OnePlus 2 Launch - highlights [video]

So, like or lump the OnePlus company, you cannot deny the appetite that is out there for folks to learn more about it.

Today was the day that OnePlus launched their device, and as we've discussed about in the past it was the first ever VR launch.  And I have to say, that was pretty cool.  We watched it live - you can watch the Hangout on Air to get our live feedback.



It was hard to move the phone around to watch the video and still face the camera to talk, but Isee SOmuch more potential for things in the future.

Okay, but on to the device itself.  What did we find out?

One thing I noticed that there was quite a bit of discussion about their forums.  I wonder why that is (help with their own tech support).

Also it was interesting to notice little URLs hidden around the scenery.  Punching them in would possibly have netted you an invite, but they were gone in seconds.  Here's the URLs I caught:

Essentially punch in onepl.us/[CODE]

  • /q9c4
  • /jwy9
  • /j82g
  • /w264
  • /5wzh
  • /jn3l
  • /17nq
  • /axw8
  • /zpmp

If you go there now you get an 'invalid claim code'.  Oh well... the problem was it really distracted from watching the event as you were too busy trying to find the codes and then enter them in.

So, watching the video we didn't really see a lot of stuff that we didn't learn already.  We know now that it has:

  • 5.5" @ 1080P
    • (was it just me that got that dig of "QuadHD isn't quite there yet?")
  • Snapdragon 810 v2
  • 4GB RAM
  • 13MP camera with OIS and Laser Focus
    • (Also 1.3micron pixels - compared to 'standard' of 1.1)
  • USB type C (which you could just get an adapter for your regular microUSB) and the USB-A end is reversible as well (their patent)

The bits that I 'found out' during the show was the fingerprint scanner will be like the Galaxy line up, with a button on the front, and not on the back as we all surmised (dang, I have really gotten used to back buttons on the G series).  They also claimed that this scanner is not only faster than the iPhone 6, but more secure.

The other thing that was new was the alert button.  At first I assumed it would be like the iPhone toggle, with on or off, but you find it matches the lollipop alerts with ALL / PRIORITY / NONE.  That would be cool (if I didn't have Wear to do it for me).

They also announced that it would be available for purchase on August 11th, so we still have to wait 2 more weeks (plus wait to see if we get an invite).

In the end the whole thing ended with a nice punch in the nuts feel with them cutting to black just before they announced the price.  I get it, it just was really lame in my books.

Later on via their Youtube we see that they announced the price as $329 / $389 (for the 16GB / 64GB); interestingly they put a line for Canadian as $409 / $479 (which is slightly less than the exchange rate).


In conclusion... is it a 2016 flagship killer as they're claiming?  Well... personally I don't think so.  It has a lot of features that other phones have already (4GB of RAM from the ZenFone 2, Laser/OIS from LG, Fingerprint from Samsung...).  So bits from phones we've already seen.

Folks have RAVED about the amazing price... it's not a great great deal compared to some of the flagships as there is some sacrifices (I'm sorry, when your tagline is "Never Settle" and then you don't come out with the BEST features...).  It's a great price for what the specs are.

Personally, I'm not all that enthralled.  I tire of their marketing attempts, and I'm not entirely sure they're over their customer service issues; and maybe the 2 will have better hardware than before (there were tons of issues that affected some of the users that never went away).

We'll just have to wait for August 11th I guess to see how it really is.

Follow us on our social media



AndroidColiseum

Comments