[dropcap size=small]2[/dropcap]015 was the year when an underdog of a company burst into the gadget arena’s limelight with a single handset that it ever produced. Giants fell, thrones were toppled and standards were redefined forever. OnePlus One was not just a phone, it was a revolution. We had a phone fit for the high end of the price range available at the price of the lower rung of the middle. It had it all: 5.5-inch 1080p IPS LCD screen, Snapdragon 801 2.5GHz CPU, 3GB RAM, Android 4.4.2 with CyanogenMod, all at a best buy price of ₹21,000. The company has stalled from the moment of reckoning long enough; with crappy back covers and power banks. [highlight color=#E81F2B ]Now the moment has come to welcome to the world: OnePlus Two.[/highlight]
In the biggest Virtual Reality event ever, OnePlus will officially reveal the successor to the One on 27th of July at 2 A. M. GMT. [highlight color=#E81F2B ]Later this year, a mini version of OnePlus is expected as well.[/highlight] For now, let us focus on the most anticipated phone of this year.
So here is a complete specs and features walkthrough to OnePlus Two:
[alert type=white ]Note:The Following article can be considered a complete summary of all available information regarding OnePlus 2. Much of the following information has been confirmed after Oppomart released a listing for OnePlus 2 on July 17, 2015.[/alert]
[divider]NEW FEATURES[/divider]
[button color=”red” size=”normal” alignment=”center” rel=”nofollow” openin=”samewindow” ]1. Fingerprint Scanner[/button]
The new OnePlus handset is expected to feature a fingerprint scanner (placed at the rear most probably) which OnePlus claims to be “significantly” faster than the Touch ID of Apple’s iPhone 6.
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[button color=”red” size=”normal” alignment=”center” rel=”nofollow” openin=”samewindow” ]2. USB-C Port[/button]
Keeping in mind that Google has announced USB Type-C to be the standard USB for all future Android devices, OnePlus has already taken the step and has made the switch. [highlight color=#E81F2B ]The new OnePlus 2 will in fact have a reversible USB-C port, making it “the first flagship to offer it”[/highlight], which is the beginning of the new USB era, one in which USB will become truly Universal.
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[button color=”red” size=”normal” alignment=”center” rel=”nofollow” openin=”samewindow” ]3. An All Metallic Chassis[/button]
Shunning the (otherwise rad) matte carbon fiber back of the OnePlus One; Two is possibly coming in an all metallic chassis; with assurances of a better range and availability of the StyleSwap covers.
[divider]UPGRADES[/divider]
[button color=”blue” size=”normal” alignment=”center” rel=”nofollow” openin=”samewindow” ]1. New Processor[/button]
The OnePlus Two is going to be powered by a 64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 810 v2 with a [highlight color=#E81F2B ]maximum clock speed of 1.8GHz which is 0.2 GHz lower than the expected max clock speed from this processor, in order to maintain the cool of the phone and avoid the overheating problems OnePlus One ran into last year.[/highlight] This means 4K video playback, a faster camera, and better graphics.
Also, a much debated topic is how much primary memory will be available to the buyers. The listings at Oppoworld mention a 3GB RAM but the rest of the world could go out on a limb saying OnePlus Two will have 4GB RAM. The latter actually makes more sense as an upgrade.
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[button color=”blue” size=”normal” alignment=”center” rel=”nofollow” openin=”samewindow” ]2. Display[/button]
[highlight color=#E81F2B ]OnePlus Two is sure as hell getting a 2K screen (2,560×1,440 display resolution) which is an upgrade from the 1080p resolution of OnePlus One.[/highlight] As for the display size, again a major debate is there about whether it’ll feature a 5.5 inch or a 5.7 inch screen. Seeing the popularity of the 5.5 inch iPhone 6 Plus; OP might want to consider going with the former choice here.
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[button color=”blue” size=”normal” alignment=”center” rel=”nofollow” openin=”samewindow” ]3. Operating System[/button]
The recent rift between Cyanogenmod and OnePlus in India had forced OnePlus to develop its own OS for its phones: the result was OxygenOS. OnePlus 2 is coming with the OxygenOS pre-installed and rooted to Android 5.1 Lollipop.
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[button color=”blue” size=”normal” alignment=”center” rel=”nofollow” openin=”samewindow” ]4. Other upgrades[/button]
Some other minor upgrades that we may see in OnePlus Two are:
– 64GB internal memory that is expandable (with a cheaper 16GB variant available).
– 3,300mAh battery unit (10% more than the One).
– A 16 megapixel camera on the rear as well as an 8 megapixel one on the front (and hopefully a better camera app).
[divider]SALES AND SUPPORT STRATEGY[/divider]
One major downer for enthusiasts all over the world was the invite system. For a company that was itself overwhelmed by its worldwide success; handling an incredulously large demand was pretty difficult. OnePlus One invites had to be preyed upon by aspiring buyers on Social Media and thus the company received less than positive reaction. We have to keep in mind though, that the cash flow and inventory system of OnePlus was simply not evolved enough.
Now, learning a lesson from last year’s shortcomings, OnePlus has retained the invite system yet improved it.
The major pointers regarding this are:
[button color=”green” size=”normal” alignment=”center” rel=”nofollow” openin=”samewindow” ]1. More invites[/button]
OnePlus has promised to make available as much as 50 times more number of invites for OnePlus Two than that of OnePlus One. This is a major relief for OnePlus fans this year.
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[button color=”green” size=”normal” alignment=”center” rel=”nofollow” openin=”samewindow” ]2. Reservation List[/button]
A reservation list is going to be maintained by OnePlus for all those waiting for the invites. Everyone will be queued in line and given invites as soon as they are available.
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These sales strategies are a major requirement seeing that my own major source of information on this article and my college friend Shivam Sachdeva himself had to ship his phone to Hong Kong because his dad had business there (fortunately).
Another down point for OnePlus One was the crappy 3G support it offered over the world. OnePlus Two is expected to support global 4G FDD-LTE network.
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[button color=”grey” size=”big” alignment=”center” rel=”nofollow” openin=”samewindow” ]Price[/button]
The biggest debate-worthy topic about OnePlus Two is: How much will it cost? [highlight color=#E81F2B ]We were promised a sub $450 price, and were told “It was never about the price” by the CEO; and now we are looking at a price tag of $499![/highlight] This is by far the biggest range of variation that is possible for OnePlus Two.
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