareness and a meager marketing budget — certainly excuses them for not being able to reach those numbers."
A lot has been said about the OnePlus Two since its big reveal – most of it to do with its lack of NFC and QHD panel visuals. As we’ve said multiple times before, for this price some things are going to have to go by the wayside – you can’t just make a super high-end smartphone and charge nothing for it; that’s not how business works.
works.
The only thing I am slightly concerned with is OnePlus’ move away from CyanoGenMod OS to its own in-house setup. I haven’t tested the OnePlus One with its new software and I’ve yet to get my hands on a OnePlus Two, though I do know there were plenty of “issues” with the first iteration of OxygenOS.
Whether the OnePlus 2 will get updated to Android Marshmallow, however, remains to be seen. So far the company hasn’t mentioned anything in an official capacity about its plans for bringing the new software to its OnePlus One and OnePlus Two handsets.
OnePlus runs its own version of Android, of course, called OxygenOS and, for the most part, has been pretty good with updating its current batch of handsets when new versions of Android become available. A lot of this, however, was to do with the fact the OnePlus One initially ran CyanoGen OS -- and they ALWAYS nailed the latest Google updates.
At the launch of the OnePlus X the company also announced some changes to the way it runs its invite system. OnePlus detailed the changes on its official blog, which you can read below:
Invite-only for the first month
For the first month, the OnePlus X is available through invites only. In November, we’ll distribute invites much faster to our most loyal users, those who sign up for the reservation list, and shareables for your family and friends.
OnePlus Reveals On-Guard Insurance Policy
OnePlus has made an official announcement on its website revealing an insurance policy for its OnePlus 2 and OnePlus X devices, called On-Guard. The policy is provided by simplesurance and covers both accidental damage (ie: drops) and liquid damage with worldwide coverage. OnePlus promises a "worry-free" claim process, and the pricing seems pretty reasonable too with a 12-month policy costing €39.99 and a 24-month one priced at €64.99.
"We are proud to introduce a new warranty program in collaboration with multiple insurance leaders worldwide for the OnePlus 2: On-Guard by simplesurance for Europe and B2X OnePlus Service2 and Protect2 for India. We believe these ventures will help to create a more positive user experience for our fans. We’re not offering this to make money – in fact, it’s quite the opposite. This is an investment we are making to focus on improving our customer support until it is closer to perfect. These services will be available on November 2 , 2015, in the European Union and in other markets in the near future."
More opportunities to buy the OnePlus X
After the initial month, you’ll have many more opportunities to buy the OnePlus X. Every week we will have open sales. After making sure that our production can keep up with the demand, the OnePlus X will be available without invites forever!
A lot has been made about the handset not having NFC, and, as someone who uses NFC quite a bit, I get the grumble about this. Having said that, I DO NOT see it as quite the deal breaker some are making out –– how often do you actually use NFC, anyway? I get that Android Pay is coming and more people will want to use their phones to pay for things. Still, I’d be more annoyed about it having two SIM-slots and no microSD support or, while we’re having a moan, no Quick Charge.
Why doesn’t have it have NFC? Simple: here’s what OnePlus had to say on the matter – “We heard from a lot of users of the One and saw most of our users weren't using NFC”. I’d argue you could say the same thing about Bluetooth… but it is still nice to have it laying around for the odd time you’ll actually want to use it.
Beyond this I have zero complaints with what OnePlus unveiled this week; all the specs are there, it has a fingerprint scanner, hardly a deal-breaker, a decent sized display (I’m happy with 1080p), 4GB of RAM and the option to expand the storage, should you wish, to 64GB. For the cost of a high-end handset -- £450-£500 -- this wouldn’t be perfect, but for almost £200 less it makes for a seriously compelling proposition.
, should you wish, to 64GB. For the cost of a high-end handset -- £450-£500 -- this wouldn’t be perfect, but for almost £200 less it makes for a seriously compelling proposition.
