Friday, 6 November 2015

OnePlus X - First Impressions Review - More Bounce for the Ounce


OnePlus is a name which immediately springs to mind when we think of flagship devices The all new OnePlus X is about exploring contrasts and harmony. It’s about expressing individuality in modern urban life, the conflict between traditional craft and manufacturing and balance between design and technology.

Reflections of where you are, and where you’re going to be. A perfect mid-range mobile phone for all those who are looking for a classy stylish and yet powerful smart phone.

The OnePlus X has been launched in two versions - an Onyx variant and a limited-edition Ceramic variant. Much like the OnePlus One and OnePlus 2 smartphones, the OnePlus X will also go on sale in India through Amazon and will be only available via the infamous invite system. In terms of specifications, the OnePlus X is quite similar to the One but with few needed changes.

Build – Lovely to look and hold

Measuring 5 inches (1080p display), the phone becomes the smallest ever OnePlus smartphone. Not that the company has introduced a wide range of phones in the past, but of the three in their portfolio, this is the most compact of all. The phone easily fits in the palm and is an ideal size for a smartphone. With a thickness of 6.99 mm and weight 138 grams (for Onyx), the phone feels quite light. (OnePlus X Ceramic weight 160 grams)


Its glass back is a fingerprint magnet and also makes the phone a tad slippery, but it spruces up the phone at the same time. Maybe, the slippery smoothness wouldn't be felt once one gets used to the phone. I must admit, I like glass backs at the phone, even though it makes the phone more prone to damage. It's then a matter of personal taste.


The patterned metal frame running along the phone adds to its looks and makes it look premium.The phone sports a speaker at the bottom which managed to impress us. Even in a noisy environment, the results produced by it appeared to be loud and clear in quality.


Overall though, it's a lovely looking handset, and we applaud OnePlus for pulling off such a classy, rock solid build, at this price point.

Display - Wonderfully vibrant with touch perfection

OnePlus X enjoy faster response times and improved sunlight view ability that cater to everyone’s individual expressions, as it is powered with 5” inch AMOLED screen and it’s the best display even when compared to Galaxy S6. Blacks are lovely and deep, colors are also almost as true as S6 display, although it’s not 2k, but OnePlus chooses to stick with 1080p, but we have no complaints with its sharpness.


Camera - Fast and brilliant.

Built from the most advanced sensors, the OnePlus X camera with auto focus is blazingly fast – designed for high-quality photos whenever and wherever you are. The photos with the 13MP f/2.2 rear camera has unmatched depth and perception. Colors are true to life with optimized white balance and saturation, ensuring your photos always capture the real tones of your subjects. Equipped with ISOCELL technology, light sensitivity is increased for sharper images and less noise.


The front-facing shooter on the OnePlus X leads the way in unmatched quality with an 8MP camera, f/2.4 aperture, and supported Beauty Mode for effortless, flawless photos every time. Among other features, the camera app includes Time-lapse, Slow motion and Panorama.


OnePlus X’s auto focus powered by Phase Detection AF, focusing on subjects in 0.2 seconds. Shoots crisp, 1080p HD video, with added options for time-lapse and slow motion.

Battery - Optimized

A device as important as your phone needs to be ready whenever you are, so we’ve made sure that you never have to worry about running low on power before your day is done. The OnePlus X hardware and software is optimized to last with enhanced battery stamina. Enjoy hours of web ¬browsing, listening to music, or other daily tasks. For the modern user who’s always on their feet the OnePlus X is backed up with 2525mAh battery which is non-removable.


Hardware - Efficient and powerful

Powered with Snapdragon 801 processor and paired with 3 GB of LPDDR3 RAM, heavy-duty graphics are brought to life for desktop like processing power. The OnePlus X was built to be reliable clean as well as beautiful with OxygenOS version of Android 5.1.1 with no app drawer- everything’s spread across home screens, iPhone style.

Storage, Connectivity  and much more

Finally all of your files are incredibly easy to manage right inside the phone with 16 GB inbuilt storage (11.7 usable). With microSD card support up to 128 GB we can store more, take everything with you -- no limits.




