5 things we want to see from the OnePlus Two!

One of the breakout devices of last year was definitely the OnePlus One and the Chinese company behind it, OnePlus, came out of nowhere with a limited budget to become a widely recognised manufacturer.

The handset certainly wasn’t perfect but now, 15 months later, the company is set to launch its successor and based on some leaks and teasers, it’s certainly fixed a few of the flaws with its predecessor. We’ve already been treated to some of the hardware and camera information, but what else should we expect from what could be this year’s flagship killer?

Here are 5 things we want (or hope) to see from the OnePlus Two:

Easier Availability

Although the OnePlus One had fantastic specs at an affordable price for most users, the handset wasn’t readily available to buy. OnePlus introduced the concept of the invite system to buy its handset but its mis-calculation on the expected demand for the handset meant its inventory was considerably smaller than the number of people wanting to buy it.

As a result, invites were in limited supply with an entire after-market trade set up for people desperately wanting to buy the handset. Folks were paying more for an invite than the phone was actually worth, and the company even announced a marketing blunder requiring ladies to send in photos of themselves to skip the invite process. Even with that said, the demand from consumers was still there.

The company has already confirmed that they’ve learnt from their mistakes and the OnePlus Two supply will be considerably larger; 30 to 50 times larger at launch than the OnePlus One was in fact. At the same time, we’d like to see the handset have wider shipping options and if the company can make the handset more available in the US and Europe, it may live up to its billing as 2015’s flagship killer.

More Software Features

One of the biggest decisions in the OnePlus One was the choice to partner with Cyanogen for the software, although this partnership ended in a rather messy divorce. Although its partnership with Cyanogen did deliver a fully functional software experience, the public falling out resulting in OnePlus hiring its own team to develop its own version of Android.

Based on Android 5.0.2 Lollipop, the new Oxygen OS was in stark contrast to Cyanogen Mod (and the CM12 update based on the same version of Android) as it was essentially stock Android with a few UX tweaks and feature additions. While the switch from CM to OxygenOS did result in a lot of customisation options being removed, it delivered impressive speed, performance and a clean experience that appeals to most power users.

Many of the developers behind the popular Paranoid Android custom ROM were hired by OnePlus to deliver its software experience and while the initial feature set was certainly barebones, we’re expecting the company to deliver many more software features in its latest OS. The company has teased that Oxygen OS on the OnePlus Two will deliver plenty of new features – including some that won’t be available on other Android phones until Android M – and given the developers behind OxygenOS, we can’t wait to see what they have in store.

Design

Like other affordable devices, the OnePlus One didn’t have the outstanding design you might see from a much more expensive design but the handset was definitely unique and had a certain appeal. The Sandstone Black version of the handset had a lovely two-tone finish while the white version looked stylish and appealing to boot.

Alongside the handset itself, OnePlus teased us with its unique StyleSwap covers, allowing you to add finishes like Bamboo to your handset after you’d already bought them. One of its other issues (which we’ll touch on below) reared its head however as just a few months later, the covers were cancelled due to Quality Assurance issues.

In its blog post announcing the cancellation however, the company did confirm that it had recognised some of the flaws in both the handset release mechanism and the cover design and as a result, the StyleSwap covers would be back with the OnePlus Two. With so much demand for the StyleSwap covers but so little supply, we hope that OnePlus will make the covers available at launch with enough supply to satisfy likely demand.

Improved Camera

On paper, the OnePlus One camera was certainly impressive as it offered a 13MP fully capable snapper but while images were fine, they were often soft and noisy when used in less than ideal lighting conditions. The phone maker then rolled out an update that bought the new Clear Image feature, which captured a burst of 10 photos and stitched them together for a cleaner, higher-resolution image.

Read more: OnePlus Two camera details revealed by MKBHD

With the OnePlus Two we want to see OnePlus make improvements in both the hardware and the software. With the less than perfect images captured in low light, the addition of Optical Image Stabilisation should help improve handling of light. Improved post-processing of images would also mean richer, less noisy images that deliver the overall picture quality found on the big flagships; the Galaxy S6 / S6 Edge and the LG G4.

Better Quality Assurance

Being a Chinese manufacturer, OnePlus has done exceptionally well to sell millions of handsets despite the stigma that is commonly attributed to Chinese OEMs but it has run into one large issue; Quality Assurance. From reports of DOA (Defective/Dead on Arrival) units to a tint issue with the display on early handsets and the handset overheating, the reliability of its first smartphone certainly left a little to be desired.