Low prices mean some concessions, though I’d argue the concessions here are well implemented and likely to cause minimum impact on the end user experience. Sure, QHD would have been nice, but it’s not essential. Ditto for NFC, though I can’t for the life of me see why it just wasn’t included – the sensors themselves cost next to nothing.
Looking around the web it seems the OnePlus Two has been a resounding success. Plenty of reviews are now available, though OnePlus don’t seem to like us much, as we haven’t been sent one yet. Still, word seems to be solid. The handset is getting plenty of praise from a variety of reliable sources and all of them seem pretty much sold on the concept, though there is quite a bit of talk about performance issues, which is odd given the handset is running a Snapdragon 810 CPU.
“This is a very good phone that’ll run you $100 less than its closest competitor,” notes Gizmodo, “which in this case will likely be the forthcoming Moto X style, which starts at $400 for the model with 16 GB. You have time to decide whether you want to buy this phone or the pricier Moto X Style, because as with the One before it, the OnePlus 2 isn’t immediately available—you’ve got to sign up for an invite.”
Ditto, says Stuff: “OnePlus has done it again. The OnePlus 2 massively undercuts the big-name competition while offering a phone experience pretty similar to them. Good software, good performance and battery life that far exceeds some of the £500-odd competition make this one of the easiest top-tier phones to live with. Some of the others have better cameras, but even this isn’t really a weak area. Not at £289.”
OnePlus has now confirmed that it has received over one MILLION registrations for invites inside the first week. Not bad. Even more so when you consider the last handset made by the company only sold around 2 million units in a year. Things are definitely ramping up for the Chinese upstart, and it’ll be interesting to see how the handset handles in real life once we get it in for testing.
The OnePlus 2 appears to be selling like bloody hotcakes. Demand is off the charts for the handset, according to the company, surpassing its wildest expectations for the device. Check out what the company had to say on its official blog below:
“We hit over 4 million reservations for the OnePlus 2 (and there’s a little Easter egg hidden in our Vine)! It’s been only three weeks since we launched, so we really are blown away by the response we’ve received for our second flagship. For those of you who want to know more about our algorithm for sending out invites to our early supporters and those waiting on the reservation list, head over to this forum post. But, once again, we just want to say thanks a MILLION.”
OnePlus 2 Price, Availability & Release Date
As of September 11, OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei has issued a public apology on the firm's official forum, in response to delays during the OnePlus 2 launch.
In the forum post titled "sorry for the delay guys" Pei states that the firm "messed up the launch of the OnePlus 2"
"Well, we messed up the launch of the OnePlus One as well," he added, "Although inventory levels ramped up eventually, months after the announcement, it was still extremely difficult to buy the device. We comforted ourselves to the fact that we were young, and that we’d learn and show the world we could do better next time around.
"With the OnePlus 2, we made rosy plans. We were more confident, and prepared a lot more inventory. We told our users it would be 30-50x easier to get invites, and they needn’t worry. Yet, we only began shipping in meaningful quantities this week, nearly a month after our initial targeted shipping date. You can talk all you want, but in the end, flawless execution speaks much louder than unfulfilled promises."
Pei not only apologised to the fans for the delay, but also to the firm's partners and its internal teams.
But the main message was to the fans wanting to buy the phone.
"We were equally excited when we saw your excitement around the OnePlus 2. We know how it feels waiting and waiting for something you really want, while being given ETAs that go unfulfilled. We appreciate the trust and support that you have given to a relatively small and unknown company like OnePlus. We know that you are rooting for us, and want nothing more than to see us succeed. Therefore, it feels extra terrible to let you down this time around, again."
He closed statement by saying that OnePlus welcomed feedback and told fanst not to be afraid of being harsh.
"Help us improve," he said.
The 16GB storage base model is priced at £239 while the higher-end 64GB option costs £289. OnePlus is again operating an invite-only purchasing system, although it's supposedly going to be less competitive this time as the firm promises a larger stock of devices.
