‘Flagship Killer’ OnePlus 2 Smartphone Packs Some Serious Power

The smartphone market could be about to see a price war following the release of OnePlus’ second-generation flagship device.

Having learnt some lessons from the launch of its first device last year, the OnePlus 2 comes with some impressive upgrades, including a boost from a plastic build to an all-metal design, to make what the company calls its “2016 Flagship Killer”.

However it will still only be available to those that have been invited by friends or customers who have already purchased a OnePlus 2, meaning interested customers had better be well-connected – especially as the waiting list currently has over 415,000 people.

Power up

As mentioned, the OnePlus 2 features some bumped-up specifications to help it compete with the likes of Samsung, Sony and Apple, with two separate editions offering slightly different hardware for those on a budget.

Measuring just 9.85mm across, the device features a 5.5 inch FullHD IPS LCD1080p display that packs in 401ppi and is made of Gorilla Glass 3.

The premium edition is powered by a meaty octa-core 64-bit Snapdragon 810 processor clocked at 1.8 GHz alongside an Andreno 430 GPU, and either 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, with the cheaper version coming with 3GB of RAM and 16GB of storage.

Weighing in at 175g, both versions come with the same 3,300mAh battery, and runs Android Lollipop 5.1 alongside OnePlus’ OxygenOS.

There’s a 13MP rear camera that is able to capture 4k video and packs in six separate lenses to avoid distortion and ‘colour aberration’, as well as a dual-LED flash, f/2.0 aperture and laser autofocus. This is joined by a 5MP front camera which is also distortion free to ensure your selfies remain sharp.

Get alert

Elsewhere, there’ a USB-C port for fast charging, as well as a fingerprint scanner, Bluetooth 4.1 and capacity for two SIMs – however there’s no NFC capability, so you won’t be able to use the OnePlus 2 for mobile payments.

The phone also features a special “alert slider” on its left side, which can toggle between three different notification profiles. These are “None,” which disables all notifications, “Priority,” which only lets notifications from your priority contacts come through, and “All,” which unsurprisingly enables all of them.

The OnePlus 2 also features more customisation than ever before, with users able to choose from a range of rear panels including military-grade bulletproof Kevlar or wood panelling made from Bamboo, Rosewood or Apricot wood.

Available from August 11 via OnePlus’ invite process, the premium version of the OnePlus 2 will cost $389 (£289), with the slightly less powerful edition costing $329 (£239).

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