With the OnePlus Two, its crucial that the company manages to nail the reliability so even early units do not have defects and the initial online feedback is positive. As its first device, customers tolerated any issues with the OnePlus One but a failure to deliver better reliability of the OnePlus Two could see customers lose faith in the company.

The OnePlus Two will be powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 810 processor, which has been the subject of much speculation about whether it overheats or not, a claim that Qualcomm has vehemently denied. With the original OnePlus One overheating, the company certainly needs to ensure that its power and resource management handles the temperature of the handset to prevent it overheating and applications force closing.

Read – OnePlus Two Benchmarks Caught on Video

With any mass produced device, there will inevitably be units that may have slight defects but dealing with these is where a company can truly earn its customer loyalty. When people have had issues with their OnePlus One handsets, many have reported that OnePlus wasn’t fast in its willingness to help resolve the issue and this is where the company needs to work.

Every product will have problems – these are intricate pieces of complex technology at the end of the day – and as long as OnePlus is quick and helpful in resolving any issues that do arise, it will still have a stellar handset in the OnePlus Two.

OnePlus Two – What do we know so far?

That’s what we hope to see from the OnePlus Two but what do we know so far? There have been plenty of rumours – both unofficial leaks and confirmed details from OnePlus itself – and we’ve even been treated to a render of what is purportedly the handset.

Ahead of the launch on July 27th, our very own Jayce recapped all the rumours and information we’ve got up to date in our OnePlus Two rumour roundup, which you can see below.

Don’t miss: OnePlus Two rumor roundup

Remember, we’ll be going hands on with the OnePlus Two in less than 48 hours to deliver you the very best hands on videos and coverage of all things OnePlus Two! What do you think of the OnePlus Two and the information we have so far? What do you want to see in the OnePlus Two? Let us know your views in the comments below guys!

Now read – Most Anticipated Smartphones for the rest of 2015 

The OnePlus One… Now

We are only a few days away from the official launch of the OnePlus Two, and with the hype train running at full steam, we are certainly excited about getting our hands on this latest high-end offering from the Chinese OEM. Before we do get to see what this sequel has to offer, we thought it a good idea to revisit the smartphone that started it all, and certainly captured the attention of the media and consumers alike, even if not always in a positive way. When it was first released it last year, the device was heavily marketed as a flagship killer – but that was then, and this is the OnePlus One….now.

Must read – OnePlus Two – Rumor Roundup & Everything you need to know!

Much of what made the OnePlus One so appealing when it was first launched was its unbeatable price point for what it offered, with its high-end specifications and 64 GB of storage an absolute steal for just $349. The many units we see out in the wild attest to this, as the OnePlus became the phone for the savvy internet user, those who knew how to seek out the best bang for the buck in the market, even though, for a long while, it wasn’t the easiest device to get your hands on.

The much-maligned invite system was, understandably a big source of frustration for users, as the barrier of entry as pretty stacked, with the only options available was to either win an invite, or be lucky enough to have a friend who had an invite to spare. This, of course, isn’t an issue anymore, with the OnePlus One now available for immediate purchase, and also at a discounted price. It can be argued that both of these otherwise positive moves are too little too late, having been made on the eve of the arrival of its predecessor, but its now $299 price tag means that the One continues to be a very compelling offering.

My personal device, that was bought not long after we released the full review, has held up quite well in the more than a year that I’ve used it. The sandstone backing is still unique and nice to the touch, but of course, I had to get my hands on the version of the device with the bamboo backing, when it was finally made available, unfortunately via invites once again. The invite system has become a running joke when it comes to OnePlus now, but it has been very tiresome, and we will hopefully see a better implementation when the same rolls around with the OnePlus Two.

The story of hardware and performance is also the same, after more than a year in. Everything from the display to performance has remained solid, providing exactly what is expected from high-end smartphone from 2014. Playing processor-intensive games is still great, the media consumption experience allowed with the 5.5-inch Full HD display is enjoyable, and the 13 MP rear shooter provides some good shots. Though performance and viewing experience don’t fall behind by much, it is in the camera that you might left wanting a bit more, especially when given the fact that the current crop of flagships have brought a sort of revolution in this regard. The OnePlus One definitely feels dated when pit against the latest and greatest, but the ability to get a device with 64 GB of storage does make up for most shortcomings this phone might have.