Here's the official line from OnePlus:
"You can get an invite from friends who have purchased a OnePlus 2 already, or by participating in our contests and promotions. For notifications about our contests and invites, subscribe to our newsletter, join our community on the forums, or follow us on social media."
As of August 11, sales are now live in Europe and North America for those who've acquired an invitation to purchase.
If you're after an invitation you need to sign up on OnePlus' website using the reservation list, although you may have a bit of a wait as there are currently over 3.5 million waiting in the virtual queue!
At time of writing the black 64GB model is the only one available. OnePlus promises 16GB variants will be coming soon, along with more back panel options.
OnePlus 2 Design & Display
The OnePlus 2 looks fairly similar to the OnePlus One, on the whole, however, it has a sharper and more refined appearance, and uses a magnesium and aluminium alloy housing with steel control keys and other accents for a more premium feel and style.
As with the first-gen model, buyers will have options when it comes to the interchangeable StyleSwap back panels. Bamboo and kevlar make a return, while other wood finishes include 'black apricot' and rosewood. The basic finish is the same as before; black sandstone.
Dimensions, for those who want them, are 151.8 x 74.9 x 9.85mm, with a weight of 175g.
The display takes up much of the front-fascia, adding to the improved appearance of this updated model. It also uses an improved IPS LCD screen with better colour and brightness. However, the display spec has not changed, it is still the same size and resolution as a 5.5in 1080p panel at 401ppi.
OnePlus 2 Processor, RAM & Battery
As per OnePlus' pre-launch information given to its community, the OnePlus 2 packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 64-bit octa-core processor, it carries 4GB of RAM on the 64GB storage variant, while the 16GB model has 3GB of RAM. The battery pack is rated at 3,300mAh.
The OnePlus 2 is here and it has been causing a raucous ever since it first landed, what with its lack of NFC and a QHD display. But one thing it does have going for it is a rather HUGE battery cell. KYM has not yet tested the handset out, but word on the street suggests the battery life of the OnePlus 2 isn’t quite as good as we’d been hoping.
“The results are fairly good, although anyone hoping for two-three days from a charge needs to re-think their expectations. It lasts for 11.5 hours of 720p video playback, and with moderate-intensive use it’ll last for a full day,” notes Trusted Reviews. “With light use you’ll get a day and a half between charges. We found it to be somewhat-similar to the Samsung Galaxy S6 with general use. The Galaxy S6 appears to be better at holding charge when the phone is used intermittently, though. Monitoring the battery level closely, the draining-down doesn’t plateau quickly as it does with the more efficient Galaxy S6. Of course, that observation relies on the idea that the OnePlus 2’s reporting of its battery level is somewhat-accurate.”
OnePlus 2 Ports, Connectivity & Other Hardware
The OnePlus 2 carries the new Type-C USB standard, allowing users to take advantage of the new Type-C cable which can be inserted either way round. However, if you own older microUSB accessories (as most people do) then fear not as OnePlus will bundle in an adapter. The handset has dual-nanoSIM support and full 4G LTE capabilities.
There's also a fingerprint scanner built into the physical home key, with support for up to five fingerprints, and it's said to work in 0.5 seconds.
OnePlus 2 Camera
The rear-facing primary camera is rated at 13MP with a large f/2.0 aperture. It uses optical image stabilisation (OIS), large ultrapixel tech, dual-LED flah and laser focus, together with 4K video capture and 720p slow-mo at 120fps. It also has a six-element lens and is claimed to feature excellent low-light performance.
The front-facing selfie camera is rated at 5MP.
OnePlus 2 Software
Instead of CyanogenMod, this time you get OxygenOS, which is a fairly lightweight offering built on top of Google Android. As much as possible, OnePlus has tried to keep things close to stock, but there are a few tweaks and widgets here and there. Things are looking very clean and Material Design faithful.
As of August 20, OnePlus is rolling out the first over-the-air (OTA) software update for the OnePlus 2, bringing the Oxygen OS 2.0 build up to version 2.0.1. It's a 1.1GB download.
