Well crafted design, above average performance, and a inexpensive smartphone the average consumer should take notice of
Design:
So let's get it out of the way right from the start — everything we're talking about here is coming in at just $249 unlocked, and that in itself is pretty great. Smartphones in this price range have increased in quality dramatically over the last two years, and OnePlus is following the trend. While the OnePlus 2 starts at $329 its most sought-after (and more likely to actually be in stock) configuration comes in at $389, and the X lands comfortably below that as to provide some separation.
The OnePlus X doesn't exhibit much flair, but it does offer plenty of quality. Borrowing from the OnePlus 2, the X has a metal frame running through it that's exposed to form a continuous band around the entire outside of the phone. Where the design differentiates is in the finish of the metal, with a set of fine horizontal lines — 17, in fact — etched around the entire exterior, giving it a subtle glint when the light hits it, but more importantly offering tons of grip on an otherwise slippery phone. Think iPhone 4/4s but bigger.
The slip comes from having full panes of Gorilla Glass 3 on both sides of the phone, much like the Galaxy S6 or iPhone 4/4s from 2010/2011, exhibiting the now-standard "2.5D" style of glass that rounds off nicely from the flat portions down into the metal edges. On the front the glass is protecting a 5-inch 1080p AMOLED display, plenty pixel dense, and colors seem to pop just the right amount. Just below the display OnePlus is still offering optional capacitive keys, but on this lower model they aren't backlit so there's a better chance you'll just go with the on-screen nav bar.
Beyond the awe of nice metal and glass formed together in a proper way, there isn't too much to be excited about here. You can have the OnePlus X in just one color and configuration, and the edges are simply adorned with the standard assortment of switches and ports — headphone on the top, volume and power on the right, alert slider to get all message, important messages, or no messages at all on the left, and a MicroUSB port and speaker on the bottom.
Beyond the design, there are a few more details to make note of here in the hardware space. Remember we're talking about a $249 unlocked phone, so there are a few things "missing," if you will, compared to more expensive phones. There's no NFC, wireless charging, quick charging, USB-C port, fingerprint sensor, advanced camera features, ac Wifi speeds or fancy powerful speakers. But OnePlus has listened to feedback a bit and added in a MicroSD card slot, and also includes a protective plastic case in the box with each phone.
Specs:
The internal specs on the OnePlus X round out to a rather simple equation. Rather than go with a newer, cheaper processor OnePlus has stuck with a relatively old Snapdragon 801 — the same chip as the OnePlus One, if you'll recall — and paired it with 3GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. That should be plenty to power the aforementioned 1080p display, and the only real initial concern I have about this package is how well it can manage battery life with just 2525 mAh to work with.
- Operating System OxygenOS, based on Android 5.1.1
- Display 5-inch 1920x1080 AMOLED (441 ppi)
- Corning Gorilla Glass 3
- Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 quad-core @ 2.3 GHz
- Adreno 330 GPU
- Storage 16GB eMMC v5.0
- MicroSD expandable up to 128GB
- SIM Dual SIM slots or single SIM + MicroSD card
- RAM 3GB LPDDR3
- Rear Camera 13MP ISOCELL 3M2 CMOS, f/2.2
- 1080p resolution video; Slow Motion: 720p video at 120fps
- Front Camera 8MP OV8858, f/2.4
- Network (U.S.) GSM: 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
- HSPA: B1/B2/B4/B5/B8
- LTE: B1/B2/B4/B5/B7/B8
- Connectivity 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, FM radio
- GPS, GLONASS, BDS
- Battery 2525 mAh LiPo
- Charging Micro USB
- 5V/2A charger included
- Colors Onyx (glass) or Ceramic
The software story hasn't really changed from the OnePlus 2, and considering how closely together these phones were announced that's not surprising. This is OxygenOS, which is built on Android 5.1.1 and keeps the feel of that stock system while adding some useful tweaks and customization options.
You get a customizable home screen, notification shortcuts and themes, as well as some optional gestures and quirky new FM radio app. There's also a dark mode for the entire interface to take advantage of the power savings on an AMOLED display, as well as a new ambient mode that will pulse and give you glance-able information on your locked screen.
Beside that it's all routine here — the Snapdragon 801 and 3GB of RAM should be capable of pushing this interface around just fine, and OxygenOS is going to be super familiar if you've spent time on a Nexus or recent Motorola phone. OnePlus isn't dropping any kind of information on a forthcoming Marshmallow update, unfortunately.
Overall:
I have to say I'm super impressed by what you're getting from the OnePlus X at the price of $249. While some missing features and specs may be issues at the higher price point of the OnePlus 2, when you drop down to this price range you just can't complain about what you're getting. And it seems as though OnePlus has spent the money in the right places here — great build, a good screen, capable internals and a few key specs to give it some aspirational qualities. Pair that up with lightweight software, and you have yourself a really solid package that's a clear considerably less than the next tier of devices.
Of course with OnePlus there's always a catch — well, you guessed it, there are invites. In the U.S. the invite system kicks off on November 19. OnePlus is moving in the right direction this time, though, and is setting a one month time frame for needing an invite — after that month is gone (presumably on December 19), things will open up for anyone who wants to drop $249 on the phone without getting in line for an invite.
And if you have both a need for an inexpensive — but solid quality — phone and the opportunity to do so, I recommend you give it a look. The OnePlus X seems to get really close to a winning recipe.
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