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Hands-on with the smaller, cheaper OnePlus X
From the moment you pick up the OnePlus X, it's hard not to think about the iPhones of yesteryear. There's no denying it: there's a whiff of the iPhone 4 and iPhone 5 to this new handset. But that's not necessarily a criticism. It's been a while since those phones were Apple's crème de la crème, and there's a certain sophistication to the X's glass back and rounded corners. Turning it over in my hands, it certainly doesn't feel like a $249 phone. OnePlus has paid attention to the details: the metal frame, for instance, has 17 "micro-cuts" to make it a little grippier. The alert slider, which lets you switch between three notification profiles, has a different finish so you can find it in your pocket without looking.
Meet the $249 OnePlus X
With its first two phones, OnePlus proved that it could deliver flagship-level devices at a cheaper price-point than most of its rivals. Neither were exactly design duds, but for its third handset -- and the second to be unwrapped in 2015 -- OnePlus is focusing on style in particular. It's called the OnePlus X and yes, it has a hint of both the iPhone 4 and iPhone 5 about it. There are two models: the $249/£199 Onyx, which sports a sheet of black glass on the back, and a £269 Ceramic version, which won't be available in the US. In fact, OnePlus is only making 10,000 Ceramic handsets full-stop, so you'll have to be quick if you want one of the company's lucrative invites. Yep, you read that correctly. Once again, OnePlus will be using an invite system to carefully manage customer demand and shipments.
OnePlus X phone to be unveiled on October 29th
OnePlus might be struggling to get its second phone into people's hands, but that hasn't stopped it from pressing ahead with another handset launch. OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei had already confirmed that a third phone is on the way, but now we have a date for the grand unveiling: October 29th. A London event for the "OnePlus X" was teased on social media, while a blog post on its Chinese site confirms a companion event in Beijing. Earlier this month a new OnePlus handset was spotted in an FCC filing, revealing a 5.5-inch display and an industrial design that looks like an amalgamation of past and present iPhones. A few other, unexciting specs were confirmed in the process; a 1.9GHz processor and support for LTE, Bluetooth, GPS, WiFi and FM radios. Further details have reportedly leaked through an Amazon India listing, but we'll let you decide if they're trustworthy.
CyanogenMod now supports more mid-range Huawei, Motorola phones
Cyanogen's partnership with OnePlus may be over, but the company is still hard at work to make sure its namesake Android ROM will run on just about everything else. According to a new post on the company blog, its been working with device manufactures like Xiaomi, Motorola, Oppo and others to extend official support to a wider array of mid-range Android handsets -- and it has a list of devices to prove it.
OnePlus: 'We messed up the launch of the OnePlus 2'
Once again, OnePlus has built a "flagship killer" that millions of people want, and once again, it's struggling to get the device in customers' hands. After delaying its arrival in the US and Canada, co-founder Carl Pei has admitted that the OnePlus 2 has only started shipping in "meaningful quantities" this week. That's a month later than expected, which is problematic given most smartphone makers work on a 12-month release cycle. "We messed up," Pei writes in a forum post. "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." OnePlus says it prepared more inventory for the OnePlus 2 launch, but clearly something has put a spanner in its production schedule. We were impressed with the device, but if you're desperate to upgrade your phone -- you might want to look elsewhere. For those still trying to get an invite, it could be an awfully long wait.
New in our buyer's guide: the Galaxy Note 5, OnePlus 2 and Moto G
Phones and gaming. Gaming and phones. That's about all we're adding to our buyer's guide this month. Since we last checked in, we've inducted a trio of new handsets, including the Samsung Galaxy Note 5, Moto G and the OnePlus 2. (And yes, we'll soon have to update the iPhone part of the guide too.) Meanwhile, we also decided that the Wii U and the New 3DS XL deserved spots in our gaming guide, along with a nod to toys-to-life products like Amiibo, Skylanders and Disney's Infinity series. We'll be back next month, but until then, feel free to poke around our complete guide to see our top picks.
Mini review video: our verdict on the OnePlus 2 in under a minute
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-879506{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-879506, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-879506{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-879506").style.display="none";}catch(e){} It wasn't an easy task following up on a phone that people already loved, but OnePlus has done just that with its second-gen flagship. Mostly, anyhow. The OnePlus 2 is an improvement over its predecessor in just about every way, with fast performance and solid build quality, all for a reasonable starting price of $329. That said, OnePlus faces stiffer competition in this price range than it did a year ago. Meanwhile, this updated model makes a few missteps, including a lack of NFC, a flaky fingerprint sensor and some early-build bugs. Given that OnePlus seems to be working on fixes for those lingering software issues, we still strongly recommend this, with a score of 86 out of a 100. It's definitely worth a look, provided you don't care about NFC and don't mind the lack of expandable storage. Learn about all that and more in our mini review video, and if you have time for a deep dive, check out our full review.