In terms of changes you're mainly looking at a bugfix/security update with a few performance optimisations. Here's the official change log:
- Added a patch for the Stagefright security exploit
- Improves battery performance
- Improves user interface logic and coherence
- Fixed an issue with pinch-to-zoom in Google Photos
- Fixed an issue where Dark Mode would cause instability in certain apps
- Fixed an issue related to import/export of contacts stored on SIM card
- Additional support for global carrier APNs
- Other improvements and bug fixes
As of September 1, OnePlus has rapidly followed up with another OTA update rolling out OxygenOS version 2.0.2 to OnePlus 2 handsets. As before, it is being rolled out in phases.
This time the update is intended to hit four key areas of the phone - fingerprint recognition, camera software stability, better photo previews and a specific bugfix for unwanted volume muting.
"In OxygenOS 2.0.2, you'll find the following:
- Improvements to fingerprint recognition accuracy
- Resolves a bug that could cause volume to be muted unexpectedly
- Stability improvements to the front facing camera
- Camera preview UX improvements
OnePlus also revealed that a version 2.1 update is coming in the middle of September with "signficant improvements".
As of September 22 OnePlus has announced it has begun rolling out the promised OxygenOS version 2.1 update to OnePlus 2 handsets. As usual though, the rollout will take time to pick up pace, with OnePlus advising that only a small fraction of OnePlus 2 users will receieve a notification today, it's expected that in the next few days the rollout will spread much wider, however.
What's new in version 2.1? Well here's a look at the changelog:
- "We've added manual mode for all you photography enthusiasts. Hope this will give you more control for capturing that perfect moment.
- Raw support is now enabled for 3rd party camera apps that support this format
- There's a new color balance slider in Display for adjusting the color tone of your screen. You can now go warmer or cooler as you please.
- Added Exchange support.
- We fixed some issues that were causing problems with popular 3rd party apps.
- Telephony service improvements so you no longer get the lag when you turn on/off airplane mode."
Head over to Page 2 for all the pre-launch rumours and leaks.
- Or maybe it's that the OnePlus story is a proper underdog story.OnePlus' tale is a curious one. The companyThe firm came straight out of left-field in 2014 with the OnePlus One which wowed many consumers and critics with its competetive spec, enticing design, low price, and sleek software. It was all seeming rather Nexus-like with a slightly different flavour owing to the use of custom CyanogenMod software instead of pure Android.However, there's a bit of a grim spectre over all this. OnePlus' community-based approach and viral marketing did generate a lot of attention, but the distribution model made for a lot of disappointed punters. The very real issue with the handset is that OnePlus can’t seem to produce it in high enough volumes. Officially, things are said to be getting better from here on out but we’re still receiving emails from disgruntled consumers that cannot get hold of one.More recently, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has made some comments regarding how much – or, how little – the OnePlus Two will cost once it gets official later this month. According to a tweet from Lau’s official twitter account, the OnePlus Two will definitely be priced under $450, which is still very cheap compared to the Galaxy S6, HTC One M9 and iPhone 6 – they all cost in excess of $600.The OnePlus Two will, of course, be an invite-only handset, meaning you have to register your interest in picking one up to actually get one. This is kind of a pain for some people, as most of us are used to just buying the handset we want with little to no Masonic undertones involved.Ahead of this week’s launch, OnePlus has detailed a little more about how the OnePlus Two invite system will work. Here’s a note from the company’s official blog:"You can get an invite from friends who have purchased a OnePlus 2 already, or by participating in our contests and promotions," says OnePlus. "For notifications about our contests and invites, subscribe to our newsletter, join our community on the forums, or follow us on social media."And, just in case you thought OnePlus was immune to spewing Samsung-levels of marketing guff, check this quote OUT!“What we are unveiling on July 27 is so much more than specs. It’s about seeing more than what’s right in front of you, chasing more than just benchmarks, and doing more than just competing. We’ve combined hardware, software, and design into a total, forward-thinking package with features that matter to our users.”
