The OnePlus 2 has finally launched. OnePlus’ latest flagship follows on from the OnePlus One; a phone that owes its success to offering top-of-the-range hardware at a price that undercuts Apple and Samsung.
Keen to emulate that success, the OnePlus 2 is another affordable class-topping flagship. Like the OnePlus One, the OnePlus 2 will only be available on an invite-only basis.
“From day one, we’ve prioritized our product and our community above all else – we carefully listened to our users’ feedback and incorporated suggestions in building the OnePlus 2.” said OnePlus Founder and CEO, Pete Lau. “We chose premium materials, the highest performing components and forward thinking technology to make this an unparalleled user experience.”
OnePlus Two design
The OnePlus Two comes in an aluminium-magnesium body with stainless steel accents. There’s a 5.5-inch display and OnePlus claims it offers crystal clear views in direct sunlight, regardless of whatever angle the phone is held at. Weighing in at 175 grams, the OnePlus 2 is also a lightweight phone.
The phone is available in a range of covers, including wood built Bamboo, Black Apricot, Rosewood and Kevlar.
OnePlus Two hardware
This flagship device also comes with a powerful 3,300mAh battery, which should provide plenty of power to last you throughout the day. It also has support for two Nano SIM cards with 4G LTE connectivity. A whopping 64GB of storage should also give you plenty of space for videos, music, apps, games and other media you want to download on your phone. Beneath the OnePlus 2’s shell is a powerful Snapdragon 810 processor, the fast processor available. The processor has been notorious for overheating problems in the past, but OnePlus claims it may have solved the issue.
“Although there have been reports that the 810 runs warmer than its predecessors, we assure you that we have taken all the necessary precautions and beyond to prevent this from occurring in the 2.
“We worked very closely with Qualcomm’s engineers to integrate an improved version of the chipset (v2.1) in the OnePlus 2, and fine-tuned both hardware and software. The 2 will be ‘cooler than ever’.”
The OnePlus Two is also the first flagship device to come with a USB Type-C charging port. USB Type C cables means you needn’t worry about plugging in your charging cable upside down. It’ll also allow for faster data transfers.
OnePlus Two fingerprint scanner
There’s also a fingerprint scanner and OnePlus claims the scanner allows you to unlock your phone in under half a second. You can store up to five different fingerprints in the device.
OnePlus Two camera
Head to the back of the phone and you’ll find a 13-megapixel camera that has six lenses and a powerful dual LED flash. There’s also an impressive sensor that OnePlus claims will deliver low-light photographs “like you’ve never seen before.” At the front is a 5-megapixel camera.
Oxygen OS
The OnePlus 2 pairs OxygenOS with Android Lollipop. OxygenOS is a more streamlined imagining of Android. Complete off-screen gesture controls will allow you to turn the screen on and launch apps with a simple gesture.
A built-in file manager and more customisation options is also be built into the OS. There are customisable quick settings and the option to change between software and hardware navigation keys.
“With the OnePlus 2, we’re making a bet on the future, and doubling down on a holistic product experience,” said OnePlus Co-founder, Carl Pei. “We’re excited for what our fans have to say.”
OnePlus 2 price and release date
The 64GB OnePlus 2 will be available to purchase with an invite on August 11 for £289. The 16GB version with 3GB of RAM will be available later in the year.
For more on OnePlus, visit What Mobile’s dedicated OnePlus page.