The software by Cyanogen has since been updated to 12S that is based on Android 5.0 Lollipop, and proves to be a worthwhile upgrade that brings with all that Cyanogenmod fans love, including some real customization tools, gestures, and every little feature originally afforded the One, with Material Design making it all look better. Oxygen OS was born from the ashes of OnePlus’ relationship with Cyanogen, and was an alternative turned necessity that got off to a decent start. Not only is based on an earlier version of Lollipop though, but it is also about as stock an Android build as you can get. This is both a good and bad thing, because stock Android is always great, but the Oxygen OS still feels like it has a way to go to really differentiate itself.

This year, we’ve already had some great experiences provided by inexpensive phones, and it is fantastic that reliable smooth performance is now very easily available for sub-$400, or even sub-$300 in some cases, which is a development that OnePlus may not have started, but definitely brought into the spotlight. That is also how the OnePlus One continues to be relevant even after more than a year since its release.

The OnePlus One may pale in comparison to this year’s high-end flagships, but it is easy to consider the device as a very compelling member of the “inexpensive but reliable” group, a criteria that is getting more and more attention in the smartphone world. It’s certainly not going to go toe to toe with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S6 and the LG G4, but that’s a job for the upcoming OnePlus Two, which will undoubtedly have its own problems with the re-instituted invite system and the latest iteration of the Oxygen OS.

The OnePlus One is the device you get when you need to save money, and you can rest assured that the phone will continue to perform up to a daily standard. The device has seen its fair share of controversy, but when looking at the bigger picture, the OnePlus One continues to succeed at what it was meant to, providing a great smartphone without breaking the bank.

Now read: Best Bluetooth Earbuds — Best Android Phones

And how about you – excited to see what the OnePlus Two has in store? As always, Android Authority will be there to deliver the very best coverage, hands on videos and more, for you. As flagships keep getting better and better, and with so much more competition from the ‘super’-midrange portfolio of devices, and some very excellent devices coming in at sub $300 and sub $200 price points, would you ever consider getting an ‘old’ flagship? Devices like the Galaxy Note 4 and LG G3 still perform exceptionally well. Let us know your thoughts – we do this for you!

Um, what: OnePlus’ latest tweet about the OnePlus 2 suggests “this could all crash and burn”

You know, I just don’t know what to make of OnePlus’ marketing strategy anymore. The lead up to the release of the OnePlus One smartphone was marred by infamous marketing stunts like asking people to destroy their phones to get a OnePlus One and getting women to post up pictures of themselves to get as many likes as possible for the same result. Neither were great moves, moves that appeared to have disappeared from OnePlus’ repertoire before the launch of the OnePlus 2. However, while the high profile antics are no longer prevalent, we have the below tweet posted today:

Just 3 days left until you see the #OnePlus2. “In the end, this could all crash and burn.” – Emmanuel, Marketing pic.twitter.com/Dxe4Gv2B8r

— OnePlus (@oneplus) July 25, 2015

Now, I’m not particularly good at marketing, but saying that “this could all crash and burn” is either getting a little pessimistic about the launch of what is supposed to be their 2016 Flagship Killer, or it’s fishing for compliments – I’m not exactly sure which is better in this situation, but neither looks particularly good. At best, it’s an attempt to show that the company is human, but claiming that you may have the best device for the next two years and then second guessing yourself really sends out a mixed message. Let’s hope the messages over the next two days are less confusing.

What do you think about OnePlus’ latest tweet about the OnePlus 2? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Source: Twitter

The post Um, what: OnePlus’ latest tweet about the OnePlus 2 suggests “this could all crash and burn” appeared first on AndroidSPIN.

OnePlus sold 1.5 million OnePlus Ones in its first year

We rarely get to hear how many of one smartphone is sold by any one manufacturer (unless of course they are yelling it from the top of a mountain), but it seems OnePlus‘ Carl Pei has been very generous in giving us an insight into the sales of his young company. According to Pei, OnePlus sold 1.5 million OnePlus Ones in the past year, with 1 million of those coming in the first 6 months. That sounds almost lame compared to the 10 million sold in one month stories we often hear, but when you remember that the OnePlus One was OnePlus’ first device, you get a better feeling of what that really means. Factor in a much smaller marketing budget and almost zero brand recognition, and the feat almost seems awesome.

Of course, pundits will question whether it would have been possible for even more OnePlus Ones to have been sold given the infamous invite system that OnePlus used to limit the availability of the device, but it is what it is and OnePlus is poised to launch its second, highly anticipated handset, the OnePlus 2. With such a glowing performance in its first year, we can only expect bigger and better things from the Chinese manufacturer in the future.