STOP THE PRESSES: This IS The OnePlus Two
The OnePlus Two has been revealed by a Chinese wireless regulator – a company called TENAA. The company published a picture of the handset itself and listed some of its key specs. First and foremost, though, THIS is what the OnePlus Two looks like in the flesh:The handset itself looks similar to last year’s model and appears to have a rather Marmite back-cover thing going on. The Home key, however, is different and likely houses OnePlus’ new fingerprint scanning technology, which it claims is faster than Apple’s TouchID – though we’ll believe that when we see it.The OnePlus Two will feature 4GB of RAM, a Snapdragon 810 CPU and, as previously reported, reversible USB Type-C. “The company has also hinted that the OnePlus 2 will come with two SIM slots,” reports The Verge. “However, the most important factor — the price — has yet to be announced. OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has confirmed on Twitter that it will be under $450, but beyond this, it looks like we'll have to wait until the launch event on July 27th to find out more.”OnePlus Two Appears In Bluetooth Certification
A pretty good indicator of when a phone is approaching launch is when said handset starts showing up in various certification databasesAs we already know the OnePlus Two is being planned for a late July launch, it's not too surprising that it's popped up in the Bluetooth SIG databaseAccording to Droid Life, earlier benchmarks showed the A2001 model with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor and 3GB of RAM. The site postulates that the three listed models could represent different storageThe OnePlus 2 will feature an 8MP selfie snapper on the front and 4GB of RAM alongside Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 810 chipset. This is according to a recent Bluetooth SIG filing, a thing all smartphones have to go though before getting officially unleashed on the public. According to the report, phone is coming in three models under the codenames A2001, A2003 and the A2005.OnePlus CEO Teases Possible All Metal OnePlus Two
One of the cool things about OnePlus is its community-based leanings; the firm spends a lot of time liasing with fans on its forums and other social media - breaking news right there direct to the punters.That's now happened once again with OnePlus CEO Pete Lau (aka Liu Zuohu) posting on Chinese social media site Weibo, where he teased that the OnePlus Two may feature all metal bodywork.According to GForGames' report of the posting, Lau asked users to define their interpretation of "full metal". That is, of course, not conclusive evidence that the OnePlus Two will be entirely clad in shiny stuff, but it does indicate that the firm is at least leaning in a premium build direction with enough metal in place to consider calling it "full metal".The question may also be in response to the recent launch of the Meizu MX5 with it "Full Metal Jacket" advertising pushOnePlus Two Release Date Revealed: July 27 AND Virtual Reality Announcement
Ok so this is interesting. OnePlus has pretty well established itself as a company prepared to fly by the seat of its pants and try out crazy new things, but apparently the firm will be launching its new OnePlus Two handset at a "virtual reality" event.The company did its usual of taking to its own website/blog/forum platforms and announcing that the official launch event will take place on July 27 at 7pm Pacific Time.But on top of that it's pegged as the "world's first product launch in VR". OnePlus has even gone as far as creating its own cardboard VR goggles frame for use with smartphones with displays up to 6in. This isn't a print out scenario though, you'll have to order them in advance, although they are listed as costing "£0.00 + shipping" and cannot be ordered just yet.According to the blurb, the VR event will enable viewers to be up on the OnePlus stage right next to the announcement team - meaning you can get quite up close and personal with the new phone as it's announcedOnePlus Two Design & Display
Phone Arena has scored a HUGE leak. The tech blog has apparently obtained shots of the upcoming OnePlus Two handset, which is destined to launch on July 27. The images aren’t perfect and are a smidge blurry, but they do give us our first real look at one of the most highly anticipated handsets of the year.‘The device appears to sport a metal build,” said the report, “with a high screen to body ratio. As we told you yesterday, the "2" does resemble its predecessor and these photos confirm that. The back of the phone seemingly shows the rumoured fingerprint scanner on a vertical bar, under the camera and flash.”The next-generation OnePlus handset looks set to be quite a bit different to its predecessor. A report from Business Insider claims the OnePlus 2 will feature a metal frame, indicating the company is going for a more “premium” look and feel this time around. How this will affect its pricing remains to be seen, however. The report’s source said pricing changes have not been finalised yet.Business Insider also snapped up some newly leaked sketches of the handset. How legit they actually are remain to be seen, however. I mean, anybody can draw a phone, right?