With the OnePlus One now official for India carrying a price tag sweeter than what was earlier expected, it’s time you got to know what this flagship killer phone is really all about. We’ve prepared a quick review of the smartphone in which we’ve highlighted the key features and also the downsides you’ll face.
The OnePlus One is the only device from the company and it has managed to sell quite well considering that it’s being offered in limited quantities and in select markets only. Then there’s the invite system which makes the phone hard to get hold of, but that isn’t a problem since it’s now being offered on pre-order.
Sadly, the new system hasn’t been implemented in India and potential customers will still have to hunt for an invite online. And the global ones won’t be accepted as OnePlus is offering India-specific invitations. The self-anointed ‘flagship killer’ term comes from the fact that the smartphone is fitted with top-tier components and offered at a very low price, almost half of what you’d pay for devices like the Galaxy S5 and LG G3.
The One handset is amongst the best lookers on the market as it flaunts a simple yet premium design which is of course, made from polycarbonate. The front panel sports a large 5.5-inch display surrounded by an extremely slim bezel. The phone’s size can be off-putting for some mainly since it’s extremely hard for one-hand use.
Also read: Xiaomi Redmi Note review: A complete value for money package
But if size doesn’t matter to you, there’s not much you can complain about in regard to the design which is 8.9mm thick and just 162gm heavy. The 1080p LCD display on the front is pretty great as it delivers clear and vivid visuals. What’s also amazing on this phone is the software.
OnePlus One key specs:
– 5.5-inch 1080p display
– 2.5GHz quad core Snapdragon 801 SOC
– 3GB RAM, 16GB/64GB storage options
– 5MP front camera, 13MP rear imager
– 3100mAh battery
– Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 4.0, HSPA+, LTE, GPS
As you probably know, the global model of the OnePlus One comes with CyanogenMod pre-installed and it allows you to customize the software to your heart’s content. However, Indian customers will have things the hard way mainly because Cyanogen won’t be offering any updates for the phone in the country due to an exclusive deal it made with local OEM Micromax. The company’s solution to this issue is to develop its own firmware (based on Lollipop) which will be released next month.
So buyers will basically have the choice to stay on the custom OS and manually update the phone or get the company’s own software and sacrifice some pretty exciting features. The cameras fitted here are also impressive as the front–facing snapper is rated at 5MP and is a decent performer. The 13MP Sony sensor on the rear is the star of the show as it delivers great images under different lighting conditions and also records some pretty decent 4K videos.
Where the internal hardware is concerned, the OnePlus One makes no compromises. It has beefy components such as a 2.5GHz quad core Snapdragon 801 SOC and 3GB of RAM which will run almost anything you throw at it. Storage however, could be an issue as you get a choice of 16GB (not available in India) or 64GB of internal memory with no microSD expansion support. Coming to battery life, the 3100mAh power pack managed to push as far as 14 to 15 hours of moderate usage.
For a price of Rs 21999, the OnePlus One is a great option and certainly worth the hassle of getting an invite. You can try your luck at scoring one through Amazon through which the handset is available exclusively. And if the phone’s size is of concern to you, then you might want to consider taking a look at the Huawei Honor 6 or Lenovo’s Vibe X2.