Here is a brief first impression review of my OnePlus one which I got just 24 hours back. Dont expect a thorough review. OnePlus was founded in December 2013 by Pete Lau, previously Vice President at OPPO. There are two versions available. One is exclusively marketed in China using ColorOS. If you are finding this phone in open market or online, then this is the version you get. Second is one called a “global version” which as of now can only be procured by invitation from Oneplus. Invite is given to those who bought the phone earlier. What I got was the 64GB Global version from USA. Hardware of both these versions are same. There are 2 sizes of phone, priced $299 and $349 for the 16 GB and 64 GB models respectively. Both versions do not feature a microSD card slot. The OnePlus One runs a custom version of CyanogenMod, named 11S, based on Android 4.4.2 KitKat initially, then upgraded to 4.4.4 KitKat over-the-air. The phone uses a Snapdragon 801 with 3 GB RAM, a 3100 mAh battery, a 5.5 1920 x 1080 (Full HD 1080p) JDI display with 401 ppi, a 6-lens 13 MP f/2.0 Sony camera, and StyleSwap replaceable back covers. It supports 2G, 3G and 4G networks. The phone employs an NFC chip, embedded within the back cover, for close-range data communication with other devices. The phones body is made of magnesium. Size wise it is larger than the phones I have used and exactly matches Samsung Note 3 dimension. The sandstone finished curved back is non slippery and has a nice feel to hold it in hand. The front glass is made up of Gorilla Glass 3 and is a finger print magnet. Its got a solid sort of heft to it, and the screen is raised just slightly over the silver edges, which gives very high quality feel. There are 3 capacitive buttons at the lower end menu, home & back. This phone is tweaker’s dream come true. Its boot loader is unlockable without voiding any warranty (which the nexus does at least in theory). It can be rooted without breaking a sweat. And since CyanogenMod is Android fork and off market Rom, trying get and install other versions of rom is not at all problem. I found the original version which was installed bit too stiff. 4.4.4 Version updated via over-the air solved all the issues. The phone was smooth as butter. So will I recommend this to everyone. No, if you don’t understand the words used in the last paragraph, then it is not for you. If you have drooled and spoiled the keyboard after reading that paragraph, then this is for you. For anyone who can’t sleep that night without any tweaking, flashing and installing a new rom on his phone, can gladly go for this. The quality of phone is phenomenal for the price point. It beats Nexus 5 & Moto X 2nd Gen flatly. Its only competitor will be Nexus 6, Sony Xperia Z3 and others, but they will be priced much higher bracket and will not be easy to tweak like this phone. Now for those who want it there is an open pre-order offer available for on Oct 27 if you are interested grab it from preorder.oneplus.net/
Posted on: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 16:49:59 +0000
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