OnePlus 2 update brings Stagefright patch, battery improvements
We knew an over-the-air update was coming to the OnePlus 2, but now it's here. Today, OnePlus released the first software revision for its new flagship smartphone, bringing with it a few major changes to OxygenOS. The most important one, perhaps, is an added patch for Stagefright, the security vulnerability that's affecting more than 950 million Android devices. There are also improvements to the handset's battery performance and the user interface, as well as other under-the-hood enhancements that should make the OnePlus 2 more stable overall. Our own Senior Mobile Editor, Chris Velazco, noticed some software bugs in his review unit, so here's to hoping this version of OxygenOS (2.0.1) fixes these issues.
OnePlus 2 review: a worthy sequel, flaws and all
I don't envy the team at OnePlus. After shipping a smartphone that made us rethink what we could get -- nay, what we deserved -- for $299, it was tasked with building an even better follow-up. If this were some schlocky '80s, teen coming-of-age film, it'd be time for a montage, but here we are a year later with a more confident, experienced startup and a new device that still promises to "never settle." At $329 for the basic 16GB model (or $389 for the 64GB version), the new OnePlus 2 isn't quite as wallet-friendly as the phone we got last year, and more than a few rivals have since come out with low-cost, high-power phones of their own. So, did OnePlus do the impossible again? Did it actually create a worthy sequel to a fan-favorite device, amid crazy competition in the world of cheap, fantastic unlocked phones? Well, yes, but it's not without its flaws.
OnePlus 2's arrival in US and Canada gets delayed
We've got some bad news for those of you in the US and Canada waiting for the OnePlus 2. While you can still purchase the new device from OnePlus.net today if you have an invite code, you have quite a bit of wait ahead of you. The company has announced in its forums that it can't ship out units to North America just yet. It'll start sending out orders two to three weeks after shipments to Europe have begun, so you might end up waiting for a month, depending on your location. OnePlus said the delay was "due to production schedules," but it didn't elaborate on what that meant exactly. In case you're still on the fence about buying the manufacturer's new flagship phone, though, make sure to check out our preview before you pull the trigger.
For OnePlus, China is no longer its biggest market
OnePlus, a 900-employee-strong company that's sold 1.5 million smartphones since its debut 15 months ago, is doing surprisingly well outside its home country, China. As we sat in OnePlus' funky recreational room, CEO Pete Lau revealed that about 60 to 70 percent of the sales come from overseas, which is a significant change from the 50/50 ratio back in November. One could argue that this is partly to do with the dip in China's smartphone market growth, but Lau isn't concerned, as he and co-founder Carl Pei set their eyes on the Western world and, more recently, India.
OnePlus 2 is a $329+ metallic upgrade with a beefed-up camera
Almost exactly 15 months ago, the OnePlus One made its debut as a $299 flagship smartphone to wow the geeks; and it's even been lowered to $249 as of last month. That, of course, is to make way for the company's next act, the OnePlus 2 (we were asked to stick with "2" instead of "Two"). This update is actually not all that secretive no thanks to the teasers and a recent leak, but that's not to say you should lose interest in it, especially given the improved camera, better display, extra RAM and the switch from plastic to a more resilient magnesium alloy frame. Not to mention that the 2 also comes with a USB Type-C port, a fingerprint reader, dual nano-SIM slots and a special "alert" slider. As for the OnePlus 2's price: the 64GB version will retail for $389 while the 16GB version will cost you $329. Let's break it down.
Our first look at the OnePlus 2 comes from China's regulator
So far, OnePlus has done a fairly good job of keeping its next smartphone under wraps ahead of the July 27th launch. However, as spotted by our sister site Engadget China, a clear shot of the OnePlus 2 has been revealed by one of the biggest 'leakers' out there -- Chinese wireless regulator Tenaa. We already knew that the 2 would have a fingerprint reader, and that's visible in the (badly lit) image. Its camera setup looks an awful lot like the LG G4's, meaning it may have laser focusing and not dual cameras, as had been rumored. Unusually, the camera is mounted very low on the back.
