OnePlus X aims to offer high-end experience at low-cost price
NEW YORK-- Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus is at it again.
On Thursday the company announced its third smartphone, the OnePlus X. Unlike the OnePlus One or OnePlus 2 that came before it, the OnePlus X is a new fashion-focused line for OnePlus that comes at an even more budget-conscious price: $249 unlocked and without any contract when it launches in the US on November 19.
As with other OnePlus launches there will be an invite system in place for the OnePlus X, but with the holidays approaching the company will offer open sales to to allow anyone to purchase the device from its website in early December.
While its price may be affordable, the OnePlus X isn't designed like a cheap knockoff phone and the company is not positioning it as such. Instead, it views the device as a new line in its portfolio to cater to those who want a smaller, more design-oriented phone.
"It is a different product series," Carl Pei, the company's 26-year-old cofounder tells Paste BN, "the OnePlus One, 2 and upcoming 3, they are a part of the flagship series." Continues Pei, "for this we haven't really figured out a naming convention like a category because it is still flagship specs but at a price point that is more midrange."
"It is beautiful and its powerful, that's how we're positioning it," he said.
The OnePlus X has a smaller 5-inch 1080p display as opposed to the OnePlus One or OnePlus 2 which feature more phablet-like 5.5-inch screens. Unlike other phones in its price range, the device utilizes an all glass design with metal edges, giving it a more premium feel that is reminiscent of Apple's iPhone 4 and 4S.
"We came to the conclusion that the smartphone is a very personal device and different people have different preferences to what they want," says Pei. "So just like how we are wearing different clothing, we wear different watches, we drive different cars, the smartphone should also be more personalized to different people's needs."
Under the hood, the device features Qualcomm's Snapdragon 801 processor and 3GB of RAM, with a 13-megapixel rear camera and 8-megapixel front camera for selfies. It runs OnePlus's custom OxygenOS atop of Google's Android 5.1.1 Lollipop though Pei wouldn't confirm a timeframe for when to expect the new 6.0 Marshmallow software.
Similar to most unlocked phones, the OnePlus X will only work on AT&T or T-Mobile's networks in the US.
The device includes 16GB of built-in storage which can be expanded to an additional 128GB through a microSD card. There is no fingerprint sensor or NFC support, but given the low price, some sacrifices must be expected. USB-C is also out given the thin space requirements of the device.
At $249, the OnePlus X ranks among the most premium feeling phones I've used in that price range and does not give off the impression of something under $300.
The glass back can be slippery however, and unlike earlier OnePlus models it is not replaceable on the OnePlus X. The company will be making covers for the phone and is including a silicon case in the box.
The screen looked sharp and performance seemed snappy. The few snaps taken with the cameras looked decent in the low light environment I briefly tried it in.
The lack of a fingerprint sensor and NFC support are missed particularly in light of Android's recent support for both with the recent launch of Android Pay, though not a bad trade-off given the low price.
OnePlus's biggest weakness however, may be itself. According to the company, the invite waiting list on the recently released OnePlus 2 grew to over 6.1 million people, but many were unhappy with the long waits to get the ability to purchase that device. The system will still be there for the OnePlus X and that, coupled with its late US launch, may take the phone out of the Christmas shopping season for many prospective U.S. buyers.
Regardless, Pei expects the lower-priced OnePlus X to do more volume than the $389 OnePlus 2, which he adds is already "scaling much faster" than last year's OnePlus One. In an interview with Paste BN earlier this year, Pei said that that the company had "internal targets of 3-5 million" phone sales for this year.
Follow Eli Blumenthal on Twitter @eliblumenthal