What do you think about 1.5 million OnePlus Ones being sold in the first year? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Source: Wall Street Journal via Phandroid

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OnePlus sold around 1.5 million One units in one year of availability

The OnePlus One was officially unveiled in April 2014, but the device only started shipping to customers in late June. Since then, OnePlus has sold 1.5 million One units, the company’s Carl Pei told the Wall Street Journal in an interview.

Carl Pei, who co-founded OnePlus together with Pete Lau in 2013, offered a brief overview of the startup’s growth over the last 12 months. OnePlus now has over 900 employees from more than a dozen countries, sells its phone in 35 markets, and has two satellite offices in Singapore and Bangalore, with plans to open up shop in Europe and the US.

Back in January, OnePlus revealed it sold “almost a million” OnePlus Ones in its first six months of availability, and it looks like the company managed to keep a steady pace in 2015 as well. That was helped by the fact that OnePlus phased out its infamous invite system – the OnePlus One has been freely available since April, operated a $50 price cut, and extended the number of countries the One is available in, including the massive Indian market.

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In the interview, Pei talks about the motivations that animate him, personally, and well as OnePlus as a whole and the challenges the company has been facing, but also about his personal life and his Uber- and Airbnb-powered lifestyle.

As for the OnePlus 2, there is no new information in the interview, so we’ll have to wait for the official unveiling on July 27. There are some hints about the philosophy behind it though:

In the beginning you focus on your flagship phone and the early adopters. What do they want? They want everything. The OnePlus 2 has everything. We don’t want to compromise on anything.

Even if we don’t have the best specs, it doesn’t mean we aren’t delivering a good product to our users. Specs shouldn’t be the thing that users worry about. They just need to think about whether they like using this product.

OnePlus hopes it will sell 3-5 million smartphones in 2015, though that seems like a very ambitious target, considering it managed to move 500,000 units in the first half of the year. The pressure is on for the OnePlus 2 to be a success, especially now that OnePlus can no longer rely on Cyanogen for its software. On the flip side, an improved distribution network, a better grasp of the demand, and a third smartphone model, expected later this year, could help OnePlus meet its target.

The first images of the OnePlus 2 just leaked through China’s TENAA database, while known specs include a Snapdragon 810 processor, 4GB of RAM, USB Type-C, and a fingerprint scanner. For more on OnePlus 2, check out our rumor roundup!

Hey look, it’s the OnePlus 2! OnePlus’ latest smartphone gets the TENAA treatment

Regulatory bodies are always the best for an early leak, and thanks to China’s version of the FCC, TENAA, we’re getting our first look at the OnePlus 2 from all sides. Despite the low resolution photos, we see the overall design language from the OnePlus One has been preserved, but when we look at the back side, the camera has been repositioned a little lower, and on the front, it appears the OnePlus 2 has sprouted a physical button on the front, no doubt to accommodate a fingerprint scanner. Check out the images below for yourself:

According to the listing itself, the OnePlus 2 should have a 5.5-inch Quad HD display, a  Snapdragon 810, 4GB RAM and 32GB storage. The rear camera is 13MP while the front camera is almost as good at 8MP. A sizeable 3,300mAh battery rounds out the formidable specs, though by now, none of the internal specifications are a surprise – though it is good to get a look at the device in all its physical glory. All that’s left to happen is for the OnePlus 2 to be officially announced, which should happen on July 27th.

What do you think about the look of the OnePlus 2? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Source: Anzhuo.cn via Phone Arena

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OnePlus promises its invite system for the OnePlus 2 is going to be different

When OnePlus revealed that it was going to be utilizing an “improved” invite system for the OnePlus 2, much like for the OnePlus One, we were a little disappointed – were we going to have to trawl through forums begging people to give us their invites again? Well, OnePlus has heard our cries and has posted a blog post today that talks about the “improved” invite system and how they think it’s going to be better this time around.

The biggest change mentioned is the change in OnePlus’ approach to inventory. Because the OnePlus One was their first device, profit margins on the devices was so small, and they weren’t even sure who was going to want one, OnePlus had to keep their inventory tight and conservative to keep expenses in check. This time around with the OnePlus 2, OnePlus has understandably gained a whole lot of confidence and is extending their inventory “30-50 times” what it was for the OnePlus One. That along should make invites more plentiful, but OnePlus is also making sure that referral invites are coming sooner and also has a reservation system that just requires you to submit your email and wait for your invite, priority list depending, of course.

