OnePlus One smartphone packs a premium punch at half the price

We are almost desensitised when it comes to new smartphone releases from Apple, Samsung and even HTC, but don’t feel bad because you’ve missed the news of the OnePlus One.

Nope – to be honest I hadn’t heard of the OnePlus One either until a friend gave me a nudge (thanks Steve!).

What makes this latest phone from Chinese manufacturer OnePlus interesting is that the company founded by ex-Oppo vice chairman Peter Lau, and the One is its first foray into the smartphone arena.

Naming your device the same as a current phone model may either be clever or daft but this One’s spec sheet does look like it could take on the likes of the LG G2, Galaxy S5, Xperia Z2 and HTC One (M8).

What stands the OnePlus One apart, however, is the ridiculous asking price of £290. That’s amazing when the aforementioned current crop are asking for around a double of that amount.

So, those specs

The OnePlus One is powered by the same quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor found in the insides of the Galaxy S5 and One (M8), and it beats both of those handsets with 3GB of RAM. It dwarfs their screens too, with a massive 5.5-inch full 1080p HD display, and a 13MP camera rounds off the list rather nicely.

It will also run the CyanogenMod OS straight out of the box, just like the Oppo. CyanogenMod is a modified version of stock Android only with many improvements and tweaks which users say pushes it way past the stock Android experience.

StyleSwap

The OnePlus One will be accessorised thanks to ‘StyleSwap’ covers. These textured rear shells will let you customise the look and feel of the device.

From denim to wood, there appears to be plenty of options to choose from, and it’s a nice little throwback to the glorious swappable Nokia covers of the 90s.

Although, I’m not sure what to expect from a phone covered in “BabySkin”…

With added Lightning

The OnePlus One has another confusing, and yet interesting, accessory in what appears to be a Lightning adaptor which transforms the standard microUSB cable into one which is compatible with Apple devices.

Now, I would love to see that this phone will dual boot with iOS but I can’t really see that happening. Is this adaptor purely for speedy transfers from Macs or is there something else going on? Is the One USB 3.0?

UK release and that bargain price

Thankfully none of us will have long to wait for these questions to be answered as the One will be released in the UK on April 23rd complete with that low price point.

You know what, I am interested and will be keeping a close eye on this – how about you?

I for one have signed up for updates. Check out the countdown and the forums.