“If you look at the annotations in the sketch, you'll see that the bottom portion near the USB C connector is labeled as stainless steel. It also looks like phone will come with a front-facing 8-megapixel camera, which is fairly impressive compared to the 5-megapixel front cameras on most other flagship Android phones such as the Galaxy S6. The second sketch reveals that the OnePlus will have a dual-lens camera on the back just above the fingerprint sensor,” said the report.“Although our source tells us the new model will probably be more expensive than OnePlus One,” says Business Insider, “our source from November said it's still likely to be cheaper than most off-contract flagship phones.”Taken at face value it would appear OnePlus is looking to deck its upcoming phone out in a more premium attire, no doubt in a bid to better compete with Apple’s iPhone and the newly-launched Samsung Galaxy S6 / Galaxy S6 EDGE. But at what cost will this new design language come at? Even if it’s $100, a conservative guesstimate, the OnePlus Two would still undercut most of its peers by a considerable margin.GizmoChina recently chimed in with more news regarding the OnePlus Two. According to its sources, the next-generation OnePlus flagship will feature a fingerprint scanner like its peers the Galaxy S6 and iPhone 6, only this fingerprint scanner will be a LITTLE bit different, as notes the report:“This time around, the leaked features suggest that the device will have something interesting called a laser focus fingerprint identification embedded in the home button. What is more, the front of the device will look similar to the Oppo Find 7, which does not surprise us as the OnePlus One looks very similar to the latter smartphone. Also, there will be regular capacitive Android 5.0 buttons on the sides.”OnePlus Two Specs & Hardware
OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has taken to Chinese social network Weibo on July 16 to confirm that the OnePlus 2 will feature two SIM card slots; it will be a dual-SIM device.According to reports circulating on July 10, the OnePlus Two will feature a 3,300mAh battery cell as well as expanded support for a wider range of mobile data connectivity bands. This is great news a one of the main criticisms of the OnePlus One was that it only covered a very limited set of bands and therefore did not have good support for LTE 4G.The information comes via a Reddit "Ask Me Anything" (AMA) with some members of the OnePlus development team. The session also confirmed that OnePlus has put a lot of time and effort into improving the camera this time around, there will be no heart rate sensor, and although there WILL be a fingerprint scanner it will NOT be built into the touch display.The OnePlus Two will use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 810 CPU, however, the company as quick to point out that this is a new version of the chipset that does not have any overheating issues. OnePlus detailed the news in a blog post on its website:"Although there have been reports that the 810 runs warmer than its predecessors, we assure you that we have taken all the necessary precautions and beyond to prevent this from occurring in the 2. We worked very closely with Qualcomm's engineers to integrate an improved version of the chipset (v2.1) in the OnePlus 2, and fine-tuned both hardware and software. The 2 will be 'cooler than ever'," said the post.“Dubbed as the “ultimate connected computer processor”, the 810 v2.1 puts desktop-grade computing power into the palm of your hands. With eight CPU cores and 64-bit computing, we chose the 810 to be the driving force behind the OnePlus 2’s impressive specs. When paired with the 2, this means better video, a quicker camera, and an unbelievable gaming experience.”OnePlus has confirmed the OnePlus Two will feature the new Type C USB connectivity, making QHD / 4K playback from a device, via cable, to an HDTV easy as pie. A lot of the new, modern Android phones feature this new standard, so it’s not surprising to see OnePlus, a company on the very cutting edge of things, embrace it.The handset will also feature a fingerprint scanner as well. Here's what OnePlus had to say on the matter:"With the OnePlus 2, the fingerprint sensor is done right. It’s refined and lightning quick, unlocking your device faster than TouchID. The average person checks their phone over 200 times per day. If you spend just three seconds inputting a PIN number or pattern, that’s over an hour of your time gone each week."On the OnePlus 2, one quick tap takes you right to your homescreen. With the ability to store up to five fingerprint profiles, it’s fast, it’s safe, and it’s secure. Your smartphone is your most personal device, and its security should be personal, too."A set of specs has leaked courtesy of an online re-seller of OnePlus handsets called Coolicool. The report claims we'll see a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 chip inside, alongside 32GB of onboard storage and a 3,100mAh battery cell. Other reports have, however, suggested the handset will instead run on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 810 CPU alongside 4GB of RAM. The display, tipped to remain the same size, will be a QHD variant meaning super-high-end performance, as you’ll find on the LG G3, Nexus 6 and Galaxy Note 4, and distinctly average battery life.