OnePlus 2 ‘Flagship Killer’ Slices And Dices At $329, $389 Price Points, Unlocked
Given how many details OnePlus has leaked over the past few months regarding its next generation flagship smartphone, there wasn’t much left to the imagination for prospective buyers other than the price. And that was even hinted at earlier this month, when OnePlus CEO Pete Lau remarked that the device would be priced below $450.
The OnePlus 2 was officially unveiled this evening and now that the drapes have been removed, we can now tell you that the smartphone will start at an impressively low $329 unlocked and contract-free (the original OnePlus One debuted at $299 and recently dropped to an even more palatable $249). The $329 price of entry nets you a 5.5-inch 1080p display (sorry, QHD isn’t in the cards this time; maybe next year), a cooler-running 1.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 v2.1 SoC paired with 3GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, a 13MP rear camera (complete with OIS, laser focusing and two-tone flash), 5MP selfie camera, and dual nano SIM slots.
If you don’t mind handing over an extra $60, you’ll receive 4GB of RAM for the processor and 64GB of internal storage.
Besides beefing up the internal specs, OnePlus has also paid some attention to the exterior of the device, giving it a nice aluminum frame and a textured backplate. Speaking of the backplate, there are a number of optional materials that you can choose from including wood and Kevlar to help spice up and personalize your device.
Other things you’ll notice when looking around the device (both of which we’ve talked about previously) include the reversible USB-C connector, which is a rarity today on mobile devices (especially smartphones) and a capacitive fingerprint sensor below the screen which OnePlus claims is superior in performance to Touch ID on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
The OnePlus 2 is of course running Android 5.1, but it has layered its OxygenOS on top. Since the recent falling out with Cynaongen, rest assured that you won’t see CyanogenMod gracing any of OnePlus’ smartphone from here on out — at least not from the factory.
If you want to pickup a OnePlus 2, you’ll have to get in line with everyone else and weed through the revised invite system. OnePlus promises that receiving an invite this time around will be much easier and that the smartphones will ship much faster than we saw with the OnePlus One. We’re optimistic that the company has the kinks worked out this time around, and that the company will stick to its mid-August shipping date for U.S. customers.