These changes might seem subtle, but it does appear like the OnePlus 2 will be much more readily available than its predecessor, and that can only be a good thing – with specs like a Snapdragon 810, 4GB RAM, 13MP camera, 3,300mAh battery and cost less than $450, there’s not much not to like.

What do you think about the new invite system for the OnePlus 2? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Source: OnePlus via Phandroid

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This is the OnePlus 2’s improved invite system

The OnePlus One was one of the breakout devices of last year, challenging the status quo with premium specs at a very affordable price but the biggest problem was getting your hands on one. The first-generation product was sold through an invite system and getting an invite to buy the phone involved jumping through hoops, including possibly breaking your own device.

This year, the OnePlus 2 will also be available through the invite system but OnePlus has made some changes; in a blog post, the company revealed everything you need to know about the new invite system and also, the reason they chose the invite system in the first place.

Before we reveal the details of the new invite system, let’s first look at OnePlus’s reasoning behind last year’s invite system. Simply put, the company had confidence in its product but didn’t know how customers would react. As the company said in its post:

We had no clue how many people would actually want to buy it and had the challenge of managing our cash flow and inventory risk. In addition, we didn’t agree that pre-orders or having products instantly becoming sold out was a great experience. Our solution to managing risk and user experience was the invite system.

Now to the OnePlus 2’s invite system and “less-positive feedback” about last year’s invite system meant some big changes.

The biggest of these is that invites should be a lot easier to come by; with the success of last year’s handsets under its belt, OnePlus is preparing a much larger launch inventory. When they say larger, they mean there will be 30-50x the number of handsets available from the very beginning.

Moving on, the company also plans to launch a reservation list allowing people to register for an invite and not requiring them to jump through eternal hoops. If you were one of the early OnePlus forum supporters, you’ll also get priority on the reservation list so you should get a device a lot sooner.

Lastly, the key thing about last year’s OnePlus invite system was the ability to share invites with friends after you had bought the handset but these invites often took a while to become available. With the OnePlus 2, this will all change as the company will offer shareable invites a lot sooner after you buy the handset, meaning more people should be able to buy the handset sooner.

What do you think of the new and improved OnePlus 2 invite system? Let us know your views in the comments below.

OnePlus 2 to be smaller than OnePlus One, have 3,300mAh battery and will still use an invite system

Being a smaller, young company, OnePlus is actually relatively well suited to holding a Reddit AMA, so that’s exactly what they did today, fielding questions about their upcoming smartphone, the OnePlus 2 (yes, it’s definitely spelt with a “2” and not a “Two”). From the AMA, we’ve learn that the OnePlus 2 is going to be smaller than their first smartphone, the OnePlus One – the above image was provided with the comment “I can only tell you that under this OnePlus One there is a OnePlus 2″. Whether that means the screen size has actually decreased or that the bezels are thinner remains to be seen.

The AMA also revealed that the OnePlus 2 is going to have a 3,300mAh battery, and is going to be sold through an “improved” invite system. We’ll reserve judgement until we see how this newer invite system fares in the device’s first few weeks, but the invite system to sell the OnePlus One probably made the device harder to get than expected. OnePlus also teased earlier this week that the OnePlus 2 will have 4GB RAM, but later clarified that some regions will have a 3GB RAM variant too.

What do you think about the OnePlus 2? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Source: Reddit via TalkAndroid

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OnePlus 2 to be smaller than OnePlus One, have 3,300mAh battery and will still use an invite system

Being a smaller, young company, OnePlus is actually relatively well suited to holding a Reddit AMA, so that’s exactly what they did today, fielding questions about their upcoming smartphone, the OnePlus 2 (yes, it’s definitely spelt with a “2” and not a “Two”). From the AMA, we’ve learn that the OnePlus 2 is going to be smaller than their first smartphone, the OnePlus One – the above image was provided with the comment “I can only tell you that under this OnePlus One there is a OnePlus 2″. Whether that means the screen size has actually decreased or that the bezels are thinner remains to be seen.

The AMA also revealed that the OnePlus 2 is going to have a 3,300mAh battery, and is going to be sold through an “improved” invite system. We’ll reserve judgement until we see how this newer invite system fares in the device’s first few weeks, but the invite system to sell the OnePlus One probably made the device harder to get than expected. OnePlus also teased earlier this week that the OnePlus 2 will have 4GB RAM, but later clarified that some regions will have a 3GB RAM variant too.

What do you think about the OnePlus 2? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Source: Reddit via TalkAndroid

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