Oneplus 2: Has it hit the right cords!

| Updated: Sunday, October 25, 2015, 9:18 [IST]

After a lot of fanfare the OnePlus Two was finally announced worldwide today, thanks to Virtual Reality. It was in fact the first device to launch via this new technology.

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Nevertheless like previous generation, OnePlus Two will come in two variants. One comes with 16GB storage/ 2GB RAM at Rs 22,999 while the 64GB/ 4GB variant comes at Rs 24,999. But is this the 2016 Flagship Killer? Or do we need to wait for the Mi5 launch to comment on the situation? Let's find out. I will start with the parts that went down well and later move onto those which didn't quite do so.

The Hits:

The metal chassis is a big improvement from the OnePlus One. The device with metal on the side looks and feels plusher than the previous generation.

Finally the 4GB RAM! This was an industry benchmark started by Asus with the launch of the Zenfone 2. Many a rumours hinted that the OnePlus One won't be receiving a 4GB of RAM, instead it would come with a 3GB. Some others had different opinion and said just the reverse. Thankfully both turned out to be true with the company releasing two versions of the device - one with a 3GB and the other with 4GB.

USB Type C is something we all were expecting to feature in this device - after all OnePlus CEO, Carl Pei had teased that a month before the launch. The USP of the USB Type C is that, it is reversible. We now no longer need to turn the cable upside down, the way we are used to doing! Plus it enables higher data transfer speeds up to 5GBps

Fingerprint Sensor is now present, located on the rectangular home button. It's much like the one seen on the Samsung Galaxy S6. One can add up to five fingerprints and unlock the device in a matter of 0.05 secs - Impressive! Further it seems like OnePlus have invaded into the iPhone territory when it comes to the fingerprint sensor accuracy - MKBHD in the hands on video had suggested that the device detects your fingerprint accurately in 90% of the occasion.

Despite featuring the same rear camera i.e. the 13MP f2.0 Sony IMX214 as the one seen on the OnePlus One, there are a few major difference between the both. The OnePlus Two now comes equipped with a PDAF (Phase detection autofocus technology) also popularly called Laser Auto Focus. This will help the camera too focus faster on moving objects. Add to that an Optical Image stabilization (OIS). Hence it's time to say bye to those shaky videos.

OnePlus had bundled something new though. It's a Physical Mute Slider. Despite featuring in an iPhone way back, this failed to gain popularity and didn't get included in any Android devices. This makes OnePlus Two the first device to sport it. It comes with 3 mute toggles - one for all your notifications and the other two for priority notification and full device mute respectively.

Now let's move on to the other part of the story!

The Miss:

Lack of Quad HD display. This was a much anticipated feature in the device and many a fans were disappointed to find out that it still features the same old 1080p panel. The brightness and the color reproduction of the panel are much improved though. But at a time when flagships like Samsung Galaxy S6, LG G4 and Xiaomi Mi Note Pro are coming with Quad HD (2560x1440) display, the lack of it will be highly felt.

No Quick Charge! Yes you read that right. Despite using a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 v2.1 SoC under the hood which natively support Quick Charge 2.0, the OnePlus Two won't come with it. I still don't understand what made them take this decision, considering the fact that they bundled in a large 3600 mah battery inside.

Lack of NFC is a feature that drove many a fans sad. But personally I don't feel it's much of a use considering you live in a country like India.

The Camera Placement on the back won't be liked by many I believe. Even I don't like it. I would have loved it if OnePlus had kept the camera at the same location as seen in the OnePlus One. But at the end of the day, that's down to personal choice.

Conclusion:

Despite cutting many a corners, OnePlus have come up with a gem of a device at the price tag it will offer it for. It may not be this year's flagship killer but it definitely is one complete package - barring the Quick Charge.

But it does it really deserve all the hype that was created round it? That's for you to decide. Do let us know in the comments section below.

Final Thoughts - We may need to wait for the Xiaomi Mi5 event to comment whether this is the new ‘Flagship Killer of 2016'. Apparently it seems that the device will lose that crown to OnePlus.