OnePlus is giving away Google Cardboard for $0 plus shipping (update: out of stock)
Well, this is one way for an up-and-coming company to get people's attention. OnePlus, the Chinese manufacturer best-known for making a cheap handset with surprisingly good specs, is about to launch its second-generation phone, and to get folks pumped up, it's selling a modified version of Google's Cardboard virtual reality headset. Make that: "giving away." The headset is free, plus a $5 shipping charge, making it a great deal, even for what's already marketed as a cheap way to experience VR. All told, it's very similar to the second-gen version of Cardboard unveiled at Google I/O a month ago, except this particular iteration is made of a thicker material, is 20 percent smaller and is coated in a dirt- and oil-resistant film, according to TechCrunch.
Experience the OnePlus 2 cellphone launch July 27th in VR
OnePlus has heard your frustration about the drip-feeding of information leading to its next phone, but according to co-founder Carl Pei, it's going to "keep doing things differently." For the OnePlus 2, that means taking advantage of new technology just to announce the thing. On July 27th at 10PM ET, OnePlus new Snapdragon 810-powered cellphone will be revealed with a streaming virtual reality presentation. Just to make sure the fans can tune in, it's working on a free OnePlus Cardboard headset that owners of its first phone (pictured above) can use to watch. Sign up on the website for more info on the headset, and clear your schedule. So far, what we know about the phone is its CPU and that it uses a USB Type-C connector (check after the break for a video of Pei using the phone's charging cable to juice up a Macbook), but you should be able to see the new device in 360-degree surround next month.
OnePlus says its next flagship won't overheat, despite what you heard
"Today, I am proud to share with you that our eagerly-awaited OnePlus 2 will come loaded with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 v2.1," starts the blog post from OnePlus. Color us not surprised that the sequel to one of the most sought-after Android phones will come with, well, the processor you expected it to (bar those pesky overheating rumors). What's more interesting is that ".1" hanging off the end of the processor's version number. OnePlus goes on to explain that it worked directly with Qualcomm to create an "improved" version of the CPU. One the phone-maker claims won't get hot like reports suggest.
Cyanogen and OnePlus are never ever getting back together
It's always sad when a couple that looked so good together decides to part company, but that's what's happening with OnePlus and Cyanogen. The cracks in their relationship started to show back in November, when Cyanogen backed one of OnePlus' rivals when it launched in India. After a few testy exchanges while out at parties, Cyanogen's Steve Kondik has told PC World that the partnership is now over, but no-one's holding a grudge. OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei agreed, telling the same publication that the team-up had been "mutually beneficial," but that the two companies would take different paths in the future. For its part, OnePlus is now working on its own proprietary Android skin, OxygenOS, while Cyanogen is working with Microsoft and other manufacturers to get its operating system in more places. [Image Credit: Getty]
OnePlus finally drops invites, but only until its next flagship launches
Now that it's been on the market a full year, you can finally buy a OnePlus One without an invitation. Sound familiar? The company has opened up sales on the well-liked, $300 smartphone for brief periods before, but today said that "the One will be available without an invite. Forever." Calling the reviled invitation system a "fascinating, evolving experiment," the company admitted that "feelings toward (it) vary, and we understand that." In the same breath, however, it revealed that its next model, the OnePlus Two "will initially launch with invites."
Cyanogen OS 12 is here, and the OnePlus One gets it first
Cyanogen and OnePlus aren't as close as they once were, but the wide open Android variant finally has a release-ready version of Lollipop and it's rolling out to the OnePlus One today. Cyanogen OS 12 has all the improvements Google could pack in to the fifth iteration of Android -- you'll need to wait for 12.1 for the 5.1 tweaks -- plus a couple of special additions with app theming, a built-in Gmail replacement and more. If you're not seeing the rolling update on your device yet, the factory image should be available to download here soon. Of course, OnePlus has its own OxygenOS version of Android to offer owners of the devices, so in the space of nine days, anyone carrying a One has gone from no official avenues for installing Android Lollipop to two. Choose wisely.
OnePlus releases OxygenOS, its custom take on Android
After a pretty sizable delay, OnePlus has at last released OxygenOS, its in-house version of Android 5.0 Lollipop. As promised back near the start of the year, this Cyanogen replacement is all about a "back to basics" approach that keeps things stock unless the startup thinks a new feature would be genuinely useful. Right now, that's largely limited to features you already had on your One: you can draw Oppo-style gestures to trigger functions when the screen is off, switch between hardware and software navigation keys and customize your quick-access settings. OxygenOS isn't for the faint of heart at this stage, since you'll have to be comfortable with installing ROMs (and likely put up with early bugs), but it's worth a shot if you want to catch a glimpse of OnePlus' software future.
