OnePlus 2 Review: The affordable flagship

[Scorpus]

OnePlus' debut smartphone last year, the OnePlus One, was a commendable first effort, packing high-end hardware like a Snapdragon 801 SoC and a 13MP camera into a $300 package. There were a few issues with the One’s software, including bugs at release and a slow update to Android 5.0, but it was a compromise many were willing to make for a cheap device with solid hardware.

Come 2015 and the OnePlus One is ready to be succeeded by the unsurprisingly-named OnePlus 2. This affordable flagship is slightly more expensive than its predecessor, starting at $329 for the 16 GB model, but once again it features top-of-the-line hardware. OnePlus has opted for a Snapdragon 810 SoC with 3 or 4 GB of RAM and a 3,300 mAh battery, on the front is a 5.5-inch 1080p display, and on the rear a 13-megapixel camera with an f/2.0 lens, OIS and laser autofocus.

The smartphone also includes a number of features we’ve seen crop up in competing high-end devices, like a fingerprint sensor, USB Type-C for charging and data transfer, two SIM card slots, and a unique notification control switch on the side. The smartphone comes with Android 5.1 on-board in the form of OnePlus’ OxygenOS. OnePlus is labelling the OnePlus 2 the “2016 flagship killer”.

Read the complete review.

 

[p51d007]

The port, is a standard USB 2.0, with a USB-C "connector". OnePlus, isn't a company. Oppo, is the company. OnePlus is nothing but a paper company, that does viral marketing. It appeared to work last year, but not as much this year.

More and more people are rejecting the invites by letting them expire. It is a small company, unable to produce in quantity, to fill demand, causing more and more people, to go to Moto-X or other alternatives, at the same price point. Give it 3-4 months, and this will be a pretty good device. Right now, there are still to many software problems. Screen lag, sensor glitches, not quite ready for prime time camera bugs.

As with the OnePlus One last year, most of those were ironed out, in 3-4 months. The same is holding true this year, which is a shame. Personally, I think those hiccups should have been corrected by version 2.0, but they haven't. Of course OnePlus, still says they are a startup, but, since they don't manufacturer anything, it's up to Oppo. Oppo started building phones around 1996, about the same time Xiaomi started making cell phones. Xiaomi really took off, Oppo, is still struggling.

The concept Oppo/OnePlus came up with, if anything else, DID shake up the entire industry.
Last year, they were pretty much the only player offering a high spec/low price phone. Now, there are a bunch of players in the market to take on the overpriced flagship spec phones.

 

[thelatestmodel]

One massive problem - you can't bloody buy it. OnePlus seemed good initially, but their practice of requiring "invites" and such to buy their product really turned me off.

I'm sure it's a great phone, just don't set your heart on owning one within the next year, by which time there will be a better alternative.

 

[veLa]

One massive problem - you can't bloody buy it. OnePlus seemed good initially, but their practice of requiring "invites" and such to buy their product really turned me off.

I'm sure it's a great phone, just don't set your heart on owning one within the next year, by which time there will be a better alternative.

This is consistently the biggest complaint about the OnePlus devices. It doesn't matter what the reviews say if it's practically impossible to get your hands on it.

 

[Scorpus]

One massive problem - you can't bloody buy it. OnePlus seemed good initially, but their practice of requiring "invites" and such to buy their product really turned me off.

I'm sure it's a great phone, just don't set your heart on owning one within the next year, by which time there will be a better alternative.

Yep the invite system is bloody stupid

 

[Dorstlesser]

Sorry but, this is by no means a flagship killer. The camera, screen and battery life are completely subpar for this pricerange. There's plenty of phones below $200 that perform better.