Hands on: OnePlus X review
OnePlus had a fantastic 2014 and it has been hard for the company to replicate that success again this year, especially after a lukewarm reaction to the OnePlus 2. The OnePlus X is here to help the company through though by including a phone with an even more attractive price tag than the flagship range.
It brings about a new line of phones for the very young firm and it's a chance to show off to those who like high-end specs, a nice design and most of all a low, low price.
That price is US$249, £199 or AU$350 – undeniably great for the spec list you're getting. It's around the same amount as the Moto G 2015, but it offers a much higher spec than that phone and most of the competition in this area.
The big problem here is the same as everything that comes from OnePlus. You can't just walk into a shop and buy one.
You have to grab an invite off a friend, from the internet or through a competition and it's just a general pain to get a hold of one.
That said, OnePlus is still one of the most respected phone brands for what it has managed to achieve with its flagship killer campaign and big ideas.
If you want a OnePlus X, you're going to need an invite to get one. But is it worth it?
Design
The OnePlus X is possibly the nicest looking phone that has come out of the Chinese start-up so far. The OnePlus 2 mirrored the OnePlus One quite closely, but the X has gone an entirely different route.
The OnePlus X features a glass back that looks great - at least until you start putting your hands all over it. The back of this phone is a real fingerprint magnet – I found even after using the phone for a few minutes the back was covered in loads of marks.
That said, I never found that my grip was a problem with the phone. That's despite it looking like a slippery surface.
On the back is the OnePlus logo as well that looks great with its little plus in the corner actually looking quite appropriate considering the name of this phone.
I've found the logo also generates a lot of conversation with people around me. Anticipation is so high for these phones that friends genuinely get excited to see one in the flesh.
The rounded corners of the phone reminds me quite a bit of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S. But I don't think they'd be particularly hardy and one drop is likely to scratch those up.
Black bezels sits across the top and bottom of the screen and the capacitive back, home and list buttons are running along the bottom alongside the microphone.
On the top level is the front-facing camera, earpiece and then in the top right is a little LED light. That's used for notifications, but you can head into the set up and chance the light for different functions.
It means you can have a light for when you're having notifications, and a different colour for whenever your battery is dying. It's useful as you can know exactly what your phone wants to tell you before you turn the display on and waste battery.
The edges of the OnePlus X are strange. OnePlus has opted for metal around the outside of the handset, but it's a rough texture all the way around. When I first picked up the phone I wasn't impressed by the edges – but I've grown to really like them while using the OnePlus X.
On the top left edge is the notification button that proves quite useful. Whenever your phone is buzzing by the side of you in a meeting you can just reach over and flick it off so you know no-one is going to disturb you further.
On the right hand side is the volume rocker and power button just below it. I find these the wrong way round, to be honest. It's a little too low along the side of the phone and I found myself hitting the rocker by accident.
Again that's something you get used to with time though, and it's not a major gripe.
Surprisingly the OnePlus X isn't very heavy – it looks like it'll be more than 138g.
Overall, OnePlus has taken what made the iPhone 4 a great looking phone, blown it up a little and applied its own tweaks and little changes to make a premium phone out of not such premium materials.
I really like the design of the OnePlus X – and if you compare this look to other phones in the market it won't get you anything near this level of design.
For the first time on a OnePlus handset, the OnePlus X sports an AMOLED screen, making for brighter, more vibrant colours.
The 5-inch screen is a comfortable size, and the full HD resolution means everything looks clean and sharp.
I do fear a little for the Snapdragon 801 processor housed inside the OnePlus X – it's not a bad chip by any means, it's just getting a little long in the tooth.
To be fair to the OnePlus X, though, Android 5.1.1 Lollipop felt fast and fluid during my time with the handset. Apps loaded promptly, I was able to skip through home screens without issue and it appeared to handle multitasking well.
The device I got my hands on didn't have any of the content or apps other than what comes loaded out of the box – it'll be interesting to see if the processor and 3GB of RAM can cope just as well when you starting filling the OnePlus X up.
OnePlus has stuck with a 13MP camera on the rear of the X, mimicking the snappers on the One and 2. It's not an identical experience though, as OnePlus has made some improvements behind the scenes.
This includes faster auto-focus, and it performed very well during my hands on time. The snapper speed was lightning quick, enabling me to take multiple shots in rapid succession.
OnePlus has stuck with the stock Android app, so you get modes such as Beauty, HDR and Clear Image as well as Panorama and Time-Lapse, but don't expect the volley of features and tools you find on other handsets.
The OnePlus X Onyx will be available to buy (with an invite) from November 5 for the first month. The limited edition OnePlus X Ceramic will be available before Christmas, but a firm release date is still pending.
From December OnePlus will introduce weekly open sales, which will initially be one-hour time slots where anyone can buy the X, but these will increase in duration as time goes on.
Early verdict
The OnePlus X is another solid smartphone from the Chinese firm, and it's the best-looking yet. Factor in its surprisingly low price tag and OnePlus may well have a mid-range winner on its hands.
Trouble is you'll still need an invite to buy one initially, which makes OnePlus's phones frustratingly difficult to get hold of. OnePlus promises it will open up periods of general sale from December, but it still won't be a simple matter of going online at any time and hitting 'Buy'.
One final word of advice: you're better off ignoring the Ceramic option. It's more expensive and heavier, and I, along with many others at the launch event, struggled to tell it apart from the cheaper Onyx finish.
from TechRadar: Technology reviews http://ift.tt/1HKoEIx
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