Scrappy underdog of the mobile world OnePlus has today announced the launch of its second smartphone. The OnePlus 2 is the plucky successor to the OnePlus One and it will be available from August for around £250.
The OnePlus One gained a kind of cult status among in-the-know Android fans thanks to the combination of good value and high specifications. It's clear that the company is hoping the OnePlus 2 will replicate its success, and as such has packed it with a lineup of components that rival the best of this year's flagships for very little money (as smartphones go).
"From day one, we've prioritised our product and our community above all else -- we carefully listened to our users' feedback and incorporated suggestions in building the OnePlus 2," said OnePlus Founder and CEO, Pete Lau. "We chose premium materials, the highest performing components and forward thinking technology to make this an unparalleled user experience."
WIRED was blown away by the performance of the OnePlus One in benchmark tests, and with a octa-core 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, clocked at 1.8GHz and backed up by a whopping 4GB of RAM, the 2 looks set to give another impressive showing. As you would expect for any high-end Android phone the OnePlus 2 runs the latest version of Android -- 5.1 Lollipop -- in addition to the company's OxygenOS skin, which aims to optimise an otherwise pure Android experience.
One feature that really makes the OnePlus 2 stand out from the crowd is its USB-C charging port. USB-C made its debut on Apple's latest Macbook and it is expected to eventually become the new standard, although it takes companies like Apple and OnePlus to pioneer it.
On paper the 2 has exactly the same screen as the original OnePlus. The 5.5-inch display has a resolution of 401 pixels per inch, which is pretty much all the human eye requires for a great viewing experience.
In terms of megapixels, the camera also remains unchanged from the OnePlus One, but it boasts some new features. The 13-megapixel snapper contains six lenses, which apparently prevent distortion and colour aberration. There's also optical image stabilisation, laser focus and a dual-LED flash on board. Of course there is also a 5-megapixel camera on the front.
One feature of the phone that has been upgraded is the battery, which has been boosted from 3,100mAh to 3,300mAh. It's admittedly not a huge jump, but every little counts when it comes to stretching that battery life out across the day.
The OnePlus 2 isn't exactly anything to get excited about from a design standpoint. It definitely is smart, however, and its slightly rounded back should make its large frame easier to hang on to. If you crave a more interesting look you can opt for one of the models with the wood-effect backs, which offer at least a modicum of excitement.
OnePlus is a community-based endeavour and as such you have to be invited to be able to pre-order a model. There will be opportunities to sign up to receive an invite from the end of July -- you'll either have to visit a OnePlus pop-up event or keep an eye on the company's social media channels. A 64GB model of the phone will be available for £289 from 11 August, with a 16GB model with less RAM (only 3GB) available for £239 soon after.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