Go anywhere and be connected. OnePlus X is unlocked and capable of using dual standby SIM cards with 4G speeds right out of the box. You have the freedom to use it all over the globe, no questions asked. The dual-SIM slots that fit either two nano SIM cards or one nano SIM card and a microSD card. This means you cannot use dual SIMs with a microSD card at once.



For the first time OnePlus Radio brings FM stations straight to your smart phone in a way that you won’t find anywhere else. So whether you’re on the go, hanging out at home, or spending study sessions in the library, tune in and discover a whole new world of ideas. There's also an extra three-way toggle on the side, which lets you customize your alerts.

The Onyx is priced at Rs 16,999, and the Ceramic model at Rs 22,999.

OnePlus One priced at Rs 17,999

Verdict

OnePlus appears to have created a well-spec, attractive, and premium handset, at a very desirable price point. But paying ₹6000 more for the ceramic version might not be worth it though.

The Onyx will go on sale from November 5, while the Ceramic variant will be available from November 24 and will be invite only to begin with.

Given its price, looks and features the X does show some promise. But does it live up to them? Hold on for our detailed review.
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Wednesday, 28 October 2015

One Plus One after One Plus Two: Is it still the flagship killer?

Back when One Plus One was launched it was a game changer. A flagship killer device with a fraction of what other companies were charging say, a flagship Samsung or iPhone bundled with all latest technologies and specification without any compromises on hardware or build quality. 

Now with One Plus Two launched.. the question is whether One plus one still the flagship killer and is it still worth picking up? a short answer .. yes definitely .. lets find out why by comparing the two Beasts - One Plus One and One Plus Two



Size, Weight, Build:

For starters, the One Plus Two looks an awful lot like its predecessor. While some will appreciate that One Plus has stuck to an existing design language, others who demand innovation at every step will likely be bored. 


The One Plus Two is a hair shorter and narrower than the One Plus One but a disappointing feature is that the One Plus Two is thicker than the One Plus One, coming it at 9.9 mm versus the original’s 8.9 mm thickness. To disguise this thickness change One Plus has added a new metal frame around the edge of the One Plus 2 which gives it a premium look and feel.

The One Plus Two weighs 175 g while One Plus One weighs 162 g which makes it 8 percent heavier.
Replacements back for One Plus One

The build of One Plus Two is very much like a premium model as One Plus switches from a faux metal(plastic) frame to aluminum/magnesium alloy. Both the model ships with a sandstone back (like a thin layer of sandstone on plastic). 

There are replacements backs from company store for US$27, this time for One Plus Two we have ROSEWOOD, APRICOT, KEVLAR to swap but for older model your only option is BAMBOO. 
Replacements back for One Plus Two

Display:

As far as screen sizes go, both One Plus got 5.5 in 1080x1920p IPS screen with 401 ppi which is definitely in the larger scale, which is now increasingly common with the flagship phones such as the iPhone 6 for video content and gaming fans.

One Plus One with One Plus Two

However, while One Plus One have the familiar Corning Gorilla Glass 3 found on a range of Samsung phones, the new One Plus Two has new Corning Gorilla Glass 4.A higher resolution was expected especially since other Android flagships have much higer displays now. Then again this display is more than enough for 99% of the population and it does pretty good.

The One Plus Two has upper contrast ratio which is now rests at 1500:1 besting any other flagships including iPhone 6's 1400:1 panel. A change in contrast is easily noticeable between One Plus One and One Plus Two.

Camera

The camera is another area where the specs have relatively stayed the same. Both phones have a 13 MP main camera with f/2.0 aperture, dual-LED flash and 5MP front camera.The One Plus Two has a optical image stabilization and laser auto-focus. This gives a 10-minute limit on shooting 4K video, along with options for Full HD (1080p) and HD (720p). The optical image stabilization and laser auto-focus definitely give One Plus Two a upper hand and users love it.

One Plus One Camera
One Plus Two Camera

Performance:

It is definitely in performance where we feel the update, as the Snapdragon 801 Quad-core 2.5 GHz Krait 400 CPU, Adreno 330 GPU and 3GB of RAM is bumped up to the 810 and 4Gb RAM with the One Plus Two. One Plus really goes for the gold with one of the most powerful processors in existence right now. 

