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OnePlus X series is no more, says CEO
While it's common practice for smartphone makers to offer two or three product lines to cover all the bases, OnePlus has recently decided to go from two to one. At the OnePlus 3 launch event in Shenzhen today, CEO Pete Lau confirmed that his company's more affordable offering, the OnePlus X, will not have a follow-up model. That's not to say it was a bad phone (even we liked it) nor was it unpopular, but Lau said that OnePlus will instead focus on just one "true flagship" line from now on in order to strengthen its foundation -- something that Lau admitted his team neglected last year -- rather than fighting the low-end price war.
OnePlus starts selling phones via Amazon UK
If you've been eyeing up a OnePlus phone, there's now another place you can order one in the UK. The company is selling the OnePlus 2 on Amazon UK for £249 -- the same, recently reduced price found on its own website. A spokesperson for OnePlus has also confirmed to Engadget that both the OnePlus 2 and smaller OnePlus X will, eventually, be sold through Amazon US too. The move should improve the sales of both handsets, due to the added exposure and consumer trust associated with Amazon. It could also be a useful way to sell off old stock ahead of the OnePlus 3 launch.
The OnePlus X is now available without an invite
OnePlus is now selling its "X" smartphone to anyone that wants it. The budget Android device had previously been part of OnePlus' much maligned invite-only policy, which makes buyers wait for a code before purchasing. (As if buying a $249 phone makes you part of some sort of exclusive club). Announcing the decision, OnePlus says this is the fastest a phone has moved from invites to general availability, and notes that this is a trend it hopes to improve upon in the future.
OnePlus 2 drops the invite requirement on December 5th
If you're looking to purchase a new handset this holiday, OnePlus is hoping you'll look its way. To help lure you, the company is permanently dropping the invite usually required to purchase the OnePlus 2. What's more, you won't need an invitation to nab the smaller $249 OnePlus X between December 5th-7th. If you miss the window for the cheaper device, you can splurge for a OnePlus iPhone case that includes the requisite invitation. You'll want to act quickly, though, as the company says you'll have to order by December 7th to receive your new phone by Christmas.
The OnePlus iPhone case comes with a OnePlus X invite
OnePlus has launched the "Sandstone" case for Apple's iPhone 6 and 6s, and guess what's inside? An invitation to purchase the OnePlus X. You have to admire the sheer chutzpah of that, though it's hard to imagine many folks turfing their $649-plus iPhone 6s for a $249 OnePlus X. Random buyers of the case will get an invite for the rare ceramic version of the OnePlus X, while a select few will actually get the new model for free. The One X has often been compared to older iPhones, so the case does make a strange kind of sense -- and it also makes the iPhone much less slippery. Making Apple owners aware of the product might pose more of a challenge, but the company is nothing if not savvy at marketing.
OnePlus X review: Never settle for second best
The OnePlus X breaks new ground for the young Chinese company. Making the X, OnePlus eschewed its usual formula of stuffing the best processor in a ridiculously cheap phone. Instead, it has repurposed the internals of its debut OnePlus One into a smaller phone with a lower $249 price tag. But in achieving that admittedly impressive feat, it's gone against its own mantra.
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.
