Google managed the same with its Nexus line of smartphone (with some compromises to keep Android partners happy as well), but we all know how much money Google makes. Will One Plus manage to meet the huge expectations it promises? Let’s take a look at their first smartphone
Camera and Internal Storage
One Plus One comes with a 13 MP Sony Exmor IMX214 sensor at the back, which company claims to have finalized after trying latest camera units from several tier one manufacturers. The Sensor has wide f/2.0 aperture and to counteract the distortion around the edges which comes with wide apertures, OnePlus has provided with 6 element lens instead of the conventional 5 element system. The rear camera can record 4K videos at 30fps and 720p videos at 120fps for video recording. Dual LED flash is also present for low light photography. A 5 MP “Distortion free” shooter is present at the front for video calling. The Camera samples that have surfaced online so far seem to match the glory on paper.
The internal storage is 16GB/ 64 GB (latest eMMc 5.0) but there is no MicroSD card slot on the device. Some people will have to settle with lack of MicroSD support.
Processor and Battery
The processor used is the best in business Snapdragon 801 Quad core clocked at 2.5 GHz. It is the same processor present in global variant of Samsung Galaxy S5. The MSM8974AC is the ongoing flagship processor from Qualcomm and is slightly superior to MSM8974AB Snapdragon 801 used in Sony Xperia Z2. The chipset is coupled with Ample 3 GB RAM to ensure smooth multi tasking and Adreno 330 GPU clocked at 578 MHz. One plus One won’t disappoint you with the processing prowess it possesses. A non removable 3100 mAh lithium polymer battery powers the internals of this smartphone, One Plus has not yet specified the battery backup you can get from the battery. One Plus also stated the presence of a mystery technology to extend the battery life by a huge margin, but its details and whereabouts are still a mystery.
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Display and Other Features
The Display used has been sourced from JDI, the same company which made the bright and beautiful HTC One and OPPO N1 displays. The 5.5 Inch LTPS IPS LCD Gorilla Glass 3 Protected display will sport full HD 1080p resolution. The display also incorporates TOL or Touch On Lens technology which eliminates gap between display and touch similar to OGS but is 300 percent more shatter proof.
OnePlus One runs on customized Cynogen Mod 11S operating system which is based on Android 4.4 KitKat. The UI is similar to Cynogen Mod 11, but the themes, lock-screen and launcher will be unique to OnePlus One for now.
Looks and Connectivity
OnePlus will also provide with StyleSwap back covers with several attractive designs which makes the OPPO Find 7 like design of the device quite customizable. OnePlus One has dimensions of 152.9 x 75.9 x 8.9 mm and weighs moderate 162 grams. The bezels are quite narrow which means you can easily carry this 5.5 inch display phone in your pocket. Connectivity features include Dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4G/5G) 802.11 b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, internal GPS antenna + GLONASS, Digital Compass and Tri-microphone with noise cancellation.
Comparison
The phone being sold under the “Never Settle” banner has also been termed as the “Flagship Killer”. It will indeed compete with the flagship devices like Samsung Galaxy S5, Sony Xperia Z2, LG G2 and OPPO Find 7.
Key Specs
Conclusion
OnePlus has indeed managed to provide extreme value for money with top notch hardware at a starting price of only $299, But it is highly uncertain if they will be able to deliver as expected. The company has stated an Invite only system to get OnePlus One at the launch, which means you can buy it if one of your friends with OnePlus One sends you an invite. This bizarre approach adopted to offset the supply deficiency might not workout for the startup. There is also some uncertainity hovering over After sales support in 16 countries where OnePlus One will be available (India is not one of them), but for the specified price tag, most people won’t care. It will take some time before the company can manage to produce enough stock for every one.