“Forbes also says the handset's launch has been pushed back to the third quarter of 2015 - and again issues with the Snapdragon 810 chipset from Qualcomm are said to be the cause of the trouble,” reports Tech Radar. “Forbes says ‘manufacturing challenges’ with the Snapdragon 810 are going to delay the OnePlus 2, and the jump to 64-bit processing could be part of the problem. If you're eagerly looking forward the arrival of the next OnePlus flagship, you could have a little longer to wait.”The phone will also allegedly pack in a 16MP primary camera and a 5MP front-facer for selfies. The OnePlus Two is also expected to feature support for microSD, unlike its predecessor. There's no word on what level of storage it will offer, though support for the highest storage variants seems likely now that cards up to 200GB are now available.OnePlus Two New Snapdragon 810 Benchmarks: Underclocked Or Not?
The OnePlus Two has appeared in a new set of benchmark test results, this time it's AnTuTu again. However, the results reveal something interesting. According to statements made by OnePlus reps the Snapdragon 810 processor onboard is the latest 2.1 version which has been specifically tweaked to optimise performance and tackle the previously seen overheating issues. OnePlus has also apparently put some thermal gel into the phone's innards to help keep things nice and cool.This latest set of benchmarks appear to show things are functioning as hoped, although it looks as if OnePlus may have also throttled and underclocked the CPU to keep temperatures down. because the scores coming up on the OnePlus Two are quite similar to the OnePlus One running a Snapdragon 801 from last year. We've seen from other phones using the 810 that it's capable of better figures than these, but that does run the risk of heat problems.The only other possibility is that being a pre-release test unit it is being underclocked and we may see the phone un-throttled when it launches.And now, as of July 21, there is some new evidence that this may indeed have been a throttled test unit and not representative of the final product. Another set of AnTuTu benchmarks has emerged which appear to show the Snapdragon 810 inside the OnePlus Two running at full whack, with a score that sits more comfortably with full power 810 scores we've seen before. The OnePlus Two scored 63719 in this latest benchmark, exeeding earlier benchmarks using the same chip inside the Xiomi Mi Note Pro - a score of 63,424.OnePlus Two Benchmarked In GeekBench
Reports on May 21 indicate that the OnePlus Two prototype just got put through some benchmarking tests, with a set of results popping up in the Geekbench database.It's important to note that the results list the device in question as the OnePlus One, however, it does have a different model number to OnePlus' original handset; A2001 instead of A0001. What's more, instead of the OnePlus One's Snapdragon 801 chip (MSM8974), this result shows a Snapdragon 810 MSM8994, which lines up nicely with the rumours of the new phone's specs.The benchmark does list eight cores for the CPU and 3GB of RAM, but it seems to have a restriced clockspeed of 1.55GHz, a bit low for the 810's capabilties, but again, if this is a prototype test unit first run then the firm may have its reasons (overheating anybody?).The only other takeaway point is the presence of Android 5.1 Lollipop, which is being used as a basis for OnePlus' own Oxygen OS.OnePlus Two Specs: OnePlus Two (Model: A2003) Specs Confirmed Inside AnTuTu Benchmark
If you’re keen to know what the specs for the upcoming OnePlus Two are going to be, well, it looks as if the wait is pretty much over as the handset has popped up in AnTuTu’s benchmarking suite, confirming much of what the handset will entail once it is officially launched and released later on this year.According to the benchmark, the OnePlus Two will feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon SoC 810, Adreno 430 GPU and 3GB of RAM. The display is reported as a 5.5in 1020x1080p setup, so now QHD panels this time around, and the device will ship with either 16GB or 64GB of storage.Type C USB: What It Is AND Why It’s Great
- The Type C connector is rated at 100W, meaning it can be used to charge other things beyond your phone –– things like a PC or printer, for instance.
