[PHOTOS] You'll Have To Literally Smash Your Old Smartphone To Get The 'One'
The OnePlus One has a rear coating made of powdered cashew nuts, plus impressive specs at USD300.
By Sadho Ram — 24 Apr 2014, 05:35 PM — Updated over 10 years ago
OnePlus, The Startup Founded By Former Oppo VP Pete Lau, Has Unveiled Its First Smartphone
Rarely do we see a tech startup spending five months actively hyping up an unborn product; and when we do, most of them end up being vaporware. Luckily, that's not the case with OnePlus. The Shenzhen-based company has finally unveiled its first smartphone, the One (not to be confused with the HTC One).
engadget.com
Simply Called The One, It Offers Top-Tier Components At A Price Even Lower Than Google’s Nexus 5
While the device's impressive specs have already been listed in detail beforehand, OnePlus had remained tight-lipped about the actual prices (unsubsidized) until today: $299 (RM1,000) for the 16GB model, and $349 (RM1,141) for the 64GB flavor; both due mid to late May. This aggressive pricing is obviously going right after the Nexus 5 ($349 for 16GB, $399 for 32GB).
It Packs Qualcomm's Latest SoC, The Snapdragon 801 With A Quad-Core 2.5GHz CPU, Adreno 330 GPU And 3GB Of RAM
As promised, the Android handset runs on a 2.5 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor, 3GB of RAM. The display uses JDI's 5.5-inch 1080p IPS LCD panel, and it's protected by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 3. Those specs are comparable to, or occasionally better than, this year’s batch of Android flagships, including the HTC One (M8), Sony Xperia Z2 and Samsung Galaxy S5.
theverge.com
It's A Powerful Effort, With A 13-Megapixel F/2 Camera Unit, And Bottom-Facing Stereo Speakers Designed With Assistance From JBL
You'll also find a built-in 3,100mAh battery, a speedy 13-megapixel f/2.0 camera (Sony Exmor IMX214 sensor with a 6-lens module and dual LED; 4K video; 720p slow-motion at 120 fps), a 5-megapixel wide-angle selfie cam, loud stereo speakers (tuned by JBL) and tri-microphone with noise cancellation.
engadget.com
On top of the usual NFC, dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth 4.1 plus GPS radios, the One's international version also supports LTE bands 1/3/4/7/17/38/40, as well as WCDMA bands 1/2/4/5/8. Yep, that's pretty much the whole world covered.
theverge.com
While There Are A Lot Of Interesting Things About The OnePlus One, No Detail Stands Out Quite Like This One:
"What’s more, OnePlus took one step further and applied corresponding textures onto the back of the “silk white” and “sandstone black” versions. The white one is our favorite, as its special coating — apparently made out of powdered cashew nuts — gives a 'baby skin' feel, which is most noticeable when you gently stroke it with your cheek," reports Engadget.
time.com
If you do get bored of the default covers, you'll be able to swap them out. You do so by first pin-ejecting the micro-SIM tray, followed by somehow prying open the back cover -- which we found to be quite tricky with our early production unit. As you can see, there will be a few nice genuine wooden covers, along with a denim version and a Kevlar version not shown here; though the company has yet to announce their availability.
engadget.com
Since the phone is constructed from magnesium, it weighs in at a relatively light 162g, and the 8.9mm-thick frame tapers to 4.6mm at the edges.
theverge.com
The One's International Version Is Powered By CyanogenMod 11S - The "S" Indicating Customization For The One - Based On Android 4.4
For those who aren't familiar, CyanogenMod is essentially a plain, slick Android ROM with some nice enhancements and handy customization options. While the Oppo N1 had a CyanogenMod limited edition, the OnePlus One is truly the first phone that is shipped with this popular ROM and its branding on the back.
engadget.com
CyanogenMod alone comes with goodies like SMS encryption, themes, app privacy guard, audio equalizer, file manager, enhanced camera app and more. With CM11S for the OnePlus One, you also get screen-off gesture controls (circle for camera, "V" for flashlight and gestures for music playback; as featured on the Oppo N1), option to toggle between capacitive Android buttons and on-screen buttons, voice wakeup (activates Google Now by default) and a card-style lock screen.
theverge.com
The One Has An Attractive Look With A Thin Bezel Around The Edge And A Larger Chin For Its Home, Back And App Switcher Capacitive Buttons
The edges are rounded nicely and a minimal amount of branding has been added to the back. The dual-speaker grill on the bottom is almost identical to the Nexus 5.
It’s Difficult To Pinpoint Where, If Anywhere, OnePlus Has Compromised With The One
If the build quality is sound and the software experience is on par with other high-end Android smartphones, the OnePlus One could be a tempting option.
bgr.com
OnePlus Will Be Selling The One, However, On An Invite-Based System. On 25 April, The First 100 Buyers Will Get The One In USD1 If They Smash Their Phone.
OnePlus is organising a special smashing sale (literally) of their latest OnePlus One. Their new flagship smart phone can be yours for just US$1 but only if you are willing to smash your phone to smithereens. The promo is limited to 100 lucky people and presumably to those residing in the 16 launch countries.
soyacincau.comThe registration is now open and the countdown timer is ticking until tomorrow 25th April at 6PM.
oneplus.net