The new flagship is simply a beast in the performance department and I have yet to experience any slowdowns or crashes as a result. Navigating around Oxygen OS is as smooth as ever, only made even more fluid with Oxygen’s own transitions, and running various applications is a breeze when the bugs in this operating system are kept at a minimum. And gaming is as great as ever, with 3D games like UFC and sprite-based games like Angry Birds 2 proving nice and enjoyable for long periods of time. 

For those worried about the heat of this processing package under load, I can say that after long periods of gaming the phone did get warm but it never got uncomfortable (just like most other smartphones on the market).

Now, this is not to say that the One Plus One is far behind in performance. On the contrary, it is still one of the most reliable devices available today. And when considering the current competitive price point, having the tried and true Snapdragon 801 can be considered a steal in today’s general market. You might not really notice the difference in speed opening these applications, and that is also true in actual daily usage. Keep in mind that this One Plus One is a unit that has been used for over a year, and you can see that it hasn’t really lost its step.

Software:

While the One Plus One was shipped with CyanogenMod (based on Android 4.4) which was later updated to Android 5.1 based CyanogenMod and also gave users to custom load the new Oxygen Os 1.0. The One Plus Two is being shipped with Oxygen OS only which One Plus has tweaked a bit,but it's still faithful to Material Design–which is something Android aficionados should love.

Audio,NFC, Fingerprint Scanner, Micro SD card, SIM Slot, USB-C and Battery:

One Plus Two fall flat in front of One Plus One when audio is compared. The One Plus Two has lower volume and sounds a bit lousy.

One Plus Two Speaker Grills

The big change which can be easily noticed while looking at the new One Plus Two is its Finger Print Scanner with notification toggle switch on the side. One Plus has made a smart move by giving this to its Flagships killer. It can save upto 5 fingerprints and One Plus is claiming it to very fast and accurate. Although while using One Plus Two for a week I was disappointed many a times and then I used regular swipe to unlock feature.One Plus also gave a shock when the news came out that the One Plus Two doesn't have NFC as company said most of the One Plus One user doesn't use NFC regularly.
One Plus One Speaker Grills

Both the models are available with 16GB and 64GB variant and doesn't support a MicroSD card.

One of the key thing that was missing is One Plus One was its inability to have a secondary sim, which is well heard by One Plus and we have a dual sim slot on One Plus Two, which are hidden under the back cover.

The other big change which is noticeable in One Plus Two is its USB-C slot. Although it is not popular in smartphone industry, it give a secure future to One Plus Two users. As of now USB-C slot is based on USB 2.0 and doesn't support fast charging which was supported by USB 2.0 enabled One Plus One.
One Plus Two Notification Toggle

With a big phone comes big battery, or at least it should.In the case of One Plus One, with a capacity of 3100 mAh vs One Plus Two, powered with a battery capacity of 3300 mAh when compared both are not removable and performance is on par.

Price and Verdict:

Like its predecessor, the One Plus 2 offers compelling specs and features at a very reasonable price point ... that is, if you can get your hands on one.

Orders for the One Plus 2 without invite will go live on 12 October and as of now it is done as an invite-only selection. The 16 GB storage base model of the One Plus 2 is priced at £239 while the higher-end 64 GB option costs £289 (24,999 INR). 

This compares to the £179 16 GB One Plus One and £219 (21,999 INR) 64 GB One Plus One. But for £60 and £70 more, respectively, the One Plus 2 is the One Plus to get. Its improved CPU, higher RAM, bio metric fingerprint reader, optical image stabilization, and USB Type-C connection make it future proof while the One Plus One is already showing its age.

One Plus one is still ahead of most of the smartphones with its processor and 3 GB RAM and great battery life with amazing display and audio. If you are not a technology freak One Plus One is still a good buy which will save you some bucks without compromising on any thing.

The links to amazon store for both are attached below. Lets me know what do think in the comment section below. 

ONE PLUS TWO - PRICED AT Rs 24,999

ONE PLUS ONE - PRICED AT Rs 21,999 (New Price -17,999)


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