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| OnePlus X is the new Gold Standard for budget Android smartphones |
THIRD time is a charm for OnePlus.
Plucky Chinese startup OnePlus has pulled it out of the bag – again.
Following its phenomenal flagship smartphone, the OnePlus 2, the technology firm has now announced a new handset, the OnePlus X.
OnePlus believes its X range will appeal to a slightly different – and wider – audience than fanboy favourites like the OnePlus One and OnePlus 2.
And at £199, the OnePlus X is likely going to become the default budget Android smartphone choice for many.
OnePlus’ newest smartphone is smaller than its phablet-sized OnePlus 2.
It boasts a five-inch 1080p AMOLED display as well as a 13 megapixel rear camera with a f/2.2 aperture and an eight megapixel front-facing snapper for selfies and video calls.
The Chinese firm is particularly proud of its new camera and is making a lot of noise about its lightning-fast 0.2-second autofocus – the fastest shipped on any OnePlus device.
NewsNewsBlog.blogspot.com attended the launch of the OnePlus X in central London and got the opportunity to go hands-on with the new device.
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| The industrial design of the X is reminiscent of the Apple iPhone 4S |
In a nutshell, the OnePlus X is a phenomenal achievement.
OnePlus packs the beautiful five-inch display into an impressively compact footprint that's comfortable to use one-handed.
The metal and glass build brings the same premium how-do-they-make-any-money-on-these-devices first impression we are used to from OnePlus.
In terms of design, the OnePlus X shares more in common with the iPhone 4S than the OnePlus 2 – but that's not a bad thing.
The two smartphones also have a similar price tag, with the latest from OnePlus costing around the same as an "As New" model of Apple's 2011 handset.
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| The OnePlus X has a 13MP rear camera that sits flush with the glass back |
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| Users have the choice between two SIM trays, or one SIM and a microSD card slot |
Weighing in at just 138g, the OnePlus X is comfortably lightweight, without feeling cheap.
OnePlus X runs on the latest version of the Chinese firm's own, slightly-tweaked version of Android, OxygenOS.
In our short time with the smartphone, the Snapdragon 801 processor and 3GB of RAM kept the custom software feeling slick and speedy.
Whether the budget Android smartphone can withstand some heavier lifting remains to be seen, but we will keep you posted in our full in-depth review.
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| OnePlus has opted for a smaller five-inch display for the X making it more comfortable in one-hand |
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| In our short time with the device, the full HD display appeared colourful and vibrant |
OxygenOS offers an almost pure version of Android with only a few subtle tweaks here and there.
This also adds to the appeal of the OnePlus X since this kind of experience is usually only reserved for Nexus and certain Motorola smartphones.
The OnePlus X has a non-removable 2,525mAh battery as well as support for Bluetooth 4.0 and wifi 801.11n.
Unfortunately it only has a meagre 16GB of RAM – a decision we chastised Apple for making with its latest handset, the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus.
However unlike its Cupertino counterpart, OnePlus has included a MicroSD card slot which allows users to expand the storage up to 128GB.
Sadly, there's no support for lightning fast 5GHz wifi and there's also no fingerprint scanner or USB-Type C either.
But given it's extraordinary price-point, these minor quibbles are quickly forgotten.
Fast, with a beautiful new industrial design and an Apple-esque attention, this pure Android smartphone is certainly going to make some waves.
OnePlus have done it again.
The OnePlus X Onyx will be available through the OnePlus website for those with an invite from November 5th 2015 for £199 or €269.
A limited edition Ceramic variation of the smartphone will be available to those with a Ceramic-specific invite in Europe and India around November 24th 2015 for £269, or €369.
- NewsNewsBlog.blogspot.com will have a full review of the OnePlus X in the coming weeks
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