- Fully Reversible –– again, this is great because it doesn’t matter which way you connect it, it works both ways.
- USB Type-C cables will use the new small connector at both ends, no more Type-A at one end, and Type-B at the other
The handset will likely feature a 3300mAh battery (up from 3100mAh), 4GB of RAM and Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 810 processor. Based on what the company did with the OnePlus One, though, it is fairly safe to assume the OnePlus Two will be a high-end smartphone with a decent specs and, hopefully, wider LTE support than its predecessor, which was a bit lacking in this area.In a recent Reddit AMA, OnePlus marketing director David Sanmartin confirmed the next-generation OnePlus Two would not feature a removable battery or microSD-support. So, just like Samsung, OnePlus seems hell bent on irritating the huge swathes of Android users that quite literally swear by microSD and removable battery packs.OnePlus Two: Cyanogen Out, Oxygen OS In
OnePlus Gives Update On OxygenOS Development
A lot of users are apparently having issues with the first build of OxygenOS and in true OnePlus-style the company has taken to its official blog to outline what’s going on and when a fix will be made available. First and foremost, an updated version of CyanogenMod is on the way. It’s called CM12.1 and should be with existing OnePlus handsets very soon, following Google certification.Here’s what the company had to say about OxygenOS and, importantly, the OnePlus Two:"The entire team is currently heads down working on the release for the upcoming OnePlus 2. We are very excited about the work we've done and can't wait to show you all the new features and improvements we've made. We have a small team which means in order to do our best work, we need to focus. This unfortunately means that we won't have an OTA for the community build of OxygenOS we released back in April for the OnePlus One until after the OnePlus 2 release. We will put up a new build very soon with the touchscreen fix for those of you who are experiencing this problem but we won't have an official update until we have the resources to do a proper job."We will pick up our pace for updates, especially on the OnePlus 2 as OxygenOS will be the official operating system. My team and I keep a close eye on your feedback in the forums and we really appreciate how actively engaged you guys are. As we scale our team, we will have an increasingly iterative process to cycle your feedback into tangible improvements on a much more frequent basis."Why Build Your Own Custom OS?
“By doing so, we can offer better localization and faster updates. We can directly implement user feedback and make it easy for the OnePlus community to shape our ROM and create the OS that they want to use. Integration between hardware, software, and the cloud will become more seamless and unified for everyone using a OnePlus device. By creating our own software, we’re better able to work directly with our users to improve our OS. It’s something we’ve become quite fond of saying: when we work together, amazing things happen.”What Will Oxygen OS Be Like?
“As we’ve promised before, OxygenOS will not ship with any bloatware. We’re keeping it clean and streamlined for performance. We value things like battery life and system efficiency, so we’ve remained true to our ROM’s namesake and created a seamless experience that is lightweight and essential.”“Any additional features will be non-obtrusive and extremely useful (tap-to-wake and customisable navigation buttons, for example). With OxygenOS, we want to build something that works for users and gets out of their way. And, that’s exactly what we are doing.”
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